I am an actor primarily known for my work in film, but my roots are deeply grounded in theatre. From 1977 to 2003, I was a member of the Wooster Group; we created and performed original works at The Performing Garage in New York and toured extensively around the world. I have also worked with Richard Foreman, Robert Wilson, and Romeo Castellucci. I am currently the Artistic Director of the Venice Theatre Biennale. This role—along with global developments and my desire to return to theatre—has strongly shaped my belief in the unique, positive power and importance of theatre.
In the early, modest days of my time with the Wooster Group in New York, some of our performances had very small audiences. Often, there was a rule: if there were more performers than spectators, we could choose to cancel the show. But we never did. Many members of the group had no formal theatre training; they came from different disciplines and came together to make theatre. So while “the show must go on” was not exactly our slogan, we felt a responsibility to continue meeting the audience.
We would often rehearse during the day and present the material in the evening as a work in progress. Sometimes we sustained ourselves by touring older productions while continuing to work on a piece for years. Working on the same piece for years could become tedious for me, and I often found rehearsals challenging. Yet these work-in-progress showings were always exciting—even when the very small audience could feel like a harsh judgment. It taught me that, no matter how small the audience, the presence of spectators gives theatre its meaning and life.
As the sign in gambling halls says: “YOU HAVE TO BE THERE TO WIN.”
The shared experience of creation in real time—even if pre-planned and designed, it is always different—is undoubtedly theatre’s most evident power. Socially and politically, theatre is more vital and necessary than ever for helping us understand ourselves and the world.
The “elephant in the room” is new technology and social media. They promise connection, yet they seem to fragment and isolate people. Although I do not use social media, I use my computer every day; as an actor, I have even searched for myself on Google and used artificial intelligence to gather information. But one would have to be blind not to see the risk that human contact may be replaced by relationships with devices. Some technologies can serve us well, but not knowing who is on the other end of the communication circle is a profound problem and contributes to a crisis of reality and truth.
The internet may raise questions, but it rarely captures the sense of wonder that theatre creates. That wonder depends on a spontaneous community formed through attention, participation, and a cycle of action and response among those present. As an actor and theatre maker, I continue to believe in the power of theatre.
In a world that appears increasingly divided, controlled, and violent, our challenge as theatre practitioners is to avoid reducing theatre to mere commercial entertainment or turning it into an institutional guardian of tradition. Instead, we must develop its power to connect people, communities, and cultures—and above all, to question where we are going.
Great theatre is about challenging how we think and encouraging us to imagine what we desire. We are social beings, biologically designed to engage with the world. Each of our senses is a gateway to encounter, and through these encounters, we better define who we are.
Through storytelling, aesthetics, language, movement, and stage design—as a total art form— theatre can show us the past, the present, and what our world might become.
Who is Willem Dafoe?
Willem James Dafoe (born July 22, 1955, in Wisconsin) is an American film and theatre actor who has received three Academy Award nominations. He is known for his roles in major films such as Platoon (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and the Spider-Man film series (2002–2007).
He won Best Actor at Denmark’s prestigious Bodil Awards for his role in Lars von Trier’s Antichrist (2008), and he also appeared in von Trier’s controversial film Nymphomaniac (2014). In the 2015 film Pasolini, he portrayed the renowned and controversial filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Dafoe was in a relationship with director Elizabeth LeCompte in the 1980s, with whom he has a son, Jack (born in 1982). Since 2005, he has been married to Italian director Giada Colagrande.