We’d love to introduce you to one of our incredible TBG staff members, Mark Woollett! Read our interview with him below…
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What do you enjoy most about working at TBG?
MW: It is the same answer that everyone else gives. I love the people! This is a tight community, and although I mostly work remotely, I get a real charge when I walk into TBG and see my old friends. I don’t know what’s in the water over there, but the atmosphere is loaded with inspiration and possibility.
What is your favorite class you’ve taken at TBG?
MW: I took a scene study class from Chris Wells many years ago now that completely changed the way I think about theatre. It was the way that he defined the structure of a scene, being very specific about the things that are necessary (like the script and the entrances and exits.) And then through rehearsal we make discoveries, guided by great storytelling, that help us to make choices and decisions and that builds additional structure. The exciting thing, however, is that once we have created a structure for a scene or a moment, once we know what needs to be the same every time, everything else is improvisation.
As an actor, that gives me the freedom and flexibility to be present onstage, that within the great storytelling that we have established, I get to react to each moment as it happens – knowing that each time we perform it will be different: that every scripted play is just a different improvisation exercise that lives within a very specific structure.
What is a project that you’ve been a part of that you are proud of?
MW: These days my projects have been mostly offstage. After many years working doing the bookkeeping and payroll for TBG, I’m now the teaching artist coordinator, and that puts me one step closer to a bunch of great people and all the inspiration and possibility at TBG.
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To take one of Mark’s favorite classes, check out TBG’s upcoming class schedule to take a Scene Study class or see when Chris Wells pops up next!