 The Performing Garage in 2014 | |
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| Formation | 1975 |
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| Type | Theatre group |
| Location |
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Artistic director | Elizabeth LeCompte |
| Website | thewoostergroup |
The Wooster Group is anexperimental theater company based inNew York City known for creating numerous original dramatic works. It gradually emerged fromRichard Schechner'sThe Performance Group (1967–1980) during the period from 1975 to 1980. The group took its name in 1980; the independent productions of 1975–1980 are retroactively attributed to the group.[1]
The ensemble is directed byElizabeth LeCompte and it launched the careers of many actors including founding memberWillem Dafoe. The group's home is thePerforming Garage at 33Wooster Street betweenGrand andBroome Streets in theSoHo neighborhood ofManhattan. As of 2014, the company consists of 16 members. In addition, there are 29 "Associates".[2]
The Wooster Group is anot-for-profit theater company that relies on grants and donations from supporters. It has received multiple grants from theCarnegie Corporation. The group is characterized by its extremely experimental style, often incorporating aspects ofaudiovisual such as interactivevideo art, live stream, recorded sound, and pre-recorded video into their performance work. Their performances are often of classic texts likeBrecht,Shakespeare,Chekhov, andEugene O'Neill.[3]
Past collaborators with the group include Ken Kobland, Jim Strahs,Richard Foreman,Trisha Brown,John Lurie,Bruce Odland,Jennifer Tipton,Frances McDormand, Hans Peter Kuhn, andAmir ElSaffar among others.[4]
Source:[5]
Source:[5]
The Wooster Group has won nineObie Awards, sixBessie Awards, and the 1985National Endowment for the Arts Ongoing Ensembles Grant.[4]
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