Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company located in Washington, DC., founded in 1980 by Artistic Director Howard Shalwitz, Roger Brady, and Linda Reinisch. Currently, under the leadership of Mr. Shalwitz as Artistic Director and Jeffrey Herrmann as Managing Director. Woolly Mammoth performs in a new 265-seat courtyard style theatre that opened in 2005. [http://www.woollymammoth.net/about/history.php]

Woolly Mammoth has been called "...the hottest theatre company in town.", [Marks, Peter. "Pushing the Envelope." The Washington Post 29 June 2008 M06. 15 Sep 2008 .] known for its productions of innovative new plays” [Isherwood, Charles. "New Plays Inspired by Those Oldsters, Homer and Stravinsky." The New York Times 17 Nov. 2007 15 Sep 2008 .] DC area theaters such as Woolly Mammoth have helped " [create] a more self-sustaining theater world and has helped the city [Washington, DC] emerge a bit from New York's cultural shadow." [Peter Marks (1999, February 5). Washington Drama, Off Capitol Hill : [Review] . New York Times (Late Edition (east Coast)), p. 1. Retrieved September 11, 2008, from ProQuest National Newspapers Core database. (Document ID: 38685948).]

Woolly Mammoth is known for it's "avant-garde mission...unconventional spirit... [and] cutting-edge performances." [Reiss, Steven M.. "A Theatrical Enigma." Architecture DC 2005: 16-19.]

Notable Playwrights & Productions

*Robert Alexander (The Last Orbit of Billy Mars)
*Amy Freed (Psychic Life of Savages)
*David Lindsay-Abaire (Wonder of the World)
*Nicky Silver (Fat Men in Skirts, Free Will & Wanton Lust)
*Craig Wright (Recent Tragic Events, Grace)
*Doug Wright (Quills, Watbanaland)

* Plays premiered by the theatre have gone on to productions at more than 200 other theatres in 39 states and 12 countries. [www.woollymammoth.net]

Recent Premieres

*Sarah Ruhl’s Dead Man’s Cell Phone (2007), which was subsequently produced at Playwright’s Horizons in New York [http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=25667] and Steppenwolf in Chicago [http://chicagotheaterblog.com/2008/04/22/review_deadmanscellphone/]
*S.M. Shephard-Massat’s Starving (2005)
* Melissa James Gibson’s Current Nobody (2007)
*Laura Schellhardt’s The K of D, an urban legend (2008)
*David Adjmi’s Stunning (2008)
*Mike Daisey’s If You See Something Say Something (2008)

Education Programming

The theatre’s education and outreach programs have served thousands of community residents and students, including “Pay-What-You-Can” [http://media.www.theeagleonline.com/media/storage/paper666/news/2008/08/14/TheScene/A.Guide.To.D.c.Theatre-3398698.shtml] performances providing access to all residents regardless of economic means; “Playmaking,” [http://www.studiotheatre.org/pipermail/teachers/2007-December/000195.html] which pairs students with professional playwrights; and “Woolly D.C.,” which brings together a neighborhood to create an original production around an issue of common community concern; as well as internships, workshops, and theatre classes, including a partnership with the University of Maryland, College Park. [http://www.theatre.umd.edu/Spotlight/profaffiliations.htm]

The New Theatre

In 2005 Woolly Mammoth opened its first-ever permanent home—a $9 million, 265-seat, courtyard-style theatre,"after playing for 25 years in churches, reconditioned auto repair shops, borrowed lodgings and places with stage ceilings only 12 feet high." [Forgey, Benjamin. "On D St. NW, A Theater That Wins Applause." The Washington Post 14 May 2005 15 Sep 2008 .] The Theatre is located just down the street from the Capitol, where the company continues to pursue its long-range vision to become “the epicenter of challenging new theatre in America.” [www.woollymammoth.net]

Designed by Washington-based architect Mark McInturff [Reiss, Steven M.. "A Theatrical Enigma." Architecture DC 2005: 16-19.] , in association with Theatre Project Consultants, the space has won local, regional, and national awards for innovative architectural design, including the American Institute of Architects 2006 Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture [http://www.aia.org/SiteObjects/files/Woolly_MammothTheater.pdf] and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology Honor Award.

Affiliations

Woolly Mammoth is a member of the National New Play Network, Theatre Communications Group, The League of Washington Theatres and The Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington. The Theatre’s programs are supported by The National Endowment for the Arts, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs Program/United States Commission of Fine Arts.

ee also

Helen Hayes Award

External links

*http://www.woollymammoth.net
*http://www.lowt.org/

References