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Summary of Tea with Demons — Games of Transformation

Jean Claude van Itallie has provided us with a number of different written works that have taken the world by storm. Many people came to him through his work writing plays and being on Broadway, but his level of expertise did not run out just from this area. He was also a great writer of books, and one of those books was Tea with Demons – Games of Transformation.

This is an interesting book, a bit different than some of the other writing that van Itallie did during his time. Many of the plays and other writing that he is known for would be more of a social commentary, asking for big changes along thew ay. However, this one is more about changing some of the daily bad habits that we have and turning them into something that can be very good for us instead.

The idea of this one is to play some games of transformation. It is almost like a self-help book, but not like one you have used in the past. With some of his normal humor that keeps you on your toes, van Itallie is able to spin a tail that will get you worked up and ready to make some big changes in your life as well. Whether you are working on some of the small changes or looking for some big changes, this is the guidebook to help you get it done.

Are you someone who has a bad habit or two that you would like to get rid of? Are you stubborn and find that some of the other methods just don’t work the way that you would like, then this is the book for you to read. In Tea with Demons – Games of Transformation, you will be able to learn some simple techniques that allow you to fight off those self-destructive patterns, the ones that have been around for a long time, and get back to your own good nature that has always been there in the past.

Jean Claude van Itallie is able to deliver on the promise of a variety of exercises, which are known as games in this book, that are able to help the reader make a new transformation. It turns the idea of wearing down the bad habits into something good more of a game, more fun, than ever before. This is what can make it more effective. Van Italilie has never been known as a self-help guru, but fans are going to love being able to work through these different games.

Worried that these games will be childish and not provide some of the help that your temperament needs? The good news is there are 49 games and they are all different and full of so much variance that at least a handful of them will prove useful to helping you break some of those bad habits and get your life back on track. Whether you are a fan of van Italie or not, you will find a lot of humor in this book and can learn something fun and silly along the way.…

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Books by Van Itallie

In addition to writing a number of famous plays, van Itallie is known for writing several books as well. One of the best-known of these is his book, Tea with Demons – Games of Transformation. In this book, he includes his own personal memoir for readers to enjoy along with a set of 49 self-development games that are meant to help the reader as well.

Many of his books were there to help others learn how to write their own plays and to understand more about the process. He also wrote down some of his plays for others to read through if they were not able to attend some of the plays themselves. Some of the books that you can find from van Itallie include:

  • Tea with Demons
  • America Hurrah and Other Plays
  • Tibetan Book of the Dead for Reading Aloud
  • The Playwrites Workbook

In addition to some of the plays that were written above and some of the books, van Itallie did not shy away from some controversy as well. He is known for writing the script to a gay pornographic film known as America Creams. He wrote this under a pseudonym and it wasn’t until a number of years later that people knew he was responsible for this and some other hardcore  pornographic films of the time.

Teaching the Next Generation

Many of the books that van Itallie wrote were meant to help aspiring writers learn how to write some of their own plays as well. He was able to discuss some of his own plays and provided self-development games that would help as well. He also taught various writing and performance workshops to others throughout the years and has made his way back to places like New York University, Harvard University, Princeton University, and Yale University to name a few in order to help teach performance art and scriptwriting. He was highly sought-after by many of these prestigious universities to help teach some of his skills.

For some time, van Itallie lived in western Massachusetts on a farm. It was there that he was the director of Shantigar Foundation, which was a place he was able to teach theatre and meditation in-person to those as well. This has allowed a number of the younger generation to learn some of the new skills from the master and decide if they would like to get into this field as well. 

His Death

Van Itallie died recently in September of 2021. The official cause of death is believed to be pneumonia. The world of theater has been forever changed through this play write and the work that he was able to bring to the stage. Whether you are a fan of some of his bigger works or you loved some of his trilogies, van Itallie has made a big splash throughout the years and was never afraid to jump into a bit of controversy as well.

