DLG189 Artist Rebecca Major discusses one of the most unusual childhoods Dr. Lisa has heard. (Hint: Budapest, The Squat Theater)

Rebecca Major is a smart, highly original, shit together artist. Dr. Lisa plumbs her childhood experience of moving at 5 years old with her mother and 10 year old sister from Budapest, Hungary to NYC to live with a prominent, wildly avant-guard theater group, the Squat Theater (active in a large communal setting. Rebecca has since become an accomplished artist and grounded adult, but it couldn’t have been easy. We get a great vision of her experience and some of the effect it’s had on her life. More about Rebecca and her work here: http://www.rebeccamajor.com/ Learn about the Squat Theatre, an important part of NYC theater history: (From Wikipedia) Squat Theatre (1977–1991) was a Hungarian experimental theatre company from Budapest, which left Hungary for Paris, France, and then New York City, where they built a reputation for experimental theatre.[1][2] Originally, the Company was known as Kassák Haz Studió and was located at Uzsoki-utca 57, Budapest). For political and aesthetic reasons the Company emigrated to Paris then to the United States where they arrived in New York City first living at the Hotel Chelsea and then at 256 West 23rd Street where they lived, worked and performed from 1977 to 1985. Several members left Squat Theatre in 1985 when they lost the lease to their space on 23rd Street including Anna Koós, Péter Halász, Eric Daille, and Agnes Santha.[3] The rest of the Company continued until 1991. Squat Theatre's last play was Full Moon Killer, 1991 and performed at The Kitchen in New York City. The space on 23rd Street had a large window with a street entrance, and spectators sat in the back of the store facing the storefront window and the street beyond.[1][2] Events took place with the street as backdrop, with the intention of unsettling the events, the relationship among the members of the group, and the audience. This set-up was first used in Rotterdam at 129a Van Oldenbarneveltstraat in the show Pig, Child, Fire! which was commissioned by the Toneelraad Rotterdam.[4][5]