The Wild Rumpus Theater Development Group (TWR) creates and nurtures a diverse community of professional artists and managers dedicated to the invention of original pieces of theatrical entertainment and to the reinvention of existing scripts in an environment that is patient, generous, and lively while following a process that is product-oriented, rigorous and disciplined. Our goal is to create f
ully-developed scripts and stagings that may be presented to our growing network of producing partners for a future life as fully-realized productions on either the commercial or nonprofit stage. Through an incubation process, our works can come to life without the typical constraints and pressures of production deadlines, limited rehearsal periods, and heavy financial restrictions and obligations. The TWR process allows company artists to apply their unique skills to a wide variety of live theatrical genres and styles and the general public is invited to view our process and progress at frequent, regular intervals, through workshops of various lengths (several weeks to several months) and readings of the new plays. Of high importance is the opportunity for our playwrights and composers to see and hear their work, and make changes as necessary, in an environment that encourages constant collaboration. Each piece is evaluated for artistic quality before moving from private workshops to public readings. If the piece does not meet certain artistic markers, the artists continue to workshop the play until those standards are met, or until the company decides to redirect its resources to other projects. TWR activities are in their planning stages, and will begin in late November 2013. They include workshops and public readings of new and little-produced plays and musicals, including versions of Artistic Director Stephen Wargo’s "A Christmas Carol" and "The Nutcracker"; Steven Dietz’s "Yankee Tavern", as well as new adaptations of classic stories, such as "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "From the Earth to the Moon", both by James Rana. TWR will also hold theatrical parties, featuring performance artists of all types, to generate interest in and fundraise for the company’s main programming. In 2015 programming will expand to include a radio play series (for both live audiences and online streaming) and a monthly podcast featuring company members discussing the theatrical process, business and repertoire. The company will workshop a new musical staging of Shakespeare's "All's Well That Ends Well", and develop an action-adventure play based on Fritz Lang's 1919 film "Die Spinnen."
