Wendy C. Goldberg Joins Theatre Faculty
January 14, 2021
Wendy C. Goldberg, who joined BU College of Fine Arts this year as Master Lecturer, Directing, reflects on her career journey, encouraging her students’ collaboration, and a love of discovering new stories that have an impact on our society.
CFA: What inspired you to pursue a career in theatre?
Wendy C. Goldberg: I had always been interested in stories, art and music, and as a theater artist, specifically as a director, you have the opportunity to access all of these tools and idea. However, the most important piece for me was I was hopeful by working in theater I could learn to tell some of the most immediate and relevant stories in real time with a live audience— I’ve always believed we are better as a culture if we listen, in a communal way, to stories — this is how we learn to be empathetic human beings— I wanted to be part of the history of discovering new stories and telling them as a way to reflect on and impact our society.
You were the Artistic Director of the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center for sixteen seasons. Can you share a standout moment from your time there?
Working at The O’Neill has been a highlight and project of a lifetime— it’s been a time of both great transformation as well as building upon a profound legacy of work. In my era, we have developed over 100 plays and built new programs— standout moments, however, would have to be when we won the TONY Award for Excellence in 2010, when we celebrated the organization’s 50th anniversary with an exhibit at the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center as well as the publication of a book, and starting the National Directors Fellowship program.
Do you have a favorite production or project?
I have been able to direct and develop many many world premiere productions, and those are always special, but I also really like being the second production, the one that proves if the play itself can stand the test of time and deserves to be heard and seen again— it also tests your instincts and skills as a director to see a story possibly in a different way visually and construct a production with a new interpretation. I remain very proud of my production of INDECENT at the Guthrie which was the first post Broadway production, with an entirely new team. That same year I was one of the performance directors on the video game Red Dead Redemption 2 which is the largest open world game in the history of gaming and the immersive quality of that project and worldwide appeal made for a unique year. I have always liked to blend what we consider to be high culture with popular culture, and am fascinated by what stories endure the test of time.
Currently I am in development on a docuseries about youth elite tennis (a world as a former player I spent some time in) with Spring Hill Entertainment (LeBron James’s production company) and building this with that team as a producer has been very enlightening. I founded a development company, TheFrontOffice, as my work has crossed over into new media and digital projects. I’m enjoying learning about new forms and building on these storytelling techniques. We also founded a charitable arm of the company — TheFrontOffice Foundation — this year to help theater artists who are out of work during the pandemic. I am proud of how much relief we have been able to provide. To me, the work is only important if it has a larger impact on the community.
How would you describe yourself as a teacher?
Much of my teaching style is built around understanding the needs of the class and making certain we address those needs. I aim for an inclusive, collaborative space where we can all learn from each other as we listen and cultivate a real sense of transparency and honesty. I come to the classroom, rehearsal, theater with this and try to model that for my students. My hope is to help the directors build skills they will need moving forward into making work and also encourage them to cultivate their own unique voice and vision — to listen to their instincts and sharpen their abilities to be good collaborators.
What’s it been like for you to join BU, especially in this unique year?
This year has been a challenge but I found that having my students there, even remotely, on a weekly basis has buoyed me and helped provide an anchor in this chaos. I am a huge fan of [Dean] Harvey Young and [School of Theatre Director] Susan Mickey, and am excited to be a part of the learning environment they are building. And I really find the actors extremely strong— the directors are really fortunate to have such a solid program to partner with as they are all making work together.
What’s your favorite aspect of CFA School of Theatre?
I appreciate that there are degrees in various aspects of theater-making so the students are able to collaborate so much with peers, and the spaces are really beautiful.
What are you most looking forward to for the rest of your first year at BU, and beyond?
I am hopeful to get on campus and make some real work in real time! I know it will slowly be a while for full theater productions to happen, but when we can do that, we will all be ready, and the directors will be able to step back into a rehearsal room and a theater to make some exciting new work.
CFA’s Faculty Feature series spotlights the exceptional faculty from across Boston University College of Fine Arts. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
CFA SCHOOL OF THEATRE