The Wooster Group is an ensemble of artists
who collaborate on the development and production
of theatre and media pieces. Under the direction
of Elizabeth LeCompte, The Group, along with
its many associate artists, has conceived and
constructed sixteen works for the theatre,
six works for film and video, three radio pieces
and three dance pieces.
For over twenty-five years, The Wooster Group has
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.
The Wooster Group has played a pivotal role in
bringing technologically sophisticated and evocative uses of sound,
film and video into the realm of contemporary theatre,
and in the process has influenced a generation of theatre artists
nationally and internationally. The Group's 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 & film.
The Group has created and performed all of its theatre pieces at The Performing Garage in Soho, New York City.
All pieces in The Group's award winning repertory
have toured widely in the US and Europe, as well as to Asia, Australia, Canada, and South America.
The Wooster Group's founding members are:
Jim Clayburgh
Willem Dafoe
Spalding Gray
Elizabeth LeCompte
Peyton Smith
Kate Valk
Ron Vawter (1948-1994)
Last update: January, 2003