M.I.T. Cancels Living Theater, Alleges 'Overcrowding' Hazard

M.I.T.'s Department of Humanities yesterday cancelled two performances of the Living Theatre on the grounds that the large numbers of people crowding in the aisles and on the stage were a safety hazard.

The performances, scheduled for last night and tonight, were both sold out.

'Paradise Now'

In a press release, the department stated that during Tuesday's performance of Paradise Now 500 members of the audience climbed up on the Kresge Auditorium stage, which legally holds 125.

The department said it agreed to pay the theatre company for the cancelled performances and to refund the money of students who bought tickets in advance. The department added that it will try to arrange a return engagement for Julian Beck's group at a theatre in Boston.

'Grossed Out'

An editor of the M.I.T. newspaper Tech said he thought the reason for the cancellation was that "the Dean of Student Affairs was grossed out." Members of the cast and audience stripped during the Tuesday night performance.

Another Tech staffer added that the audience came close to riot when Jerome Y. Lettvin, professor of biology and electrical engineering, got up on stage to urge students to go home.

Lettvin said the hysterical performance might bring the police looking for drugs. He explained his fear that busts at the theatre would spread to the Student Center where AWOL soldier, John Michael O'Conner, then was taking sanctuary.

No Theater

The Living Theatre reportedly met yesterday to try to find another local theater for the evening's show. A spokesman at the box office later said the group had not found a theatre and that they would not perform in the Boston area this weekend.

Living Theatre productions of Frankenstein and Antigone have impressed critics across the country, who praised the group's imagination and inventiveness. In contrast to Paradise Now, these two shows had involved no active audience participation.