Dramaturgical Resources
2025
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol
By Jesse Bonnell (adapted from the book by Andy Warhol)
Over the course of the season, our assistant directors and student dramaturgs will be compiling dramaturgical resources relating to each production as it develops. Below are some links to websites which relate to the history of the play, the biography of the playwright, and sites that contextualize and, we hope, shed light on the directorial approach to the dramatic material.
We hope you find these resources of interest.
Andy Warhol, born Andrew Warhola Jr. (August 6, 1928 - February 22, 1987)
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol is based on the book, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again, a 1975 book written by the titular Andy Warhol which is itself a combination of small scenes meant to portray Warhol’s views and experiences surrounding money, work, art, time, love, sex, and beauty. The actual material of the book was drawn from interviews with Pat Hackett, a close collaborator of Warhol and Barnard College graduate, as well as taped conversations between Warhol, Bob Colacello, and Brigid Berlin.
Warhol was born Andrew Warholer Jr. on August 6th, 1928, before his family moved to the United States from what is now known as Slovakia. In 1949 he would graduate from the Carnegie Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Pictorial Design, soon changing his name to Andy Warhol. After finding major success in making illustrations for several big-name companies (including The New York Times, Tiffany & Co., NBC, Columbia Records, etc.) he would move on to making paintings of celebrities and printing them repeatedly with slight differences in each print, mass-producing them for widespread consumption. Many argued he was turning the image of these beloved figures into vapid products to be consumed and forgotten about, the most popular example being that of Marilyn Monroe. Others argued that this approach was a critique on consumer culture.
Within his work, Warhol was no less unruly. The major location in which much of Warhol’s creativity would be birthed was known as The Factory, a moniker given to four locations over Warhol’s career in which Warhol and his associates would create paintings, films, have parties, and make music. Artists would gather at the Factory (some even living there) and, with Warhol, develop personal and professional projects, including participating in Warhol’s films.
Warhol’s first films, Sleep (1964) and Empire (1965), were 5 hours and 8 hours long respectively, and were his first attempts at single-frame cinematography, a staple of his work. He saw this technique as a way to capture portraits via the medium of film. This approach allegedly came to Warhol in 1962 after experiencing the static composition of LaMonte Young’s Trio for Strings . Approaching the medium of film as a way to capture single images or ideas is most prevalent in Warhol’s famous Screen Tests, where he would ask subjects to remain still for an extended period of time and then slow down the footage for its final presentation. Later, more influential works, such as Chelsea Girls, with a screenplay by Ronald Tavel, were the result of combined efforts by several members of the Factory with Warhol not even directing.
The later mainstream success of Warhol’s films was largely aided by the influence of Paul Morrissey. Many of the films had no scripts and were entirely improvised with his performers (“superstars” as they were called) being the charismatic nexus of what made these films so alluring. Actresses like Candy Darling pioneered transgender representation in film. Other “superstars” included Edie Sedgwick, a fashion icon, and Brigid Berlin. Berlin worked at Warhol’s Interview Magazine and her recordings and tapings of Andy led to much of the content from which this production derives its ideas and text.
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol takes many aspects of our society and turns them on their head, forcing audiences to reckon with the things they value and those they disregard. It questions the worth of consumerism but exults money; it disrupts notions of love but preaches the worth of connection; it advocates for order, but it relishes chaos. It is the essence of pop art distilled into theatrical expression.