Artist Bio

The Wooster Group

(Bio as of January 2009)

The Wooster Group most recently collaborated with the Goodman on A Global Exploration: Eugene O’Neill in the 21st Century during the 2008/2009 Season. The Wooster Group is a New York-based theater company known world-wide for its groundbreak­ing experiments in theater performance. Under the direction of Elizabeth LeCompte, the Group has made more than 40 works for theater, dance and media, including Rumstick Road (1977); L.S.D. (…Just the High Points…) (1984); Brace Up! (1991); House/Lights (1999); To You, the Birdie! (Phédre) (2002) and Hamlet (2007). The Group has toured internationally to Europe, Russia, North and South America, Asia and Australia. The Performing Garage at 33 Wooster Street is the Group’s permanent home. It owns and operates the Garage as a shareholder in the Grand Street Artists Co-op, established as part of the Fluxus art movement in the 1960s. The Group will premiere its first opera, La Didone, at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York, in March and April 2009.

The Wooster Group’s current associates for 2008-09 include Geoff Abbas, Ruud van den Akker, Joel Bassin, Antonia Belt, Dominique Bousquet, Zbigniew Bzymek, Hai-Ting Chinn, Jim Clayburgh, John Collins, Dennis Dermody, Aron Deyo, Joby Emmons, Roy Faudree, Ari Fliakos, Yvan Greenberg, Jennifer Griesbach, Clay Hapaz, Teresa Hartmann, Cynthia Hedstrom, Hank Heijink, Claudia Hill, Felix Ivanov, Bozkurt Karasu, Ken Kobland, Chris Kondek, David Linton, Elizabeth LeCompte, Alessandro Magania, Gabe Maxson, Edward McKeaney, Ellen Mills, Andrew Nolen, Bruce Odland, Daniel Pettrow, Rob Reese, Kamala Sankaram, Kaneza Schaal, Matt Schloss, Andrew Schneider, Sheena See, Tanya Selvaratnam, Scott Shepherd, Peyton Smith, Casey Spooner, Natalie Thomas, Matt Tierney, Jennifer Tipton, Harvey Valdes, Kate Valk, Judson Williams, Ben Williams, John Young and Omar Zubair.

The Wooster Group staff includes Joel Bassin, Grants Manager; Clay Hapaz, Archivist; Cynthia Hedstrom, Producer; Matt Karges, Bookkeeper; Edward McKeaney, General Manager; and Kaneza Schaal, Company Manager.

The founding and original members of The Wooster Group are Elizabeth LeCompte, Spalding Gray, Ron Vawter, Jim Clayburgh, Willem Dafoe, Kate Valk and Peyton Smith.

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