| Tony Speciale

A Four-Letter Word

Classic Stage Company
in association with
World Event Young Artists
& Plastic Theatre
NYC & Nottingham, England, 2012

conceived by Jess R. Burkle & Tony Speciale
written by Jess R. Burkle
inspired by the poetry of Allen Ginsberg

costume design by Michelle Bohn
lighting design by Christopher Bowser

with David Jackson, Hank Lin, Greg Nussen, Frederico Rodriguez and Patric Yeoman

“I saw the greatest minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked” yells Allen Ginsberg in his explosive indictment of 1950’s America, Howl. Its indelible, gritty descriptions of sex, drugs, homosexuality, and the human condition sparked a nationwide firestorm of cultural controversy ending in a cut-throat legal battle for the soul of free speech. Inspired by the testimonies, editorials, and raw emotions of this most famous American obscenity trial, The Plastic Theater presents a bold, haunting telling of the poem, the publisher, and the people who refused to be silenced.