At the Arts Bank this past weekend, the internationally acclaimed Wooster Group presented Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones in Philadelphia for the first time. Directed by Elizabeth LeCompte and starring Kate Valk in the role of Brutus Jones, the production originally premiered in 1992 at the Performing Garage in Soho. The production has enjoyed widespread critical acclaim throughout the U.S. and Europe since the early nineties, and we were very fortunate to welcome such an esteemed group of performers and stage technicians to our Festival this year.

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Photo by Paula CourtThe Wooster Group, founded in 1975, is known for its technologically sophisticated approach to both new and classic texts. Its founding and original members include Jim Clayburgh, Willem Dafoe, Spalding Gray, Elizabeth LeCompte, Peyton Smith, Kate Valk, and Ron Vawter.

To visit the website of the Wooster Group, click here.

To read a 1998 New York Times review of this production, click here.

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