She’s an innovating, boundary-bashing artistic visionary, and at the age of 83, performance artist Rachel Rosenthal has just wrapped her thoughts and theatrical philosophy into a new book called “The DbD Experience: Chance Knows What It’s Doing.”

She says it’s part memoir, part manual and part philosophy, and she wrote it to reenforce the lessons she teaches at her 35-hour weekend workshops. She says when people emerge from that experience, they report amazing results about changes in their lives and understanding of themselves and the world. And she’s hoping to pass those lessons on to others.

Rachel’s work as a solo performer began in 1975 after she taught, created and performed improvisation for 10 years. She says she considers her art to be experimental, extreme theater that touches on the economic, environmental, political issues of our day.

Now that she’s in her 80s, Rachel says she sees her body, thoughts and appearance changing and she’s loving it. She says she’s enjoying the challenges and different feelings that come with aging. After decades of ignoring her age, she explains why she’s suddenly so aware of it and how she views her creativity now.

Click on the Related Media tab above to listen to our 2007 interview with Rachel.

To learn more about Rachel’s Extreme Theater Company, Tohubohu, click here.

Image Credit: © Martin Cohen