For a long time we've wanted to share the texts of Clive's plays which are held here in the archive - so we're delighted to announce that as of November 2017 we'll be publishing a series of full scripts.
The first two titles - The Magician and The History of the Devil - are available now through the Archive store.
This is the first edition of The Magician - a one-act play in the Commedia dell' Arte tradition. Originally performed by The Dog Company in 1978, this first publication of the full script includes 14 photos of the original production, poster art and manuscript pages from the archive.
The History of the Devil is one of Clive's most successful plays, with productions continuing around the world long after it was first performed by The Dog Company in 1980. This new publication of the full script includes 7 photos of the original production, poster art and manuscript pages from the archive.
The Magician: Paperback first edition with cover art by Clive Barker, 92 pages, $6 plus shipping
The History of the Devil: Paperback edition with cover art by Clive Barker, 188 pages, $9 plus shipping
Further titles will become available over coming months!
"These plays are not finished things, they're invitations to collective work... These are blueprints, not houses. I am laying out the ground rules for a circus, and inviting wild beasts, clowns, and strippers on to parade themselves in any and every combination.
"What it comes down to is that these are texts which are meant to be starting places for very particular intellectual and artistic adventures. And they are particular to the group of people who have been gathered there to have the adventure. They are deliberately free-form. They are deliberately overpacked. They are deliberately ragged, unhoned, raw. I make no apology for any of that. They are intended to be, I hope, inspirational rather than repressive.
"They are ways to say to actors and directors and designers, 'Here are some ideas, here are some lines, here are some situations. Make masks, make dance, make music, make mime, make whatever you want to personalise this experience.'"Clive Barker