Ken Rubenstein

I began writing poetry when I was 12, short stories at about 14 & plays at 16. The last was because my English & Drama teachers thought I had a feel for dialogue & encouraged me to try my hand at it. My first play was then produced as my high school’s spring production in 1965.

A native New Yorker, I became involved in the avant garde art world of the late 60s & early 70s, where La Mama E.T.C. founder/legend/muse Ellen Stewart took me under her wing.

My relationships with Ellen and other innovators of the time lead to creating my own experimental dance/theater company when I was 25. This was called The Rubenstein Theater Foundation, which produced my work at The Brooklyn Academy of Music, Chelsea Theater Center, New Federal Theater, La Mama and other venues from 1973 until 1981. I subsequently worked in public affairs building partnerships between corporations and social service agencies to effect change in areas such as education, health care, minority relations and HIV/AIDS.