When the Mother of America stands trial, will anyone emerge innocent?
Ally Theatre Company-DC's newest theatre company dedicated to art that's designed to engage audiences through acknowledging and confronting systemic oppression in America-kicks off its inaugural season with the regional premiere of James Ijames' The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington.
Christmas Eve, 1800. The Mother of America, Martha Washington, lays on her deathbed at Mount Vernon, surrounded by the slaves who will be freed upon her passing. In a fever dream of terrifying theatricality, Martha and the rest of America, yesterday and today, are put on trial for their crimes.
"I am thrilled to bring James Ijames' brilliant play to DC after its 2014 world premiere in Philadelphia," says Ty Hallmark, Ally's Founding and Producing Artistic Director, who also will be directing the show. "There was never a question that Ally Theatre Company would mark its debut with Miz Washington, as it perfectly demonstrates our mission to highlight and elevate voices unheard and spaces unseen. Our first production is just the beginning of what we hope will be a long dialogue with the community, both in the Gateway Arts District and Washington, DC, at large."
A bold, clever, and damning look at slavery, its perpetrators, and its legacy, Miz Washington holds a mirror up to America's past and dares us to look away.
CAST:
Jane Petkofsky - Miz Martha Washington
Reginald Richard - Davy
Tai Alexander - Doll
Taunya Ferguson - Priscilla
Jonathan Miot - Sucky Boy
Tanya Chattman - Anne Dandridge
Nate Shelton - William
CREATIVE TEAM:
Director/Producer - Ty Hallmark
Assistant Director/Choreographer - Angelisa Gillyard
Technical Director - Patrick Mullin
Stage Manager - Charles Lasky
Dramaturg - Lolita Clayton Horne
Set Design - Audrey Bodek
Sound Design - Hope Villaneuva
Lighting Design - E-hui Woo
Costume Design - Alison Samantha Johnson
Props Design - Katherine Offutt
Joe's Movement Emporium
3309 Bunker Hill Road, Mt. Rainier, MD 20712
Thursday - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.
April 22 - May 20, 2017*
*Please note there are no performances May 4, 5, 6, or 7
Tickets on sale now-call the box office at (301) 699-1819 or visit Joe's Movement Emporium's website
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