Since its founding in 1974 by Paul Zimet, Ellen Maddow, and Tina Shepard—all former members of Joseph Chaikin’s seminal Open Theater—The Talking Band has remained a cornerstone of New York City’s avant-garde theater community. The New York Times called them “one of the boldest and most venerable politically minded companies in New York experimental theater.” American Theater magazine has deemed them “one of the most exceptional theater companies in the country.”