Intimate Cave - Franklin Furnace, New York City 1987

You can also download the video here (mp4, 2.4 GB):
https://archive.org/download/intimatecave-FF-051487/intimatecave-FF-051487.mp4

This was the first performance Frank did at Franklin Furnace in New York City. It is a five hour performance. Franklin Furnace had gathered some people for us to be in the cast and we had two people who had been in the Los Angeles cast of this performance, thinking it would help with this group of local people that had never met or worked with Frank before. This is also the first time Frank had Annie Sprinkle in his cast. Although we had talked to Annie on the phone a number of times, and Frank and Annie had snail mailed back and forth (before email!), and we were staying at Annie's apartment (she insisted!), this was the first time we were meeting Annie in the flesh. This was also before Annie broke into the performance art world (which Frank predicted during this trip!).  The L.A. artists knew who Annie was from her porn work, and to our shock, they thought it was beneath them to work with Annie, so were rude to Annie, would only talk/engage with her in the context of the performance. Annie, being the sport, took this in stride and assured us that she is used to this and it is ok. I, on the other hand, was horrified and broke down crying at Annie's apartment in the evening after one of the rehearsals saying, how can this performance be about how we are all one and yet our cast is not talking to each other!? At the next day's rehearsal Frank had Annie and the L.A. female cast member go into the tent to eroplay (she would do this because it was part of the performance) while he had the rest of the cast lie down with eyes closed as he led them through a mind trip together that created the feeling of magical oneness, after which he told everyone that he was canceling the rest of the rehearsals and all they needed to do was remember this feeling and don't worry about the script (which was thick!). He said if the performance fails, his is the name that people will associate with it and he doesn't care!

Franklin Furnace’s press release 1987:

Thursday, May 14, 1987; 7pm – midnight

Frank Moore makes his long-awaited debut in New York with a troupe of 15 local performers, in his controversial performance, “INTIMATE CAVE.”

“INTIMATE CAVE” will use dream-playing, magical rituals and playful sensuality to seduce the audience into a child-like reality beyond fears and doubts. Moore’s weird characters are silly pranksters who will take such things as nudity and physical contact out of the realm of adult sexuality.

Frank Moore gives the audience an opportunity to converse with him via his letterboard and to play an active role in his performance. Moore’s previous production of “INTIMATE CAVE” in Los Angeles was so successful in creating a safe, warm world of human contact that the audience stayed for several hours after the formal ending. Moore’s unique charm and humor brings back the cuddling curiosity of childhood.

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From the poster https://www.flickr.com/photos/96776499@N07/14267437487/ :

Frank Moore’s performance “Intimate Cave”

Thursday, May 14, 1987, 7:00 p.m. – midnight
$6.00/ ½ price for members

You are invited to Frank Moore’s performance that will begin with a strange man sitting in a small cave of foil and ribbon. The audience is welcome to communicate with this Shaman via a letterboard. A troupe of weird characters, silly pranksters, and local performers will come out of the audience to perform intimate and softly playful rituals of random gestures. The audience has an opportunity to play an active role in this ritual, creating a magical unknown “awake dream,” where anything is possible.

Please bring your own mats or pillows.