Penelope Cruz turns 35 today. Jay Leno is turning 59. Jessica Alba is 28. Former Secretary of State Jim Baker turns 79. Famed chef Alice Waters is 65. Author Harper Lee is 83. Actress Bridget Moynahan turns 38. Ann-Marget is turning 68. Wooster Group director Elizabeth LeCompte is 65. Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon is turning 56. Famed defense attorney Ted Wells is turning 59. Golfer John Daly is 43. And the rapper Too Short turns 43 today.

LeCompte is the co-founder and director of the Wooster Group, the experimental acting troupe that has been delighting and confusing audiences for nearly three decades. With its space at 30 Wooster Street since 1980, the tightly-knit Wooster Group has not just survived but thrived in underground theater for decades, despite rising rents and the commercialization of SoHo. Known for its weird casting choices, perhaps not surprisingly, one of the hallmarks of Wooster Group productions is audience members walking out in frustration or disgust. LeCompte hardly cares: as long as she incites controversy, she'll likely keep selling tickets.