WOW Café facts for kids

The WOW Café Theater is a special place in New York City. It's a feminist theater space and a group of artists. In the mid-1980s, WOW Café Theater was a very important part of the new and experimental art scene in the East Village. Many famous artists have performed there. Some of these include Peggy Shaw, Lois Weaver, Lisa Kron, and Holly Hughes.

The WOW Café is still active today. Its members meet almost every Tuesday.

How WOW Café Theater Works

The WOW Café Theater is run by its members. They make decisions together, using a system called consensus building. This means everyone agrees on a choice. There are no membership fees to join WOW. Instead, members help out with tasks, which is called sweat equity. If you want to put on a show, you are expected to help with other people's shows too.

WOW is a welcoming space for all women and/or trans people. This includes women of color and queer women. Most decisions are made at group meetings. These meetings happen every Tuesday at 6:30 pm. They are held at the WOW space on East 4th Street. During the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the meetings moved online.

The Story of WOW Café Theater

Starting in the 1980s

The WOW Café Theater began with two of its founders, Lois Weaver and Peggy Shaw. They were traveling in Europe with their theater groups. They saw women's theater festivals there. This inspired them to create a similar festival in America. Shaw and Weaver were also part of the Split Britches theater group. They wanted their art to show women's experiences as normal.

In 1980, they started the Women's One World Festival. They worked with Jordi Mark and Pamela Camhe. They set up the festival at the Allcraft Center in the East Village. They used ideas from the European festivals. The organizers wanted the festival to be a "multimedia environment." This meant it had performances, a social café, film showings, and dancing. Many performers came from Europe. The festival had a very small budget. Performers often paid their own costs. They sometimes stayed with festival supporters. Performing in New York was a great chance for them.

The festival was a big success. The Allcraft Center let the women keep using the space. They continued to create women's performance art. Soon, they started hosting performance nights every week.

Finding a New Home

Eventually, the WOW women had to leave the Allcraft Center. They needed a new place to perform. They found a ballroom at the Ukrainian National Home. They made it work for their shows. After a second festival there, they wanted a permanent space. They raised money through parties and special shows. Finally, WOW found a new home at 330 E 11th Street.

At first, the new space was more of a café. They sold sandwiches and coffee. It was a social spot. But soon, the WOW women built a small stage. They started holding performances for women artists again.

Early shows included Well of Horniness by Holly Hughes. Split Britches performed Split Britches and Beauty and the Beast. There was also Tennessee Waltz, a show about women in Tennessee Williams plays. Besides theater, the space hosted brunches and art shows. They also had "Variety Night" and "Cabaret BOW WOW." Artists could also show slides of their work and talk about it.

In 1983, Susan Young became the booking manager. The WOW Café became more organized. It was more of a formal performance space. Outside groups could now organize events there. This meant the Café didn't have to manage every single show.

In 1984, WOW moved to its current location on E. 4th Street.

Money Matters

Finding money for the WOW Café was always a challenge. Ticket sales usually covered most bills. But sometimes, rent and utilities needed extra help. They would hold benefits, parties, or dances to raise money. The group believed it was "easier to get a job than a grant." Many founders used their own money to help.

The founders didn't want big grants. They preferred raising money from their community. They also got small grants here and there. They refused to change their art to get money. WOW was a place for artists to express themselves freely. They noticed that other theaters got more attention. They felt their work was often overlooked by major newspapers.

Performance Style and Focus

WOW wanted to keep its open and collective spirit. They did not hold auditions for performers. They believed auditions could lead to censorship. They wanted everyone to feel welcome. The WOW Café focused on the lives and stories of women and trans people. Many performances explored gender roles and expectations. They often challenged these ideas.

Some people criticized WOW for using certain stereotypes. But the Café believed this helped them comment on society. Performers often used comedy. They exaggerated characters to highlight these ideas. This helped audiences think about gender in new ways.

The 2000s and Beyond

In the early 2000s, the East Village began to change. Many art spaces were at risk. In 2005, WOW Café Theater updated its mission. It clearly stated it welcomed all women and/or trans people. WOW worked with New York City officials. This helped them keep their space.

Today, WOW is part of ARC. This group includes several organizations in the 59-61 East 4th Street building. WOW also helped start FAB in 2001. FAB is a group of cultural and community nonprofits. They work to protect their homes on East 4th Street. Since 2005, WOW has made it a priority to welcome people of all ages, races, religions, and gender identities.

Notable Productions

• Well of Horniness (written by Holly Hughes (1985))
• Split Britches (written and directed by Peggy Shaw, Lois Weaver, and Deborah Margolin (1981))
• Beauty and the Beast (written and directed by Peggy Shaw, Lois Weaver, and Deborah Margolin (1982))
• Upwardly Mobile Home (written and directed by Peggy Shaw, Lois Weaver, and Deborah Margolin (1984))
• Voyage to Lesbos (written by the Five Lesbian Brothers Maureen Angelos, Lisa Kron, Babs Davy, Dominique Dibbell, and Peg Healey (1990), directed by Kate Stafford (1990))
• Brave Smiles (written by the Five Lesbian Brothers Maureen Angelos, Lisa Kron, Babs Davy, Dominique Dibbell, and Peg Healey (1992), directed by Kate Stafford (1992)
• Little Women (written and directed by Peggy Shaw, Lois Weaver, and Deborah Margolin (1988))