The Spinning Wheel

Told through a blend of spoken word, hip hop, live music and video art, theatre makers Baba Israel and Leo Kay create a portrait of the unique and
vibrant life of Baba's father Steve Ben Israel; the New York-based Beat poet, jazz musician, countercultural activist, stand-up comedian and core member of the iconic performance collective The Living Theatre.

Drawn from his extensive archive, conversations with his collaborators and research into his favourite haunts, the work explores the resonance of Steve Ben's pacifist politics and beliefs, in relation to today's culture, examining the significance of legacy inherited by a second generation.

Steve Ben practised what he called performance life and found his inspiration by bringing his politics and comedy into the streets, subways, and protests of New York. One of his stand out performance life moments came when he escaped 1970s Brazil dressed as a woman and improvised his way through
airport security to return to NY, where he worked to organise the release of
the members of The Living Theatre who were still in jail there. His was a life committed to liberation.