Poor Theater
March 2003–June 2008
Our group’s homage to three seminal figures in 20th century art – theater director Jerzy Grotowski, visual artist Max Ernst. and choreographer William Forsythe – in which the we pretend, with fanatic fidelity, to be Grotowski’s Theatre Lab, embody Ernst’s “frottage,” and dance according to Forsythe’s modes of improvisation.
Media & Ephemera
Dailies
From 2010 to around 2020, the Dailies was an online video series begun by the Group’s resident filmmaker at the time Zbigniew Bzymek. Most of Dailies videos follow his relationship to the company and its work, offering glimpses into our rehearsals and archives, as well as short films, interviews, and other behind-the-scenes materials. Dailies videos in the “from the archives” series were curated by the Group’s archivist Clay Hapaz. View more of the project here.
Production History
Performers
Production
- Director: Elizabeth LeCompte
- Set: Ruud van den Akker
- Lighting: Jennifer Tipton
- Sound Mix: Matt Schloss, Omar Zubair
- Video Mix: Andrew Schneider
- Documentary Video: Ken Kobland
- Snow Video: Christopher Kondek
- Production Manager: Bozkurt Karasu
- Technical Director: Geoff Abbas, Aron Deyo
- Master Electrician: Gabe Maxson
- Stage Manager: Teresa Hartmann
- Technical Assistant: Joby Emmons
- Movement Coach: Natalie Thomas
- Polish Coach: Zenon Kruszelnicki
- Herself (on video): Jennifer Tipton
- A Critic (on video): Maria Shvetsova
-
PerformersProduction
- Director: Elizabeth LeCompte
- Set: Ruud van den Akker
- Lighting: Jennifer Tipton
- Sound Mix: Matt Schloss, Omar Zubair
- Video Mix: Andrew Schneider
- Documentary Video: Ken Kobland
- Snow Video: Christopher Kondek
- Production Manager: Bozkurt Karasu
- Technical Director: Geoff Abbas, Aron Deyo
- Master Electrician: Gabe Maxson
- Stage Manager: Teresa Hartmann
- Technical Assistant: Joby Emmons
- Movement Coach: Natalie Thomas
- Polish Coach: Zenon Kruszelnicki
- Herself (on video): Jennifer Tipton
- A Critic (on video): Maria Shvetsova
-
PerformersProduction
- Director: Elizabeth LeCompte
- Set: Ruud van den Akker
- Light: Jennifer Tipton
- Sound: Geoff Abbas
- Additional Sound: John Collins
- Live Video Mix: Reid Farrington
- Documentary Video: Ken Kobland
- Additional Video: Reid Farrington, Christopher Kondek
- Production Manager: Bozkurt Karasu
- Additional Set Pieces: Jim Findlay
- Movement Coach: Natalie Thomas
- Technical Assistant: Joby Emmons
- Polish Coach: Zenon Kruszelnicki
- Assistant Director/Dramaturg: Sam Gold
- Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Margaret Mann
- Herself (on video): Jennifer Tipton
- A Critic (on video): Maria Shvetsova
-
PerformersProduction
- Director: Elizabeth LeCompte
- Set: Ruud van den Akker
- Sound: Geoff Abbas
- Light: Jennifer Tipton
- Master Electrician: Gabe Maxson
- Additional Sound: John Collins
- Live Video Mix: Iver Findlay
- Documentary Videos: Ken Kobland
- Additional Video: Reid Farrington, Christopher Kondek
- Production Manager: Bozkurt Karasu
- Movement Coach: Natalie Thomas
- Additional Set Pieces: Jim Findlay
- Assistant Director/Dramaturg: Sam Gold
- Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Margaret Mann
- Herself (on video): Jennifer Tipton
- A Critic (on video): Maria Shvetsova
-
PerformersProduction
- Director: Elizabeth LeCompte
- Set: Ruud van den Akker
- Sound: Geoff Abbas
- Additional Sound: John Collins
- Light: Jennifer Tipton
- Live Video Mix: Iver Findlay
- Documentary Videos: Ken Kobland
- Additional Video: Reid Farrington, Christopher Kondek
- Production Manager: Bozkurt Karasu
- Additional Set Pieces: Jim Findlay
- Master Electrician: Gabe Maxson
- Movement Coach: Natalie Thomas
- Assistant Director/Dramaturg: Sam Gold
- Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Margaret Mann
-
PerformersProduction
- Director: Elizabeth LeCompte
- Set: Ruud van den Akker
- Sound: Geoff Abbas
- Additional Sound: John Collins
- Light: Jennifer Tipton
- Video Projections: Iver Findlay
- Documentary Video: Ken Kobland
- Additional Video: Reid Farrington, Christopher Kondek
- Production Manager: Bozkurt Karasu
- Additional Set Pieces: Jim Findlay
- Master Electrician: Gabe Maxson
- Movement Coach: Natalie Thomas
- Assistant Director/Dramaturg: Sam Gold
- Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Margaret Mann
-
PerformersProduction
- Director: Elizabeth LeCompte
- Set: Ruud van den Akker
- Sound: Geoff Abbas
- Additional Sound: John Collins
- Light: Jennifer Tipton
- Live Video Mix: Iver Findlay
- Documentary Video: Ken Kobland
- Additional Video: Reid Farrington, Christopher Kondek
- Production Manager: Bozkurt Karasu
- Additional Set Pieces: Jim Findlay
- Master Electrician: Gabe Maxson
- Movement Coach: Natalie Thomas
- Assistant Director/Dramaturg: Sam Gold
- Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Margaret Mann
-
PerformersProduction
- Director: Elizabeth LeCompte
- Set: Ruud van den Akker
- Sound: Geoff Abbas
- Additional Sound: John Collins
- Light: Jennifer Tipton
- Live Video Mix: Iver Findlay
- Documentary Video: Ken Kobland
- Additional Video: Reid Farrington, Christopher Kondek
- Production Manager: Bozkurt Karasu
- Additional Set Pieces: Jim Findlay
- Master Electrician: Gabe Maxson
- Movement Coach: Natalie Thomas
- Assistant Director/Dramaturg: Sam Gold
- Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Margaret Mann
-
PerformersProduction
- Director: Elizabeth LeCompte
- Set: Ruud van den Akker
- Sound: Geoff Abbas
- Additional Sound: John Collins
- Light: Jennifer Tipton
- Live Video Mix: Iver Findlay
- Documentary Videos: Ken Kobland
- Additional Video: Reid Farrington, Christopher Kondek
- Production Manager: Bozkurt Karasu
- Additional Set Pieces: Jim Findlay
- Master Electrician: Gabe Maxson
- Assistant Director/Dramaturg: Sam Gold
- Assistant Director: Margaret Mann
- Movement Coach: Natalie Thomas
- Polish Coach: Zenon Kruszelnicki
-
People involved in the making of this piece
Additional Credits
Special thanks to: William Forsythe, Mike Figgis, and Roslyn Sulcas.
Thanks to Garret Ayers, Paula Court, Roy Faudree, Helen Pickett, and Maja Wampuszyc.
Software donated by Mark Coniglio of TroikaTronix and Jill Szuchmacher of Wet Electrics.
Selected Press
Dissecting Two Rebels of the Arts
The New York Times
September 2005
Confrontation, Simulation, Admiration: The Wooster Group’s Poor Theater Unavailable
TDR
September 2005
The Death of the Avantgarde
TDR
September 2005
Devotion and Betrayal: Air Time/Hang Time in the Passion of Wooster
Afterall
April 2005
Poor Theater: A Series of Simulacra (review)
Project MUSE
December 2004