The "Woolly" in Woolly

Recently, our Artistic Director Howard Shalwitz wrote a brief history of Woolly Mammoth, including what defines us and our style. Here’s what he had to say about what makes Woolly Mammoth’s style so distinct:

People talk about a “Woolly” play, but what is it? Well, it’s no single thing, but generally includes two or three of the following: originality of voice (e.g. Sarah Ruhl’s DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE), unusual narrative structure (e.g. Noah Haidle’s VIGILS), heightened theatricality (e.g. David Greenspan’s SHE STOOPS TO COMEDY), challenging or provocative subject matter (e.g. Craig Wright’s GRACE), and/or characters from the margins of the culture rather than the center (e.g. IN THE BLOOD).

Above all, we believe that the audience has its own job to do in the theatre – they have to sort something out, or think about something in a new way, or struggle with their feelings in response to provocative images. If you spoon feed the audience, if you take their job away and put them in a totally comfortable, passive role – what’s in it for them?

Artistic Directors from other companies come up to me at theatre conferences and say, “I sure wish my theatre could do the kinds of plays you do at Woolly Mammoth – we’d probably lose half our audience.” And it’s true, at Woolly we have a remarkable degree of artistic freedom – but I think it’s a freedom we’ve earned. By sticking to our own vision, we have developed a cadre of actors and other theatre artists who are especially skilled at pulling off certain kinds of plays, and an audience that appreciates them and wants to see more.

What do you think makes Woolly Mammoth so special? Leave us a comment with your thoughts!