WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATRE COMPANY AND THE CONTINUUM PROJECT, INC. PARTNER TO PRESENT THE LEGACY PROJECT
THE CONTIUUM PROJECT, INC. DEBUTS IN DC WITH ITS FIRST ALL-FEMALE, ALL-HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT RESIDENCY PERFORMANCE ABOUT DISCOVERING ONES OWN HERITAGE
As part of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s ongoing initiative to “ignite an explosive engagement between theatre artists and the community,” Woolly is pleased to announce the DC premiere of The Legacy Project: Residency Student Performance, This Friday-February 22 at 8pm in Woolly’s Rehearsal Hall. The event is in conjunction with the run of The Convert (February 13-March 10 by Danai Gurira.
The performance, written and performed by Duke Ellington School of the Arts students, will dramatize their explorations of personal genealogy, cultural identity, and African ancestry. After the performance, the students will receive the results of their DNA ancestry tests, revealing the lost specificity of their African ancestry.
“Woolly is thrilled to be partnering with The Continuum Project,” says Connectivity Director Jocelyn Prince. “Their ongoing efforts to connect young African-Americans with their cultural heritage through devised performance is an inspiring and worthwhile endeavor. This collaboration will be further enhanced when the students see The Convert—they will be able to relate the protagonist’s struggle with their personal exploration of cultural identity.”
The Legacy Project: Residency Student Performance program is derived through a partnership between The Continuum Project, Inc., African Ancestry, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s Connectivity department, and has been generously supported by the DC Commission on Arts and the Humanities.
The event is free and open to the public. Tickets can be reserved at woollymammoth.net.
ABOUT THE CONTINUUM PROJECT
The Continuum Project, Inc., launched March 28, 2008, organically sprouting forth from the great success of In the Continuum, a 2 person, 11 character play co-written and performed by The Convert playwright Danai Gurira and The Continuum Project co-founder, Nikkole Salter. The simple but profound production demonstrated the ability to bridge a professional artistic aesthetic with direct community engagement.
Salter partnered with African Ancestry, Inc. and Piper Theatre Productions, Inc. to launch and facilitate The Continuum Project, Inc.’s first initiative in Brooklyn, NY on March 2, 2009: The Legacy Program: Residency. The Legacy Program: Residency is currently in its 7th Cycle and operates bi-annually at William Alexander Middle School 51 and The Math and Science Exploratory School in Brooklyn, NY. The Legacy Program: Reflection—where the teaching artists that facilitate the Residency are commissioned to create professional work inspired by their Residency experience- launched June 25, 2010 with the first public reading of Glenn Gordon’s RE:DEFINITION at the Old Stone House in Brooklyn.
RE:DEFINITION, a play in rhythm and rhyme, received its workshop production by the Hip Hop Theater Festival October 28-29 2011 at La Mama, E.T.C. in New York City. The Legacy Program: Residency was featured on the PBS series, Finding Your Roots hosted by Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., which aired April 29, 2012.
For more information, visit www.thecontinuumproject.org.
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ABOUT WOOLLY
Now in its 33rd Season, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company continues to hold its place at the leading edge of American theatre. Acknowledged as “one of the most influential outposts for the best new American plays” (The Washington Post), and “known for its productions of innovative new plays” (The New York Times), Woolly Mammoth is a national leader in the development of new works, and one of the best known and most influential mid-sized theatres in America.
Woolly Mammoth’s Season 33, themed My Roots, My Revolution, includes a group of unforgettable characters who choose whether to embrace their legacies, run from them, or invent a whole new future. Works include Kristoffer Diaz’s The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Sept 3–Oct 7), Mia Chung’s You for Me for You (Nov 5–Dec 2), Danai Gurira’s The Convert (Feb 13–Mar 10), Mike Daisey’s American Utopias (Mar 25–Apr 21), Aaron Posner’s Stupid Fucking Bird (May 27–June 23), and The Second City’s America All Better!! (July 9–Aug 4). This holiday season featured Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez’s The Pajama Men: In The Middle of No One (Dec 11–Jan 6). Check out our website.
