Draft:Carlo Altomare

Altomare was born in New Jersey. He attended Trenton High School and later studied at Rider University on a scholarship to its Fine Arts Department.

While a student at Rider University, Altomare performed in touring productions and appeared in The Medium by Gian Carlo Menotti.

During this period, Altomare established a student-run café theatre known as the Bijou Theatre. He also directed its vocal ensemble the Bijou Singers, which performed at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden as part of a poetry event featuring Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Altomare, then 19, composed music for the event and led the ensemble.^[2][3]

Altomare joined the Living Theatre in 1973, working with its founders Judith Malina and Julian Beck. He toured internationally as part of the ensemble and contributed as an actor and composer.

The Living Theatre during this period was known for collective creation and political performance.^[4] Altomare composed music for productions including The Dismantling of the Money Tower and Prometheus.^[5]

Archival records held by Yale University Library document his involvement with the company.^[6]

In 1981 Altomare founded the Alchemical Theatre Company in New York City. The ensemble presented experimental theatre works, including the world premiere of There Is No More Firmament by Antonin Artaud and productions such as Pure War / The Madness of the Day, which was reviewed in publications including Backstage and Time Out New York.^[7][8]

Altomare later co-founded Theaterlab, a New York City venue for experimental performance.^[9]

He subsequently established the Alchemical Theatre Laboratory, also known as Alchemical Studios, a performance and rehearsal space in Manhattan. The organization has been documented in publications including Time Out New York, Crain’s New York Business, and Nonprofit Quarterly.^[10][11][12]

Altomare’s work with the Living Theatre has been noted in journalistic and scholarly contexts. In a review of Korach, The New York Times referred to “Carlo Altomare’s intricate moves for the ensemble.”^[13]

His musical compositions for The Tablets were also noted in The New York Times, which credited the score with adding “pointed wit” to the production.^[14]

Scholarly writing has described his work as contributing to a “haunting choral atmosphere” aligned with Artaudian theatre.^[15]

Altomare has composed music for film and documentary projects, including Resist! To Be with the Living and Signals Through the Flames, a documentary about the Living Theatre.^[16]

Altomare has conducted workshops and lectures on experimental theatre and actor training in the United States and Europe. His work emphasizes physical training, collective creation, and ensemble-based performance.