Witch’s Kitchen Archive Part 2: From Genius Inc. to Beggar Bar

The second installment from the Witch’s Kitchen Archive presents the enthralling story of Judith Malina’s first encounter with Valeksa Gert and Beggar Bar in New York around 1943. Lutker presents an edited excerpt from Malina’s memoirs as a graphic text. Images illustrate and animate the story of 17-year-old Malina’s all-night adventure that culminated in her landing a job as the hat-check girl at Beggar Bar, Valeska Gert’s underground cabaret in the West Village from 1941-1944.

Actress, writer, and director Judith Malina (1926-2015) was co-founder of The Living Theatre, a radical political theater troupe that rose to prominence in New York City and Paris during the 1950s and 60s and lives on in the East Village. Her time as the hat-check girl at Beggar Bar under the wing of Valeska Gert was hugely influential on her work and activism.