Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company presents the DC Premiere of TEENAGE DICK, Mike Lew’s devastatingly funny re-telling of Shakespeare’s RICHARD III set at Roseland High School. This production is produced in association with Huntington Theatre Company (Boston, MA) and Pasadena Playhouse (Pasadena, CA), where it will tour in December 2020 and February 2021 respectively. Open-captioned, ASL-interpreted, and audio-described performances are available for select performances throughout the run. Directed by Tony Award nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel, TEENAGE DICK runs September 20 through October 17, 2021.
Welcome to a modern, darkly comic re-telling of Shakespeare’s RICHARD III set in the most treacherous of places—high school. Bullied because of his cerebral palsy, Richard is willing to crush his enemies in order to become senior class president. But all the scheming, manipulation, and revenge plots force him to ask the age-old question: is it better to be loved or feared?
The play originated at Ma-Yi Theatre Company (New York, NY) in association with The Public Theater (New York, NY). It was commissioned and developed by The Apothetae (Brooklyn, NY), a company led by TEENAGE DICK star Gregg Mozgala (Artistic Director) and director Mortiz von Stuelpnagel (Artistic Associate) that produces work to explore and illuminate disabled experiences.
“Initially planning for June 2020, we were well into final designs and only a little over a month away from rehearsals when we had to postpone this show last season because of the coronavirus,” says Maria Manuela Goyanes, Artistic Director. “This hysterical and riveting reimagining of RICHARD III showcases the self-loathing that comes from social rejection, especially for disabled youth. It feels so important to have this show back in our season, especially given the contemporary resonance of conversations about bullying on social media and the toxic masculinity we are witnessing all over our country. This show also demands that all of us reevaluate our rhetoric surrounding the disabled experience.”
Cast members in Woolly’s production of TEENAGE DICK include Gregg Mozgala (Richard Gloucester), Shannon DeVido (Barbara “Buck” Buckingham), Emily Townley (Elizabeth York), Louis Reyes McWilliams (Eddie Ivy), Portland Thomas (Clarissa Duke), Zurin Villanueva (Anne Margaret), and Maya Loren Jackson (Understudy for Anne Margaret).
TEENAGE DICK features work by Jennifer Weber (Choreographer), Ashleigh King (Assistant Director and Choreographer), Robb Hunter (Fight Choreographer), Wilson Chin (Scenic Designer), Amith Chandrashker (Lighting Design), Kelsey Hunt (Costume Design), Palmer Hefferan (Sound Design), Judy Bowman, CSA (Casting Director), Lauren Pekel (Stage Manager), Genevieve Dornemann (Assistant Stage Manager) and Andie Burns (Assistant Stage Manager), Riw Rakkulchon (Associate Set Designer) and K. Rudolph (Assistant to Lighting Designer).
ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Woolly Mammoth is committed to making its performances accessible to the community. Open-captioned, ASL-interpreted, and audio-described performances are available for select performances throughout the run of TEENAGE DICK.
Open-captioned performances feature permanently visible, on-screen text description that displays dialogue, identifies speakers, and describes other relevant sounds.
ASL-interpreted performances feature interpreters placed inside the theatre who translate what the actors are saying and expressing to the audience.
Audio-described performances feature live narration interspersed with the actors’ dialogue used to provide information surrounding key visual elements.
Assistive Listening Devices are available for all performances. Transmitters and accompanying headsets and ear speakers are available at the Box Office.
SCHEDULE
TEENAGE DICK runs September 20 to October 17, 2021, at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St NW, Washington, DC, with performances Wednesday through Friday at 8 pm; Saturday at 3 pm and 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm and 7 pm; with two Pay-What-You-Will performances on Monday, September 20, and Tuesday, September 21, at 8 pm.
PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
September 20, 2021: Pay What You Will performance at 8 pm
September 21, 2021: Pay What You Will performance at 8 pm – Open Captioned
September 22, 2021: Preview performance at 8 pm – Open Captioned
September 23, 2021: Preview performance at 8 pm
September 24, 2021: Opening Night Performance at 8 pm
September 25, 2021: Performance at 3 pm
September 26, 2021: Performance at 2 pm
September 29, 2021: Performance at 8 pm – Open Captioned
September 30, 2021: Performance at 8 pm
October 1, 2021: Performance at 8 pm
October 2, 2021: Performance at 3 pm – ASL Interpreted
October 2, 2021: Performance at 8 pm – ASL Interpreted
October 3, 2021: Performance at 2 pm
October 3, 2021: Performance at 7 pm
October 6, 2021: Performance at 8 pm – Open Captioned
October 7, 2021: Performance at 8 pm
October 8, 2021: Performance at 8 pm – Open Captioned
October 9, 2021: Performance at 3 pm
October 9, 2021: Performance at 8 pm
October 10, 2021: Performance at 2 pm
October 10, 2021: Performance at 7 pm
October 13, 2021: Performance at 8 pm – Open Captioned
October 14, 2021: Performance at 8 pm
October 15, 2021: Performance at 8 pm – Audio Described
October 16, 2021: Performance at 3 pm
October 16, 2021: Performance at 8 pm
October 17, 2021: Performance at 2 pm
October 17, 2021: Performance at 7 pm – Audio Described
WOOLLY MAMMOTH’S HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOL
Entrance to any event at Woolly Mammoth will require proof of vaccination or, for those who are not vaccinated, proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the event start time. Guests may show physical or digital proof of their health status. Masks must also be worn at all times while in the building.
TICKETS
Single tickets start at $29. Twenty-eight Pay-What-You-Will tickets are also available to every single performance by selecting the PWYW seats and adjusting the ticket price.
All Single Tickets (with the exception of preview night Pay-What-You-Will performances) are available online, by phone at (202) 393-3939, and via email at [email protected].
Patrons who are 30-years-old and younger may, at any time, purchase Section C tickets for $20 to any performance. There are also discounts available for educators, first responders, and active U.S. military personnel, spouses, and veterans. More information is available at woollymammoth.net.
SEE ALSO: Woolly announces a season of artists ahead of their time
ABOUT WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATRE COMPANY
Woolly prides itself on developing, producing, and making theater that disrupts conventional processes and stimulates transformative experiences. For almost four decades, Woolly has held a unique position at the leading edge of the American theater, earning a reputation for staying “uniquely plugged in to the mad temper of the times” (New York Times). The co-leadership of Maria Manuela Goyanes (Artistic Director) and Emika Abe (Managing Director) is supported by a core company of artists that holds itself to a high standard of artistic excellence. Woolly is relentless in its desire to take risks, experiment, innovate, interrogate, and create a radically inclusive community. Woolly Mammoth stands upon occupied, unceded territory: the ancestral homeland of the Nacotchtank whose descendants belong to the Piscataway peoples.
