Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company invites audiences into a bold and deeply personal theatrical experience with A Fine Madness, created and performed by Company Member Justin Weaks and directed by Raymond O. Caldwell. Blurring the line between performance and communal gathering, this genre-defying work transforms theater into a living archive — one shaped in real time by the people in the room.
Inspired by the Voyager Golden Record, A Fine Madness asks a profound question: what do we choose to carry forward about who we are? Through a dynamic fusion of poetry, music, storytelling, games, and scientific inquiry, Weaks leads audiences in co-creating a collective record of shared humanity. The result is a kaleidoscopic experience that is as intimate as it is expansive — an act of remembrance, celebration, and affirmation.
At the heart of the piece is Weaks’ own story as a Black [gay] man living in Washington, DC, navigating a recent HIV diagnosis. Through reclaiming and recontextualizing personal narrative, A Fine Madness pushes back against erasure and invites audiences into a space of radical honesty, discovery, and healing. As the boundaries between performer and audience dissolve, each performance becomes wholly unique — an experiment in connection and a testament to the power of presence.
A Fine Madness will tour to cultural hubs across Washington, DC, reflecting Woolly Mammoth’s commitment to meeting audiences where they are and embedding the work within the fabric of the city. Performances will launch from Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s Rehearsal Hall before moving to performance site partners Dupont Underground, Hamiltonian Artists, and The Nicholson Project between May 30 and June 28, 2026.
These performance site partners share a dedication to centering the arts to create a more creative, engaged, and community-driven society, and an understanding that we are stronger collectively. This tour is a love letter to DC, and each of these partners bring their unique energy, history, and community to co-create a new living archive.
Orbiting the production is a series of Constellation Events featuring creator and performer Justin Weaks and other special guests. These free gatherings are inspired by the spirit of the Golden Record, creating points of connection, reflection, and exchange across the city. Developed with a range of community partners, Constellation Events are designed to amplify the big ideas and themes around A Fine Madness while in community. Event partners include Chela Mitchell Gallery, The Inheritance Room, Home Rule Music and Film Preservation Foundation, and Thurst Lounge, with more to be announced soon. Information on reserving your spot at the Constellation Events will be shared at a later date on woollymammoth.net.
Justin Weaks is a celebrated DC-based artist and a proud member of Woolly Mammoth’s company of artists. A five-time Helen Hayes Award winner, Weaks has appeared in numerous productions at Woolly Mammoth, including There’s Always the Hudson, Describe the Night, BLKS, and Gloria. With A Fine Madness, Weaks steps into a powerful role as both creator and convener, inviting audiences into a shared act of meaning-making.
“A Fine Madness doesn’t invite us to merely observe a story, but to actively participate in its creation.” says Reggie D. White, Woolly Mammoth’s Artistic Director. “Justin and Raymond have crafted something exquisite and visceral that gives voice to an issue that has stigmatized millions into silence and shame for decades. I’m so excited we can share this piece, a collective act of memory and meaning making, with all four quadrants of The District and deliver Justin’s transformative community-centered work to community.”
“This piece invites us into a complex conversation about the silences and erasures of the archive, and whose stories are preserved. It is no coincidence that the partners who have made this tour possible, including the Weissberg Foundation as well as our many performance site and Constellation Event partners, share a deep commitment to racial equity and justice work. A Fine Madness is a brilliant act of radical inclusion, and we look forward to welcoming communities across the DMV into this work,” says Kristen Jackson, Associate Artistic Director and Director of Connectivity at Woolly Mammoth.
Through its innovative structure and compassionate core, A Fine Madness offers more than a night at the theater — it offers a space to gather, reflect, and imagine new ways of being together.
LOCATIONS & SCHEDULE
A Fine Madness runs from May 30 to June 28, 2026, in locations across DC:
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
May 30 at 8pm
May 31 at 2pm
Dupont Underground
June 5 at 8pm
June 6 at 8pm
June 7 at 2pm
Hamiltonian Artists
June 11 at 8pm
June 12 at 8pm
June 13 at 8pm
June 14 at 2pm
The Nicholson Project
June 25 at 8pm
June 26 at 8pm
June 27 at 8pm
June 28 at 2pm
TICKETS
All tickets are Pay-What-You-Will tickets, where patrons pick the price they want to pay (recommended price is $25).
Tickets are available at woollymammoth.net, by phone at (202) 393-3939, and via email at tickets@woollymammoth.net.
ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Woolly Mammoth is committed to making its performances accessible to all audiences. Open Captioned, ASL Interpreted, and Audio Described performances are available for select performances throughout the run of A Fine Madness
- Open Captioned: Sunday, May 31 at 2pm at Woolly’s Rehearsal Hall
- ASL Interpreted: Saturday, June 27 at 8pm at The Nicholson Project
- Audio Described: Date TBA
- Mask Required Performance: Thursday, June 11 at 8pm at Hamiltonian Artists
Assistive Listening Devices are available for all performances. Transmitters and accompanying headsets or ear speakers are available at the Box Office.
CONSTELLATION EVENTS
Altars of Inheritance: The Kickoff
Thursday May 28, 6-8PM
In Partnership with The Inheritance Room
@Chela Mitchell Gallery, 1325 5th St NE Suite C, Washington, DC
Reflect on queer lineage and the ways these histories live in our bodies, stories, objects, and rituals with Hollis Heath of The Inheritance Room! This kickoff Constellation Event for A Fine Madness asks the central question: what do we carry forward in the midst of a changing world? As part of this interactive session, attendees are invited into the creation of a living altar curated by public historian Ori Yarborough that honors memory, personal history, chosen family, and the lives and legacies that shape us. These collective offerings will serve as the foundation of a living archive that will travel throughout the city as a part of A Fine Madness.
