DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AFFILIATIONS

WOOLY/UM PARTNERSHIP

The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and the Department of Theatre joined forces in 2004 to create a unique partnership based on a common mission: to forge the future of American theatre through Maryland's extraordinary work in developing new theatre artists and Woolly Mammoth's nationally recognized efforts in the development and production of new plays. This partnership includes "blended" productions in which students perform alongside professional artists as well as courses, master classes, and mentorships offered by Woolly Mammoth affiliated artists. This venture reflects the long-standing collaboration between the Department faculty and the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. For more information about the nationally renowned Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company see www.woollymammoth.net. Collaborations include a reading of a new play commissioned by Woolly Mammoth, Possum Carcass by David Bucci, and productions of Sam Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class and Savage in Limbo by John Patrick Shanley and The Distance From Here by Neil LaBute. Currently, Howard Shalwitz (Artistic Director at Woolly Mammoth) is teaching a course called "Actors and Directors United." The principle of the course is that actors start their work from the most specific concept (Impulse) and progress gradually toward the more general ones, and that Directors begin from the most general concept (Spine) and progress gradually toward the more specific ones. Ten concepts will be discussed: impulse, Literal Action, Physical /character, Objectives and Obstacles, Arcs and Journeys, Inner Life, Narrative Motion, Play Structure and World, Directional Vision, and Spine. After the ten principles are introduced, the course is devoted to analyzing and working on scenes from a play in the Woolly Mammoth season, such as Measure for Pleasure by David Grimm. The goal is to gain facility with the ten concepts, trying to keep all of them in play during the rehearsal process. Actors and directors help one another learn what they need from each other, and how to contribute to a successful collaboration.

Woolly Mammoth associated artists have included:

• Mitchell Hébert - Professor of Theatre, University of Maryland and Woolly Mammoth company member
• Daniel De Raey - nationally renowned director with two nominations and a Helen Hayes Award as Outstanding Director
• Tom Prewitt - former Senior Associate Artistic Director for Education & Outreach, Woolly Mammoth
• Rebecca Bayla Taichman - Associate Artistic Director, Woolly Mammoth
• Caren Anton - professional actress and voiceover artist
• Doug Brown - Woolly Mammoth company member and six-time Helen Hayes Award nominee
• Ian LeValley - professional actor with numerous regional credits
• Maia DeSanti - professional actress who actively performs in the Washington and Baltimore region
• Tim Getman - professional actor and recipient of a Mary Goldwater Award from the Theatre Lobby

OTHER PRODUCING RELATIONSHIPS

• Olney Theatre Center for the Arts and the National Players
• Round House Theatre
• African Continuum Theatre Company - In fall 2006, we will co-produce August Wilson's The Piano Lesson
• The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• Ford's Theatre

SCHOLARLY VENTURES

The Department of Theatre houses the Shakespeare Globe Centre (USA) Research Archive, which provides a link to Shakespeare's Globe activities for Shakespearians at all levels -- enthusiasts, academics, and professionals throughout the USA. The Globe Research Archive maintains an archive of research and information on the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London and promotes activities to encourage people to experience Shakespeare's work as works of theatre and not simply as works of dramatic literature. Globe Research Archive Director Franklin J. Hildy is Professor in the Department of Theatre and a specialist in theatre architecture. For further information see http://www.sgc.umd.edu/home.htm

The Department collaborates with the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora to sponsor lecture series, host visiting scholars, offer graduate fellowships and travel grants, and to develop new courses and programs related to the study of African and African American Theatre.  In 2006-2007, the Driskell Center and Department of Theatre will produce a year-long series of events that celebrate the life and work of playwright August Wilson, and which will include a production of Wilson's Piano Lesson (in conjunction with the African Continuum Theatre Company), a scholarly conference that focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of Wilson's work, and a curriculum development program that will launch eight new courses related to Wilson and the work of African and African American artists.

The Department also enjoy ongoing relationships with several scholarly programs and institutions, both on and off campus, including the University of Maryland Center for Renaissance and Baroque Studies and the Center for Teaching Excellence, the Library of Congress, and the Folger Shakespeare Library.  Our faculty and graduate students maintain a significant presence with these organizations.  For example, two of our current graduate students are completing a major archival project for the Library of Congress.  For the past six years, our faculty and graduate students have been active participants in the Folger Shakespeare Library's seminar series.  Over the past five years, the Department of Theatre has received numerous teaching awards and grants from the Center for Teaching Excellence, which has allowed us to make important changes to our undergraduate curriculum, including the development of courses in multicultural theatre, critical pedagogy, and a revised undergraduate major.