Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company located at 641 D Street NW in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1980, it produces new plays which it believes to be edgy, challenging, and thought-provoking. Performances are in a 265-seat courtyard-style theater.
It was founded by Artistic Director Howard Shalwitz, Roger Brady, and Linda Reinisch in 1980. "While working odd jobs to make money, we held our first auditions outdoors in Glover Park and started improvisatory workshops in the auditorium of the HHS building." It opened its first season in The Church of the Epiphany parish hall near Metro Center. Outgrowing this initial home, the company rented a warehouse in the 14th Street corridor, where it performed for 13 years. When that space ceased to be available, Woolly Mammoth became a nomad company, performing in various venues in the DC area. During this period the company worked with the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation to acquire space for and to outfit a new theatre.
"Woolly’s goal is to challenge our artists and our audiences in ways that are fun and exciting and theatrically adventurous. People can enjoy Woolly who are Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives, because we’re trying to come at audiences from unexpected points of view. We would rather be politically challenging and uncomfortable and prickly and put images in front of people that make them think and surprise them, rather than just congratulating our audience for being the people they are."
Opened in 2005, its permanent home is a $9 million, 265-seat courtyard-style theater. It was designed by Washington-based architect Mark McInturff 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 and the US Institute for Theatre Technology Honor Award.
Plays that have premiered at Woolly Mammoth have been produced in more than 200 theaters in 39 states and 12 countries.
The theatre’s education and outreach programs include "Pay-What-You-Can" (PWYC) performances providing access to all residents regardless of economic means, and "Playmaking," which pairs students with professional playwrights. "Woolly D.C." is a program where a neighborhood joins together to create an original production based on an issue of common community concern, and there are internships, workshops, and theater classes, including a partnership with the University of Maryland, College Park.
Current and Recent Productions
For resident theatre companies "repertory is destiny" - a theatre company acquires its audience by the productions it presents. Woolly Mammoth's productions are new plays that "explore the edges of theatrical style and human experience."
An Octoroon by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, remounted production
The Arsonists by Max Frisch, newly translated by Alistair Beaton
Nothing to Lose (But Our Chains) created by The Second City
Familiar by Danai Gurira
Underground Railroad Game by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard, Ars Nova production
Botticelli in the Fire, by Jordan Tannahill
Collective Rage: A Play in Five Boops by Jen Silverman
Kiss by Guillermo Calderon
Black Side of the Moon created by The Second City
Baby Screams Miracle by Clare Barron
Pike Street by Nilaja Sun
Hir by Taylor Mac
Women Laughing Alone With Salad by Sheila Callaghan, part of the Women's Voices Theater Festival
Winners And Losers by James Long & Marcus Youssef
Guards At The Taj by Rajiv Joseph
The Nether by Jennifer Haley
An Octoroon by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind created and performed by the Chicago Neo-Futurists
Let Them Eat . . .
Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi
The Russians Are Coming! A Festival Of Radical New Theatre From Moscow, created and performed by artists from the Meyerhold Centre, Dmitry Krymov Laboratory, Gogol Center, and Praktika Theatre. This production was canceled due to the political fallout from 2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
Famous Puppet Death Scenes, created and performed by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop from Alberta Canada.
Cherokee by Lisa D’Amour
Lights Rise On Grace by Chad Beckim
Zombie: The American by Robert O’Hara
America's Tell-Tale Heart
Detroit by Lisa D’Amour
Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
We Are Proud To Present A Presentation About The Herero Of Namibia, Formerly Known As South West Africa, From The German Sudwestafrika, Between The Years 1884-1915 by Jackie Sibblies Drury
Arguendo created and performed by Elevator Repair Service
The Totalitarians By Peter Sinn Nachtrieb
Just The Two Of Each Of Us, created and performed by The Pajama Men
My Roots My Revolution
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz
You for Me for You by Mia Chung (world premiere)
The Convert by Danai Gurira
American Utopias created and performed by Mike Daisey
Stupid Fucking Bird by Aaron Posner (world premiere)
Notable playwrights and productions
Woolly Mammoth has produced works by the following playwrights in the seasons indicated:
Sherry Kramer: David's Redhaired Death (1990–91)
Nicky Silver: Fat Men in Skirts (1990–91); Free Will & Wanton Lust (1992–93); The Food Chain (1993–94); Raised in Captivity (1996–97)
Amy Freed: Psychic Life of Savages (1994–95); Freedomland (1998–99)
Philip Ridley: The Pitchfork Disney (1994–95)
Doug Wright: Watbanaland (1995–96); Quills (1996–97)
Robert Alexander: The Last Orbit of Billy Mars (1998–99)
David Lindsay-Abaire: Wonder of the World (1999–2000)
Tracy Letts: Bug (1999-2000)
Craig Wright: Recent Tragic Events (2002–03); Grace (2003–04)
Mickey Birnbaum: Big Death & Little Death (2004–05)
Ian Cohen: Lenny & Lou (2004–05)
Sarah Ruhl: The Clean House (2004–05); Dead Man's Cell Phone (2006–07), which subsequently was produced at Playwrights Horizons in New York and Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago
Bridget Carpenter: The Faculty Room (2005–06)
Sheila Callaghan: Fever/Dream (2008–09)
Robert O'Hara: Antebellum (2008–09); Bootycandy (2010–11); Zombie: The American (2014–15)
Jason Grote: Maria/Stuart (2008–09); Civilization: all you can eat (2011-2012)
Mike Daisey: If You See Something Say Something (2007–08); How Theater Failed America (2008–09); The Last Cargo Cult (2009–10); The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs (2010-11)
David Adjmi: Stunning (2007–08)
Laura Schellhardt: The K of D, an urban legend (2007–08)
Melissa James Gibson: Current Nobody (2007–08)
Josh Lefkowitz: Now What? (2007–08)
Bruce Norris: The Unmentionables (2007–08); Clybourne Park (2009–10), winner 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Peter Sinn Nachtrieb: Boom (2008–09)
Danai Gurira: Eclipsed (2009–10); The Convert (2012-13)
Samuel D. Hunter: A Bright New Boise (2011-2012)
Anne Washburn: Mr. Burns, a post-electric play (2011–12)
In 2014 Howard Shalwitz was awarded the Margo Jones Award for his founding and direction of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Overall, the company has earned over 130 Helen Hayes nominations and won 35 Helen Hayes Awards. Its more prestigious awards include:
2013 The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, Stupid Fucking Bird
2013 Outstanding Resident Play, Stupid Fucking Bird
2008 The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, Dead Man's Cell Phone.
2007 Outstanding Non-Resident Production, In the Continuum.
2006 Outstanding Resident Play, The Clean House.
2006 The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, Starving.
1996 Outstanding Resident Play, The Pitchfork Disney.
1994 The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, Free Will and Wanton Lust.
1991 Outstanding Resident Musical, The Rocky Horror Show.
1988 Outstanding New Play, National Defense.
1987 Outstanding New Play, New York Mets.
1986 Outstanding New Play, Metamorphosis.
Woolly Mammoth is a member of the National New Play Network, Theatre Communications Group, the League of Washington Theaters, 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 of United States Commission of Fine Arts.
