 The group was founded in 1974 by Maddow and Shepard and Zimet, along with Sybille Hayn, Mark Samuels, Margo Lee Sherman, Charles Stanley and Arthur Strimling.It has its roots in the work of The Open Theatre, where company members Maddow and Shepard and Zimet worked as core company members.The Open Theatre had been founded by director, actor and writer Joseph Chaikin, and after Chaikin disbanded The Open Theatre in 1973, Maddow, Shepard and Zimet joined with the other Talking Band founding members to start the new company.