Examples of items to bring: Photographs, copies of letters, small keepsakes, fabric, poems, printed images, objects connected to family or chosen family, and items that speak to memory, identity, healing, joy, or resilience.
The Inheritance Room is a salon series devoted to Black memory, lineage, and imagination. Hosted by Hollis Heath at Heath Gallery, the series brings artists, cultural workers, and community into conversation around the stories that shape who we are and what we carry forward. www.heathgallerynewyork.com/inheritance-room-2026
Ori Yarborough is a public historian whose work focuses on oral histories, heritage sites and preservation, and museums/archives based public programs. Poking and prying with a purpose, Yarborough seeks to shed light on all aspects of the Black experience within the historic narrative and to expand our understanding of the role of archives and museums in stewarding our histories.
Chela Mitchell Gallery is a contemporary art space rooted in community cultivation, the richness of culture, and the amplification of unique voices in fine art and design.
Founded in 2021 by art advisor Chela Mitchell, the gallery has quickly established itself as a premier destination to discover artists who push boundaries and inspire new perspectives. www.chelamitchellgallery.com
For the Record: A Love Letter to DC Sunday, June 7, 5-6:30PM In Partnership with Home Rule Music and Film Preservation Foundation
@Home Rule Records, 702 Kennedy Street NW
How do music, place, and community shape our identity and sense of belonging? This wine reception and vinyl listening session with Charvis Campbell, co-owner of Home Rule Records and co-founder of the Home Rule Music and Film Preservation Foundation, explores the rhythms, sounds, and cultural touchstones that make people love DC and its enduring legacy as Chocolate City.
Home Rule Music and Film Preservation Foundation is a Washington, DC nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and documenting the city’s music and film heritage through performance, education, and storytelling. Founded in 2021, the organization produces public programs that highlight Washington’s signature sounds including jazz and go-go while sharing the stories and cultural history behind the music. Its flagship program, the Home Rule Music Festival, is an annual public celebration held at The Parks at Walter Reed and Alethia Tanner Park featuring live music, film screenings, record fairs, educational programs, and community activations. www.hrmfdc.org
Home Rule Records is a neighborhood music vinyl/record shop on Kennedy Street NW that specializes in rare jazz, soul, African and reggae records. The shop is known for being a cultural gathering space that hosts listening sessions, conversations, and events that celebrate and preserve Washington’s musical legacy. homerulerecords.com
Black Joy Bounce
Thursday, June 18th 9PM-1AM
In Partnership with Thurst Lounge
@Thurst Lounge, 2204 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
How does joy live in your body?
On the eve of Juneteenth, join us for a night of movement, music, and celebration! Rooted in joy, freedom, and communal release, this is a space to celebrate Blackness, queerness, and the beauty of coming together. Expect a high-vibe evening that invites you to come as you are, hit the dance floor, and move as an expression of remembrance and resistance.
Enjoy 2-for-1 drink specials from 9:00 PM to midnight. Featuring DJ Diyanna Monet and other surprise guests!
Thurst Lounge is DC’s only black-owned LGBTQ+ lounge located just north of the historic U Street Corridor at 2204 14th St NW. The lounge was founded to quench the thirst of DC’s black and brown LGBTQ+ community that has not had a space dedicated to their experiences and sensibilities. thurstlounge.com
Diyanna Monet is a Washington DC multidisciplinary artist, whose enthusiasm and ambition for movement stems from her childhood exposure to music genres such as hip-hop, R&B, and the native Go-Go sound, which catalyzed her path in DJing. Inspired by several collectives and artists in the city, Diyanna’s creative blends of art, DJing, and dance convey reminiscent energies of the “House Party.”
What’s the Tea on Queer Health?
Date/Time/Location TBA
Join us for a candid conversation about preserving queer health! Explore the inequalities that continue to shape queer health outcomes – including barriers to inclusive, affirming, and responsive care, systemic neglect, and the ongoing erasure of queer lives and experiences. This event also serves to create space for resource-sharing, community building and connection, and invites us to reflect on what it means to support queer well-being not just individually, but collectively, and to imagine a future where queer people are seen, protected, and cared for in FULL.
ABOUT WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATRE COMPANY
The Tony Award-winning Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company creates theater that highlights the stunning, challenging, and tremendous complexity of our world. For over 40 years, Woolly has maintained a high standard of artistic rigor while simultaneously daring to take risks, innovate, and push beyond perceived boundaries. One of the few remaining theaters in the country to maintain a company of artists, Woolly serves an essential research and development role within the American theater. Plays premiered at Woolly have gone on to productions at hundreds of theaters all over the world and have had lasting impacts on the field.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is led by Artistic Director Reggie D. White and Managing Director Kimberly E. Douglas. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is located in Washington, DC, equidistant from the Capitol and the White House.
This unique location influences Woolly’s investment in actively working towards an equitable, participatory, and creative democracy. Woolly Mammoth stands upon occupied, unceded territory: the ancestral homeland of the Nacotchtank whose descendants belong to the Piscataway peoples. Furthermore, the foundation of this city, and most of the original buildings in Washington, DC, were funded by the sale of enslaved people of African descent and built by their hands.
