Drama. Edited by Cindy Rosenthal. Scripts, photos, director's notes, musical scores, set designs and more, from a remarkably fertile period in the half-century-long history of the most important radical theatre ensemble in American (or world) history. The Living Theatre is an American theatre company founded in 1947 and based in New York City. It is the oldest experimental theatre group still existing in the U.S. For most of its history it was led by its founders, actor Judith Malina and painter/poet Julian Beck; after Beck's death in 1985, company member Hanon Reznikov became co-director with Malina.