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Theatrical genre
Theatre of the Ridiculous is a theatrical genre that began in New York City in the 1960s.

The phrase "Theatre of the Ridiculous" was created in 1965 by actor and director Ronald Tavel to describe his own work, which was later recognized as the beginning of the genre. Referencing Martin Esslin's concept of a Theatre of the Absurd, Tavel promoted the first Ridiculous performances with the manifesto: "We have passed beyond the absurd: our position is absolutely preposterous." Theatre of the Ridiculous broke from the dominant trends in theater of naturalistic acting and realistic settings. The genre employed a broad acting style, often with surrealistic stage settings and props, and frequently made a conscious effort to be shocking or disturbing. Ridiculous theatre brought elements of queer and/or camp performance to experimental theater. Cross gender casting was common, as was casting non professional actors, such as drag queens or other "street stars". Ridiculous plays were often parodies or adaptations of popular culture, used as vehicles for social commentary and/or humour. Improvisation played a significant role in the often chaotic Ridiculous productions, with the script used as a starting point. The Life of Lady Godiva, written by Ronald Tavel and directed by Vaccaro in 1967, was the first official production of the Play House of the Ridiculous. Charles Ludlam, who would become a major figure in the "Ridiculous" genre, acted in the play as a last minute replacement. Vaccaro then directed a play written by Ludlam, Big Hotel, which opened in an East Village loft in February 1967. David Kaufman, discussing Big Hotel, has said: "Various features of Ludlam's 28 subsequent works figure prominently in his first play. His predilection for collage folding in cultural references, both popular and obscure is especially pronounced. Characters include Mata Hari, Trilby, Svengali and Santa Claus, and Ludlam acknowledged no fewer than 40 sources for Big Hotel everything from ads and Hollywood films to literary classics, textbooks and essays." Ludlam wrote a second play for the Play House, Conquest of the Universe, but during rehearsals Ludlam and Vaccaro had a disagreement. Ludlam left to form his own company, which he named The Ridiculous Theatrical Group, and took many of the Play House actors with him. Vaccaro held the rights to Conquest of the Universe, and was able to perform it first, delaying the production of Ludlam's competing version (called When Queens Collide) for several months. Vaccaro's Conquest of the Universe was performed at the Bouwerie Lane Theatre with many members of Andy Warhol's Factory, including Mary Woronov, Taylor Mead, Ondine, and Ultra Violet. The Play House of the Ridiculous was a resident company at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village of Manhattan.

Ludlam wrote of Vaccaro: "John has great instinct and is a brilliant actor. He gave me freedom. He allowed me to flip out all I wanted onstage. He never felt that I was too pasty, corny, mannered, campy. He let me do anything I wanted."