Wolfsmouth Players Company
| Formation | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Type | Theatre group |
| Location |
|
Artistic director(s) | Laura Anthony, L.A. Mars |
| Website | www.wolfsmouthpc.com |
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The Wolfsmouth Players Company is a non-profit theatre ensemble company[1]. The company is dedicated to the creation of new and politically engaging work, often housed in "historical watershed moments". It was established in 2021 with its foundational production of Effigy at Theater for the New City in New York, New York.
Laura Anthony and L.A. Mars currently serve as Co-Artistic Directors.
History
[edit]
The Wolfsmouth Players Company was founded by artistic partners Laura Anthony and L.A. Mars with the 2021 production of Effigy, a triptych examining the American Revolution, Civil War, and Black Lives Matter movement.[2] The original New York cast and crew became the first members of the ensemble.
The origin of the name, Wolfsmouth, comes from the Italian idiom, "In bocca al lupo".
The first general meeting elected Laura Anthony and L.A. Mars as Co-Artistic Directors, Lisa Geerhart as Managing Director, Michael Tilley as Director of Finance, and Gina Sarno as Marketing Director. At the time of the first meeting, the ensemble consisted of thirty theatre artists.[3]
Following their inaugural 2021 production, Wolfsmouth went on to produce a second original work: A Very Great Mischief,[2] a Wildean farce examining an amendment proposed to the same Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 that convicted Oscar Wilde of "gross indecency".[4] The show was performed at Theater for the New City, the New Zealand Fringe Festival, and Brighton Fringe in 2022.[5]
Works[edit]
Effigy (2021)[edit]
Effigy was written by Laura Anthony, with story by L.A. Mars. The play runs 150 minutes, and examines the legacy of racism in American culture through three interwoven storylines: that of John Laurens, a black Union soldier, and modern-day college students in the American south. The show was in the writing process from 2017 to 2020, and debuted at Theater for the New City in New York, NY on August 24, 2021. Initially the play was accepted to NY Summerfest,[6] but following its indefinite postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic was produced independently by the Wolfsmouth Players Company.[2]
"When we first set out to adapt Laurens' story for the stage, we were worried about the play becoming this pretty, glowing memoir piece," said Mars in reference to the play. "The antebellum period informed and expanded the story, but it didn't fully ground it. A modern narrative, with modern voices, really pulled it together into this larger tale of warping legacies and the failure of generations upon generations to not just forfeit racism, but embrace antiracism to a meaningful degree. Effigy doesn't allow for excuses of moral relativity or ignorance to be made for our contemporaries, but it also acknowledges that we ourselves are still struggling––and, at times, failing––to do better in the society that we have inherited."[6]
The original cast consisted of: Frank Bläuer as Henry Laurens, Andrea Rose Cardoni as Loretta Latham, Maxwell Lamb as Alexander Hamilton, Cameron Pillitteri as John Laurens, Mark Simmons as George Washington, Tatiana Skyy as Daria Mesley, and Isaiah Caleb Stanley as Billy Lee.[2] It was directed by L.A. Mars and stage managed by Lisa Geerhart.
Effigy was accepted into the 2022 lineup of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
A Very Great Mischief (2022)[edit]
A Very Great Mischief was written by Laura Anthony, with story by L.A. Mars. The play runs 120 minutes, and is a farce in the style of Oscar Wilde. It follows the events of two fictional families, the Thurstons and the Granvilles, and their households as they grapple with sexuality, identity, and class. The events of the play take place in August 1921 following a true-to-history attempt by the British government to outlaw lesbianism.[7] A Very Great Mischief debuted at Theater for the New City on February 3, 2022.[8] It later went on to show at the New Zealand Fringe Festival.
"It's a farce, of course," said Mars, "but underneath the high comedy of mistaken identity and antiquated manners there's this story of women's sexuality and how it was controlled by a male-dominant society. There's also discussion of liberation that's separate from gender, and a general struggle against societal norms, and within the rehearsing of the piece we've found some truly beautiful moments of identity and allyship. Mischief is short, and fun, but it's not without substance--so that's why we really wanted to bring it to the city and festivals abroad."[8]
The original cast consisted of: Laura Anthony, Jessi Baden-Campbell, Mari Blake, Andrea Rose Cardoni, Sky Nelson, Cameron Pillitteri, and Mark Simmons. It was directed by L.A. Mars, with stage management by Erin Sabat and Lisa Geerhart.[8]
References[edit]
- ↑ "About | Wolfsmouth Players Company | New York, NY". Wolfsmouth Players C. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Shows | Wolfsmouth Players Company | New York, NY". Wolfsmouth Players C. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ↑ "Ensemble | Wolfsmouth Players Company | New York, NY". Wolfsmouth Players C. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ↑ "Trial of Oscar Fingal O'Fflahartie Wills Wilde, Alfred Waterhouse Somerset Taylor". Old Bailey Proceedings Online. 22 April 1895. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "'A Very Great Mischief' Casting Notice". Backstage.com. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wild, Stephi. "Laura Anthony's EFFIGY Will Be Performed as Part of NY Summerfest in August". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ↑ HL Deb 15 August 1921 vol 43 cc567-77. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1921/aug/15/commons-amendment-2
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Wild, Stephi. "A VERY GREAT MISCHIEF Comes to Theater for the New City". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
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