Dan Wolf: Spring 2022
The discipline of acting usually calls for you to leave yourself at the door so you can become the character you are portraying. Your voice and style comes through by the unique choices you make to play the role. However, this is not the path that Dan Wolf has chosen for his career. Dan has worked to carve out his own unique career as a performer, playwright, and teacher. As a pioneer of Hip Hop theater, Dan has combined his deep love and passion for b-boying, beat boxing, rap, and spoken word with his raw and relevant storytelling. His personal truth has always been a source for his play writing and music. I can’t imagine Dan not doing Dan in the world of theater and music. He is an inspiration in how he uses his authentic voice to showcase his talents and art form.
His debut album “Blood and Bones, Skin and Scars” is a fearless exploration of ideals, values, and vulnerability, and marks his debut as a solo hip-hop musician. He is a Resident Playwright at the Playwright Foundation in San Francisco and is the co-founder of the Bay Area Theater Cypher, a collective of performers who live on the cross fader of hip hop, theater, activism, and community.
What sign are you?
My birthday is June 21st. On some astrology calendars, I’m a Gemini and on other astrology calendars I’m a Cancer. I really feel like all three signs are part of me. I say three because the Gemini is a twin. I have that kind of hot/cold, yin/yang, ground/air vibe about me. I’m definitely moody like a Cancer is as well. I see creativity all around me. I’m both extremely practical yet I’ll let the imagination rule.
What is your first memory of creating something you loved and wanted to share?
The first song I ever recorded was called the “Mad Piper”. I was in high school. I remember it being such a dream come true to be in a studio and to watch the DJ add the cuts to the track. I was so proud to walk out of the session with a cassette tape (!!!) with a four track recording of our song. I remember playing it in my car for a girl friend of mine. Her reaction was really positive. She gave me the confidence that I could do this work and make it happen. That moment of belief is what I always go back to when times get tough.
What aspect of the creative process do you most look forward to?
I love the dreaming part at the beginning before any limitations creep in. That pure moment of inspiration and collaboration where anything is possible. Before the list of “No’s” starts piling up. Before budget caps or reality checks. It’s that pure creative space that lifts you off the ground and makes you feel like your ideas are immortal.
How did you create a career based on your unique strengths as an actor / performer?
This is something I have to create and recreate everyday. It’s hard out here for an artist to survive especially when the work you do is not seen as mainstream. You have to find the niche that you operate in and live there to the fullest, no matter how tough it gets.
What creative milestone do you want to achieve this year?
In the Bay Area there is a strong independent scene but a lack of industry. I may be wrong but it seems like in other cities like LA, NY, or Chicago there are possibilities that don’t exist here. For that reason a lot of us survive by supplementing our work with teaching. This year I am focusing on moving the needle away from teaching. I want to solely focus on my career as a working artist. I’m doing that with my project , Currency (a re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice) and my work as co-founder of the Bay Area Theatre Cypher.
Who are your mentors?
So many people have influenced me to be who I am. My high school drama teacher, Britt Block taught me how to really listen on stage. My good friend, Sean San José has the multi-faceted career that I want. He is an amazing actor, brilliant writer, and theatrical visionary who is now leading the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Jens Huckeriede, who was an artist and filmmaker from Hamburg, Germany and taught me about hard work in the face of resistance and the power of tradition and legacy.
What grounds you?
Meditation. It’s a daily practice that is so humbling. Every lesson that I continue to learn from the inner landscape of my breath reminds me to let go and be grateful for what is present. That is my wife, my children, my health, and the privileges I have been afforded.
What does being an artist mean to you?
It’s a visceral way to share the complexities of being human as we search for beauty in chaos.
In a sentence what advice would you give another artist?
Don’t take no for an answer. Keep showing up. Keep learning and growing.