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Some of the Plays Van Itallie Wrote

There are a number of different plays that van Itallie decided to write over the terms of his life. Some of the most well-known that are still out there include

  • Dream
  • King of the United States
  • Bag lady
  • Struck Dumb
  • The Traveler
  • Naropa
  • American Hurrah

Van Itallie never shied away from commentary on the world around him or bringing in some items that were maybe seen as a little bit controversial for the time either. Van Itallie has been able to write more than 30 plays over the years while working on books and other forms of writing that have garnered him fans all around the world.

American Hurrah

One of the best known plays that van Itallie wrote was American Hurrah. This was actually a play that came in three different pieces and was meant to be a bit of a political statement as well as comedic and satire all rolled into one. It was one of the first of its kind, which is why it had such an impact during that time.

The first part of the trilogy was called Interview. It was a look at the process of job hunting and pointed out how dehumanizing the whole process can be. Even though there have been some changes to this process over the years, many American workers could feel how hard it was to look for a job and have to fight to be seen through all the numbers for one position.

The second part was called “TV” and was a hit at the media. In this one, the commentary focused on how the mass media was able to take a topic and then trivialize it. During this time, three people who worked for a ratings company would watch a variety of different shows. Gradually, the ones that these employees are watching will take over the stage and the three “real” people used in the play are the ones absorbed by the shows instead.

Then there was the third part of the trilogy, “Motel” which wasn’t performed until a little bit later in it all. In this one, there is a big doll used, who is considered the Motel-keeper. This doll is supposed to look over the motel room and would emit a stream of increasingly arcane pattern. During the performance, two other dolls are going to come to the room and work on trashing it all up, adding graffiti to the wall, and then working to dismantle the motel-keeper at the same time.

All of these came together to form the American Huzzah performance that would slowly start to take over. It originally performed in just small theatres around New York, but it didn’t take long before it expanded and was done in other locations as well.

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Biography of Jean-Claude van Itallie

The world of theater can be full of drama, suspense, and even laughter. Those who know how to create wonderful works of theatre are in high demand, with people all around the world clamoring to hear what is coming out next. Finding a rising star in all of this can take some time, but one of the stars that is well-known for his work in the theater and performing arts is Jean-Claude van Itallie.

Jean-Claude van Itallie was born on May 25, 1936 in Brussels, Belgium, but by the time he was four years old, his family had moved to America to escape the Nazi’s during that time. He attended some of the best schools in the area at the time and eventually become known as a performer and a playwrite on his own.

Van Itallie has written a number of different works throughout the years, but the one that he is best known for is America Hurrah, which was his anti-Vietnam War play that touched the hearts of many during the time. Throughout the years, he has worked on a number of other works and even provides lessons to others who want to do the same.

His Early Life

The early life of van Itallie was full of drama and suspense. He was born at the beginnings of World War II, in 1936, and was of Jewish descent. This meant that he and his family had to leave Brussels early on in order to flee the Nazi persecution at that time. They made the first journey to France, where they were able to obtain visas over to Portugal. By September 1940, they were on a ship headed to New York City and arrived in October of the same year.

After such a turbulent start to his life, van Itallie found that life calmed down for him a little bit. He grew up in New York and was able to study at Great Neck High School before heading on to Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. Then in 1958, van Itallie graduated from Harvard and went on from there to pursue his career. Within three years of graduating from Harvard, van Itallie was able to knock on Broadway’s door and share his love of acting and playwriting with others.

His Family

Jean-Claude van Itallie was born to Huge Ferdinand van Itallie and Marthe Mathildea Caroline Levy van Itallie. His father was an investment banker who was able to gain passage over to American during the second World War and escape some of the astrocities that were going on at the time in Europe. It is believed that he has a younger brother Michael as well. The family is of Jewish descent and settled in New York after they were able to flee Belgium and find a new home.

Van Itallie has given a lot of praise to his background and his time growing up for helping him come up with some of the stories that he likes to share in his plays. In one interview, he stated that having a background in more than one language helped him to see the world through different eyes and that no single language has a full handle on the truth at any given time.…