Maria Manuela Goyanes has been named the new artistic director of Washington D.C.'s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and will begin her tenure in September. Goyanes, who is currently the director of Producing and Artistic Planning at The Public Theater in New York City, will succeed Woolly Mammoth's co-founder, Howard Shalwitz.
“To lead Woolly Mammoth—one of the most radical, inclusive, and vanguard theaters in the country—is the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Goyanes in a statement. “Howard Shalwitz is a true visionary, and I am honored to build upon his founding legacy of artistic rigor, thoughtful experimentation, and field-wide innovation. I am personally inspired by how Woolly’s values show up both onstage and off, and I look forward to continuing the work of dismantling the barriers between Woolly and the kind of impact it wants to make with its art.”
Goyanes will arrive at Woolly Mammoth with several years of experience in the industry. At the Public, she currently oversees the day-to-day execution of a full slate of plays and musicals within the five-theatre venue at Astor Place and the Delacorte Theater. In addition, she spearheads the season planning process as well as the planning and integration of artistic programs like the Under the Radar Festival and Public Works.
Prior to her current position, she worked as an associate producer at The Public on such shows as Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Josephine & I by Cush Jumbo, Straight White Men by Young Jean Lee, Barbecue by Robert O’Hara, and Here Lies Love by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, among many others.
In addition to her work at The Public, where she has been since 2004, Goyanes has been a member of the faculties of both Juilliard and NYU, a board member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the former executive producer of the 13P playwrights collective, and the former co-chair of the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab.
“In the two decades I have worked with Maria, I have watched her develop into an extraordinary leader, artist, producer, and human being,” said Oskar Eustis, artistic director of The Public. “She is, simply, among the very best in the American theatre. Joined to a theatre as vital and principled as Woolly Mammoth, she will make magic.”
“I am filled with pride, a sense of awe, and great anticipation as I imagine Woolly Mammoth unfolding under Maria’s leadership,” added Howard Shalwitz. “She has the taste, mind, passion, and fearlessness that will drive Woolly to new frontiers. She’s been a champion for adventurous playwrights and an inspiration for great actors, directors, and designers, and she’s poised to play a leadership role in our city and in our field.”
Goyanes is a first-generation Latinx-American. She has also served as the associate producer at Trinity Repertory Company, where she established a family programming series and acted as a liaison to the Latinx community of Providence. For more information on her career visit WoollyMammoth.net.
