A STRANGE LOOP's Pre-Broadway Run Announces Cast Talkbacks, Accessibility Offerings & Pay What You Will Shows

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company will present the pre-Broadway engagement of A STRANGE LOOP, Michael R. Jackson's blistering, mind-blowing, Pulitzer-Prize winning musical. Directed by Stephen Brackett, choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly, music directed by Rona Siddiqui, and produced in association with Playwrights Horizons and Page 73 Productions, A STRANGE LOOP runs November 22, 2021 through January 2, 2022.

Usher is a Black queer writer working a job he hates while writing his original musical... about a Black queer writer working a job he hates while writing his original musical. This new musical follows a young artist at war with a host of demons - including the punishing thoughts in his head - in an attempt to capture and understand his own strange loop.

"When I think about all the unexpected work Woolly could do, what's more unexpected than a Broadway-bound musical?," said Maria Manuela Goyanes, Artistic Director. "This show is very special to me. When I was 25 and Michael R. Jackson was 24 and still in graduate school, I directed the first early readings of A STRANGE LOOP. With this project, my past is becoming my present, and, in a way, my very own strange loop! This musical centers a Black queer man whose experience stands in sharp relief to the more mainstream LGBTQ progress we've seen over the past decade. Woolly Mammoth will break into song with what I believe to be completely Woolly material - a bold show with nerve, replete with soaring and gut-wrenching show tunes."

A STRANGE LOOP features Jaquel Spivey (Usher); original cast members Antwayn Hopper (Thought 6), L Morgan Lee (Thought 1), John-Michael Lyles (Thought 3), James Jackson, Jr. (Thought 2), John-Andrew Morrison (Thought 4), Jason Veasey (Thought 5); and Christopher Michael Richardson (Understudy for Usher).

Audiences are welcome to join a series of post-show talkbacks for A STRANGE LOOP. Throughout the run, this will be a space to reflect, connect, and build community together, alongside the cast of A Strange Loop and Woolly staff. Visit woollymammoth.net for more information.

The production features set design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Montana Levi Blanco, lighting design by Jennifer Schriever, sound design by Drew Levy, hair/wig/makeup design by Cookie Jordan and orchestrations by Charlie Rosen. The creative team also includes Adam Wiggins (Copyist), Nemuna Ceesay (BOLD Assistant Director), Corey Umlauf (Assistant Scenic Designer), Jacinth Greywoode (Assistant Music Director), Aaron Tacy (Assistant Lighting Designer), Crescent Haynes (Assistant Sound Designer), Azalea Fairley (Assistant Costume Designer), Candace Taylor (Associate Choreographer), Chelsea Pace (Intimacy Choreographer), Bryan Carter (Associate Orchestrator), Ross Leonard (Production Manager), Erin Gioia Albrecht (Production Stage Manager), Victoria Whooper (Assistant Stage Manager), Narissa Agustin (Production Assistant NYC), and Andie Burns (Production Assistant DC).

A STRANGE LOOP made its World Premiere at Playwrights Horizons in May 2019 to sold-out crowds. The show quickly became a critical favorite, praised as "exhilarating and wickedly funny" by New York Magazine's Sara Holdren and "some of the most vital work in American theater" by The New York Times' Wesley Morris. Following the successful run, A STRANGE LOOP was the recipient of five Drama Desk Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, six Outer Critics Circle honors, two Obie awards, one Off-Broadway Alliance Award, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical. Michael R. Jackson was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Drama.

ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES

Woolly Mammoth is committed to making its performances available to the community. Open Captioned, ASL Interpreted, and Audio Described performances are available for select performances throughout the run of A STRANGE LOOP.

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 that is 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

A STRANGE LOOP runs November 22, 2021, to January 2, 2022, with performances Tuesday - Friday at 8 pm; Saturday at 3 pm and 8 pm (except November 27 and December 4, which features an 8 pm performance only); and Sunday at 2 pm and 7 pm (except November 28 and December 12, which features a 7pm performance only); Monday, December 27 at 8 pm; with two Pay-What-You-Will performances on Monday, November 22 and Tuesday, November 23 at 8 pm.

PERFORMANCE CALENDAR

November 22, 2021: Pay What You Will performance at 8 pm

November 23, 2021: Pay What You Will performance at 8 pm

November 24, 2021: Preview performance at 8 pm

November 27, 2021: Preview performance at 8 pm

November 28, 2021: Preview performance at 7 pm

November 30, 2021: Preview performance at 8 pm

December 1, 2021: Preview performance at 8 pm

December 2, 2021: Preview performance at 8 pm

December 3, 2021: Opening Night Performance at 8 pm

December 4, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 5, 2021: Performance at 2 pm

December 5, 2021: Performance at 7 pm

December 7, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 8, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 9, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 10, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 11, 2021: Performance at 3 pm

December 11, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 12, 2021: Performance at 2 pm

December 14, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 15, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 16, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 17, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 18, 2021: Performances at 3 pm and 8 pm

December 19, 2021: Performance at 2 pm

December 21, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 22, 2021: Performances at 3 pm and 8 pm

December 23, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 26, 2021: Performances at 2 pm and 7 pm

December 27, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 28, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 29, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 30, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

December 31, 2021: Performance at 8 pm

January 2, 2022: Performances at 2 pm and 7 pm

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 $32. Twenty-eight (28) 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 at woollymammoth.net, by phone at (202) 393-3939, and via email at tickets@woollymammoth.net.

Tickets for Preview Night Pay-What-You-Will performances will be available via the TodayTix app (available in the Apple app store and the Google Play store) and the TodayTix website the Thursday before the first two performances until 5 pm on the day of the show - or until they are sold out.

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 US military personnel, spouses, and veterans. More information is available at woollymammoth.net.