With The Convert, Danai Gurira proves that, in this shorter-is-sweeter era, three act plays can draw a packed house. Set in the 1890’s in what was then known as Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, Gurira’s characters each grapple, in achingly believable ways, with the effects of white British colonial rule and the enforcement of Christian dogma.
Michael John Garces on directing The Convert at Woolly
Michael John Garcés has always had an eye for engaging people through the power of their own stories. He has turned his ambition into well-recognized programming as Artistic Director of the community-minded Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles.
The Pajama Men: In the Middle of No One
Even my culture-savvy bestie from Albuquerque was a little dim on The Pajama Men, the New Mexico improvisational duo of Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez currently showing off their sleepwear—and comedic gifts—at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company throughout the holiday season. “I think I’ve heard of Chavez, but the other guy, I dunno,” she said.
You For Me For You
North Korea. There are probably immediate connotations associated with this Asian country with a storied past. The Korean peninsula, bordering Russia, China and the Sea of Japan, was once an empire. After early times of isolation, and annexation by Japan from 1910 to the end of World War II, Korea was divided into two separate, […]
Mia Chung on writing You For Me For You
Mia Chung’s new play You For Me For You, opening this week, kicks off Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s “Free The Beast” campaign: a ten-year commitment to producing 25 world-premiere plays. Chung’s new play is a poignant look at the unique and insular life of contemporary North Koreans. A graduate of Brown University with an MFA […]
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
By now, audiences are probably used to Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s talent for pushing the envelope, but nothing can prepare them for a Speedo-clad actor getting body-slammed a few feet away during an impassioned monologue.
Wrestling Mania about to hit Woolly Mammoth
The ring is up. The wrestling is as real as it gets. All they need is the roar of the crowd. Most plays are no sweat. Actors Jose Joaquin Perez and Shawn T. Andrew have been around the block enough to follow the rhythms and the needs of their stage partners. But The Elaborate Entrance […]
Favorite contemporary plays from the 2011-2012 season
It’s time once again for my annual tribute to new plays and playwrights . These are the relatively recent original plays which made their area debut in the DC area during the 2011-2012 theatre season. Each of these plays brought me joy as an audience member and envy as an occasional writer.
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs
“Known fabulist” or not, Mike Daisey is an incredible storyteller. Despite the still simmering controversy over fact manipulation and hyperbole discovered in previous incarnations of his smash monologue The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, Daisey has reappeared on the Woolly Mammoth Stage, chastened yet still near the peak of his powers. And Mike […]
Mr. Burns, a post-electric play
Dissecting an episode of The Simpsons used to fall to those bored on the couch or small-talking at a friend’s party. That was before the grid went down, the cities caught fire, and the American dream turned to ash. In playwright Anne Washburn’s post-apocalyptic future, the couch is still there, but the party’s over.
Woolly seeks 10 to tweet up Mr. Burns, a post-electric play
Continuing its experiment with social media engagement through Tweet Ups, Woolly Mammoth is inviting ten participants to tweet the final dress rehearsal for their next production, a play which questions “how you’d make sense of the world if all your gizmos were gone.”
Howard Shalwitz on Direction of a Play, 2012 Helen Hayes Awards
– Howard Shalwitz is Artistic Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Since 1987, he has been nominated 8 times for direction, and received the Award in 2011 for Clybourne Park. – What’s striking to me about the list of nominees for Outstanding Direction this year is the range of stylistic territory it covers. Not just […]