Oral history interview with Marc Estrin

Oral history interview with Marc Estrin

Marc Estrin discusses his transition from studying microbiology to theater, and describes working as theater director of the San Francisco Actors Workshop in 1965 and in political theater in Washington D.C until 1969. He speaks of living in an urban commune, of being invited to teach at Goddard College and being impressed by its radical orientation, of teaching theater and conducting the Goddard Community Chorus, and of moving to the Maple Hill Commune in Plainfield, Vermont. He discusses the Bread and Puppet Theater's residency at Goddard, the contributions of Peter Schumann, the development of shape-note singing, the significance of Cheap Art, and the fact that there was a lot of nudity on campus. He credits the writings of Franz Kafka for playing a big role in his life. The bulk of his interview comprises a discussion about social and political thought at Goddard College, the influence of college president Jerry Witherspoon, and the value of 1960s-1970s ideology in relation to contemporary issues and current activism. He concludes the interview with discussion about his more recent roles as author and publisher of literary and political fiction.

14 July 2015

AudioFile1970s-49

MP3

Audio Files

Plainfield (Vt.)

Permission to publish material from the Vermont 1970s Counterculture Project must be obtained from the Vermont Historical Society.

Rowell, Leslie

Estrin, Marc

Burlington (Vt.)

1 hr., 37 min., 43 sec.

Vermont Historical Society Library, 60 Washington Street, Barre, VT 05641-4209