Washington Ensemble Theatre Presents Raja Feather Kelly's UGLY (Black Queer Zoo)

Washington Ensemble Theatre (WET) will present a limited engagement of UGLY (Black Queer Zoo), a dynamic solo piece from internationally recognized choreographer Raja Feather Kelly. UGLY (Black Queer Zoo) is the second installment in The GUSH Series, WET's latest program that presents theatrical works from outside Seattle that are curated by the Ensemble and performed on its mainstage.

Our inaugural show Singlet by Erin Markey was performed in spring 2019 to critical success and received a rare Seattle Art Alert from The Stranger. This production of UGLY (Black Queer Zoo) is the West Coast premiere after having its world premiere in 2018 at the Bushwick Starr in Brooklyn.

UGLY (Black Queer Zoo) plays March 5 - 16, 2020 at 12th Avenue Arts (1620 12th Avenue in Capitol Hill). Tickets are on sale now www.washingtonensemble.org.

Part dance-theatre and part pop-culture collage, Raja Feather Kelly's UGLY is a dynamic solo about the lack of black queer subjectivity in the mainstream. Anointed in mustard yellow from head to toe and contained inside a clear box, UGLY is unsettlingly intimate and shockingly beautiful.

"I am blown away to be presenting the work of modern genius-extraordinaire, Raja Feather Kelly," said WET's Artistic Director Samie Spring Detzer. "Raja's form-bending work has been featured in some of the most exciting contemporary performances of the last few years, including Fairview, A Strange Loop, and the upcoming We're Gonna Die by Young Jean Lee. To be able to work with a multi-talented artist who has already had so much exposure is a true thrill and it reminds me that WET has uniquely positioned itself to be a nationally recognized small theater like none other in Seattle "

With GUSH, WET will continue to seek vibrant new artists, fearless contemporary performance, and form-breaking theatrical experiences once a year as part of its mainstage season. WET is thrilled to be able to expand its yearly offerings, to invest in internationally acclaimed artists, and to give Seattle audiences the chance to experience new kinds of creative perspective.

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