About Joe Woodward
Welcome to Shadow House PITS – a space where theatre is daring, poetic, and deeply human.
I'm Joe Woodward. For over four decades, I've been immersed in the world of theatre — as a writer, director, actor, dramaturg, producer, and teacher. My work is shaped by a lifelong journey through diverse roles and creative experiments, culminating in a distinct theatrical voice that blends Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty, Brecht’s Epic Theatre, and the Absurdist touch of Ionesco.
Shadow House PITS is the result of this journey. It showcases scripts and writings that have all been brought to life on stage, often in multiple seasons. These works aim not just to entertain but to provoke, challenge, and invite reflection.
Before creating Shadow House PITS, I spent twenty formative years developing my craft — from working at La Boite Theatre in the 1970s, to leading the theatre-in-education company Jigsaw, and running the Stagecoach Theatre School for nine years. I also co-produced a commercial theatre and bar (PITS) with David Bates. These experiences taught me the discipline and resilience needed to pursue theatre with meaning and purpose.
Over recent years, I’ve directed productions from the Western theatre canon, including Hamlet, King Lear, Mother Courage, The Crucible, and more — often working with student actors. Yet, it is my own original work, rooted in influences like Artaud, Brecht, Ionesco, and the visceral aesthetics of Butoh, that speaks most directly to the heart of Shadow House PITS.
As a teacher, I’ve drawn upon the insights of masters like Stanislavski, Spolin, Brook, Heathcote, and Meyerhold—along with countless others who’ve inspired me. Some whose names I’ve forgotten, but whose techniques live on in the exercises I continue to adapt and evolve.
The theatre, for me, is about risk, transformation, and discovery. I invite you to explore the scripts, dive into the videos, and perhaps even bring one of these works to your own stage. This is a place for fellow explorers — students, actors, teachers, and all theatre lovers.
In 2024, I was honored to have the Joe Woodward Theatre open at the Issoudun Performing Arts Centre in Canberra — a humbling recognition of this lifelong passion.
Thank you for visiting. I hope you find something here that sparks your own creative fire.
Joe Woodward
Shadow House PITS