Steven Woolf of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis balances the tried and true with the brave and new
By Renée Stovsky
Photograph courtesy of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Looking back at his 20-year history here, Steven Woolf admits that he considers all Rep shows “my children.” Impartial though a parental figure is supposed to be, he’s had a few favorites over the years, among them Arcadia, Six Degrees of Separation and Blue/Orange. And he distinctly remembers his most unpopular show—Sam Shepard’s Buried Child, staged during the 1981–'82 season.
“People still come up to me at the Schnucks salad bar and tell me, ‘Don’t ever do that show again,’” he says, “but I tell them that if they are still discussing the play after two decades, then we must have done something right.”
Though the Rep had its share of early fits and starts—indeed, it was dark during the 1970–1971 season as a result of financial and organizational woes—it is now thriving, considered one of the most successful professional regional theaters in the country. At a time when many of its counterparts have been forced to contract their seasons, the Rep has expanded its 2005–2006 mix with the addition of the edgy Off-Ramp series at the Grandel Theatre in Midtown. Many of the Rep’s accomplishments can be attributed to Woolf, who is celebrating his 20th anniversary as artistic director during the theater’s 40th-anniversary season this fall. A Milwaukee native, Woolf directed some off-off-Broadway shows and worked at Stage West in Springfield, Mass., before signing on at the Rep in 1980 as production manager and managing director.
“It’s been a good run,” he says. No joke: He has presided over an annual budget that’s grown from $1.5 million to $7 million and a subscription rate that has more than doubled, from 9,165 to 18,945. (Last year, about 150,000 people attended Mainstage, Studio Theatre and Off-Ramp productions.) In addition, the Rep now frequently partners with the Cincinnati Playhouse to co-produce larger-cast shows and world premieres.
Despite the gains, Woolf’s vision of the Rep’s mission remains constant.
“Because we share the facility with Webster University, we are locked into a September-to-April schedule, which only allows us access to the theater at certain times,” he says. “With six Mainstage productions, three Studio Theatre plays and three Imaginary Theatre shows for children each year, we are at maximum capacity.”
That’s why the Rep launched Off-Ramp at the Grandel, also home to the Black Rep. (He also wanted to reach out to a slightly younger, more urban cohort.) So last year, while Mainstage offered classic fare like Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Off-Ramp staged Richard Greenberg’s Take Me Out, a wildly successful production that included full male nudity.
“The reaction to all three shows was thrilling,” Woolf says. “We were so embraced by both the press and the community.”
Though he may be pushing the envelope slightly with Off-Ramp, he insists that his philosophy of play selection hasn’t changed over the years. Projecting forward to the Rep’s golden anniversary, Woolf says he has a single goal. “We need to keep telling stories in the dark of the theater, because it is these stories that bind the fabric of our culture,” he says. “Technology can’t replace the experience of discussing a piece of art together, as a group.”
2006–2007 SEASON
MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS
Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts
130 Edgar Road, Webster University campus
September 6–October 1
Ace, by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker. World premiere of a musical set in the St. Louis of the 1950s
October 11–November 5
Of Mice and Men. Based on John Steinbeck’s novel
November 29–December 29
The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!, by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart
January 3–28
George Bernard Shaw’s Heartbreak House
February 7–March 4
Wendy Wasserstein’s The Heidi Chronicles
March 21–April 15
Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, by Steven Dietz
OFF-RAMP SERIES
3610 Grandel Square, Grand Center
September 20–October 8
2005 Tony Award nominee The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh. The story of a young man who’s presumed guilty of murder because of the content of his dark stories
October 18–November 5
Shakespeare’s R&J, adapted by Joe Calarco. A contemporary take on Romeo and Juliet set in a Catholic high school
November 15–December 10
Urinetown: The Musical, by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis. What will happen in American when “nobody pees for free?” Maybe a revolution, scored with lots of catchy tunes.
STUDIO SERIES
Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar, Webster Groves
October 25–November 12
Ordinary Nation, the story of a man, his family and his poker chips
January 17–February 4
A Number examines the moral implications of cloning human beings through a surreal tale of a man with 20 sons, all exactly alike.
March 14–April 1
Woman Before a Glass, based on the life of heiress and art patron Peggy Guggenheim
IMAGINARY THEATRE CO.
3610 Grandel Square, Grand Center
December 21–23
The Velveteen Rabbit, based on the classic children’s book
Saturday, February 10, 2007
A Thousand Cranes is based on the real-life story of a young Japanese girl who survived the bombing of Hiroshima.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Hansel & Gretel: The Next Generation is a funky update on this well-loved fairy tale.
For tickets or more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit www.repstl.org.
