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Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller was born in Harlem, New York in 1915. He attended the University of Michigan and wrote The Death of a Salesman and The Crucible. He earned many Tony awards and the Pulitzer Prize (Biography). He often created his work based on history and his own personal life. Miller successfully sued the Wooster Group, and it was removed because it contained parts of his work. Miller died on the 56th anniversary of Death of a Salesman, which is considered his greatest success (IMDb). -
Charles Mee
The American playwright, historian, and author was born in Illinois in 1938. In 1999 he wrote a memoir called A Nearly Normal Life explaining how polio change his life. After graduating from Harvard University, he united with the Off-Off Broadway scene. He worked as an editor for the American Heritage publishing company and wrote plays and books (Blog). Mee plays consisted of “long monologues, non-sequitur dances, intimate scenes, assassinations, and chicken jokes” (Brockett 258). -
Robert Wilson
Robert Wilson, an American writer, director, and producer was born in 1941. Wilson is known for his theatre work that often displays light shows, slows down time, and is very long. The time is often slowed a lot so that nothing is missed (Brockett 259). Wilson wants his viewers to have a great experience, so much so that he doesn’t want his viewers to focus on understanding something but rather on experiencing it (Brockett 260). -
Elizabeth LeCompte
Elizabeth LeCompte, a theater director, and graduate of Skidmore where she studied drawing. After graduating she moved to Mexico looking for a career path that suited her. Elizabeth made a name for herself in New York’s experimental theater and directs The Wooster Group. Throughout her career, she has conducted seventeen theater plays such as Three Places in Rhode Island, Route 1 &9, Frank Dell’s The Temptation of Saint Antony, Brace up, and many more (Skidmore Theater Living Newsletter). -
CIVILwarS
CIVIL warS was designed by Robert Wilson with the help of Tom Kamm and Jennifer Tipton. This piece follows Wilson as he set out to create a 12 hour long, never seen before opera, for the upcoming Summer Olympics (Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars). CIVIL warS includes many historical figures and was not created to be enjoyed by any one single culture as it contains 12 different languages. After judged by many experts, it was determined that it “exemplifies postmodernism” (Brockett et al 259). -
The Comedy of Errors
The Comedy of Errors was created by William Shakespeare and produced in 1987. The Flying Karamazov brothers played a major role and integrated juggling and acrobatics into the play. This piece features two sets of twins who were on a misguided adventure after being shipwrecked in the city of Ephesus and were caught in a whirlwind of mistaken identity. -
The Black Rider
The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets was directed by Robert Wilson in 1990. Wilson collaborated with Tom Waits and William S. Burroughs. This piece is based around a file clerk (Wilhelm) who falls in love with a woman whose father is a huntsman. In order to get married he must prove that he is worthy enough and the only way to do that is by becoming a hunter. To prove his worth, Wilhelm uses the “help” of some magic bullets that he acquired from Pegleg (The Black Rider IMDb). -
Time Rocker
The Time Rocker, 1997, is a piece that is mixed between theater and opera. Robert Wilson created the production alongside the American rock musician and writer Lou Reed. This play right tells the story of two star-stuck lovers that travel the history of time as a doctor. The scenes were performed in German, but the songs were performed in English (Bam Archive). -
Bobrauschenburgamerica
Bobrauschenbergamerica was created by Charles Mee in 2001 and was featured at the SITI Company. It was created to explore life as if it was Robert Rauschenberg’s artwork and was done through Charles Mee’s crazy playwriting style. Bobrauschenbergamerica features scenes that include long monologues, intimacy, jokes, assassination, and dancing (Brockett 258). -
Sonnets
Robert Wilson created Sonnets in 2009 based on twenty-four different sonnets that were created by Shakespeare. Wilson worked alongside Rufus Wainwright who was a singer and songwriter (Brockett 260). The selected sonnets were not intended for use in a theater and had to be adapted to fit such as scene. Wilson used Shakespeare’s “subversive gender conventions” that were featured in his sonnets (Shakespeare’s Sonnets).