THE WOOSTER GROUP
Brief History and Artistic Mission -
The Wooster Group is an ensemble of theatre artists. Under the direction of Elizabeth LeCompte, The Group, along with its many associate artists, has conceived and constructed 16 works for the theatre and five works for film and video, winning recognition for outstanding achievement and sustained excellence. From our inception, our mission has been and remains artistic liberty in the pursuit of new theatrical forms with a commitment to an ongoing ensemble.
The founding members of The Wooster Group are Jim Clayburgh, Willem Dafoe, Spalding Gray, Elizabeth LeCompte, Peyton Smith, Kate Valk and Ron Vawter (1948-1994). The individual members of The Group, along with the administrative staff, act as artistic director, producer, and major participants.
For over 25 years, we have cultivated new forms and techniques of theatrical expression reflective of and responsive to our evolving culture, while sustaining a consistent ensemble and maintaining a flexible repertory. Wooster Group theatre pieces are constructed as assemblages of juxtaposed elements: radical staging of both modern and classic texts, found materials, films and videos, dance and movement, multi-track scoring, and an architectonic approach to theatre design. We have developed all our projects at our home theatre, The Performing Garage in Soho, New York, and been invited to tour every one of our pieces nationally and internationally.
The Wooster Group has played a pivotal role in bringing technologically sophisticated and evocative uses of sound, film and video into the realm of theatre, and in the process, has influenced a generation of theatre artists nationally and internationally. Our work is unique because it attracts not only the theatre-going community but also artists and enthusiasts of many other cultural disciplines, such as dance, painting, music, video, and film.
Last update: November 12, 2002