Woolly Announces One Week Extension of BOOTYCANDY, Closes July 3

You've spoken and we've listened! Due to rave reviews and an incredible audience response, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company extends its run of Bootycandy by one week. The show is now scheduled to close on Sunday, July 3rd. Written and directed by 2010 Helen Hayes Award-winner Robert O'Hara, Bootycandy runs May 30 - July 3; Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm.

What the critics are saying:
"Funny, smutty and, on the whole, enticingly subversive." - The Washington Post
"Simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking, it's impressive work all around." - Washington City Paper
"A snazzy, saucy, bracingly in-your-face provocation...the caliber of the cast is nothing short of impeccable." - Metro Weekly
"A wild ride and a fantastic production." - Brightest Young Things
"An exemplary cast with full-out energy and conviction." - DC Theatre Scene
"The best performance of Woolly's season." - We Love DC

Robert O'Hara took home a 2010 Helen Hayes Award for Antebellum, and he's cooking up an even saucier dish for us now. This kaleidoscope of sassy lessons in sex education speaks the truth about growing up gay and African American. With outrageous humor and real heart, it tests how we talk about our bodies at home, in church, and on the corner.

Bootycandy features Woolly Company Member Jessica Frances Dukes (Full Circle, Antebellum, In the Next Room or the vibrator play) with Phillip James Brannon, Laiona Michelle, Lance Coadie Williams, and Sean Meehan. Bootycandy also features set design by Tom Kamm, costumes by Kate Turner-Walker, lighting design by Colin K. Bills, and sound design by Lindsay Jones.

EVENTS SCHEDULE:

Live (and Leave) Your Label
May 30 - July 3
When you arrive at Woolly to pick up your tickets for Bootycandy, you'll come to a table with an assortment of labels for you to choose from, each bearing a single signifier (e.g. Gay, Straight, Old, Young, etc.). Pick a label and put it on, and as you watch the play, we invite you to reflect on how your choice of self-definition affects your response.
As you exit the theatre following the performance, take off your label and stick it on the display near Woolly's main doors. This display will serve as a living record, for the run of the show, of everyone who's been exposed to Bootycandy and how they've chosen to identify themselves.

"What do you call it?" - Sexual Euphemism Alphabet
May 30 - July 3
Throughout the run of Bootycandy, audience members in the Upper Lobby will be invited to contribute to our Sexual Euphemism Alphabet: an audience-generated urban dictionary of sorts, designed to ignite individual reflection and collective conversation about the language we use to neuter or infantilize words describing or depicting sex, sexual organs, sexual acts, or anything else we think of as "dirty."

Capital Pride
June 2 - June 12
Woolly is a partner of Capital Pride, the annual celebration of the LGBT community in DC. Capital Pride serves to celebrate, motivate, and support our diverse communities in order to grow and protect our legacy for future generations.

Take Yourself Out: LGBT Singles' Night at Bootycandy
June 10, 17, and 24 starting at 6:30pm
Want to see some awesome theatre, and maybe get a date out of it as well? Take Yourself Out to Woolly's LGBTQI-inclusive alternative to boring Singles nights, and you can get your theatre fix (and a couple of phone numbers while you're at it) without breaking the bank. Use special discount code 1224 to buy a single ticket to Bootycandy for just $35, then come early and stay late for a pre- and post-show Happy Hour, featuring drink specials, party games, and a photo booth (with costumes!). Give our Box Office a call at 202-393-3939 or stop the Theatre at 641 D Street, NW, and don't forget to mention code 1224.

Young, Sexy & Safe with Bootycandy
Saturday, June 18 at 3pm
Are you taking care of your bootycandy? Join us (and bring your friends and family members) for a special Saturday matinee performance of Bootycandy geared towards young adults, peer educators, and members of the sexual health community. Following the 3pm show on June 18, audience members can choose to participate in one of three 45-minute workshops, led by local professionals, using Robert O'Hara's explosive new play as a catalyst for explorations of sexual health, sexual identity and relationships, and creative self-expression.
$15 tickets available for patrons 30 and under - just use promotion code 1239 and remember to bring your ID on the day of the show. (Cannot be redeemed online.)
Young, Sexy & Safe is sponsored by Sasha Bruce Youthwork. Additional community collaborators include Children's National Medical Center, Metro TeenAIDS, and the Young Women's Project.

Post-Show Discussions:
Hosted by Woolly artists and members of the DC community, Woolly's Post-Show Discussions are intimate investigations around the play, production, and its ideas.

June 12 panel discussion: Uniting Against Hate following the 3pm performance
Meet attorneys who helped create the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, together with grassroots activists at work in our community to fight bias-based crime and increase tolerance.
Panelists: Michael Lieberman, Chris Farris, Ty Cobb, Chaitra "Chai" Shenoy, and Jason A. Terry

Wednesday, June 15 following the 8pm performance
An exploration of sexual consent and alternative sexuality with British "Lucky" Paul and Darian and Ahleah from TNG, Baltimore

Thursday, June 16 following the 8pm performance
Production Dramaturg (and Woolly's Director of Artistic Development) Miriam Weisfeld facilitates a conversation with cast members.

Sunday, June 19 and Sunday June 26 following the 3pm performances
Small-group breakout discussions, led by members of the Claque - Woolly's community of highly engaged audience members - and focused on race and comedy, political correctness, and the politics of comfort and discomfort.

ONLINE ENGAGEMENT:
Blogs and podcasts

The Woolly Blog is updated on Tuesdays and Fridays, and explores Woolly's play production process. Recent posts have included a look at the theatrical history of Bootycandy, a look at hate vs. hate crimes, as well as the crazy things that Woolly staffers' mothers told them. The Woolly Blog can be found at www.woollymammothblog.com. Radio Woolly podcasts are available for download on iTunes, stay tuned for a broadcast of our recent partnership with SpeakeasyDC: Don't Ask, Do Tell, as well as a conversation with cast members.
YouTube videos
The Woolly Marketing team produced a series of videos surrounding the production, including a look at how the set was built, and a hilarious account of what "bootycandy" means to people in DC. Videos can be found on the Woolly YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/WoollyMammothTheatre.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Bootycandy runs May 30, 2011 - July 3, 2011; Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm.

TICKETS
Tickets for Bootycandy start at $45, and can be purchased through the Woolly Mammoth Box Office at 202-393-3939, online at www.woollymammoth.net, or in person at 641 D Street, NW (7th & D). For directions and parking information, please visit www.woollymammoth.net.

ABOUT WOOLLY
Now in its 31st Season, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company continues to hold its place at the leading edge of American theatre. Acknowledged as "the hottest theatre company in town" (The Washington Post), "known for its productions of innovative new plays" (The New York Times), Woolly Mammoth is a national leader in the development of new plays, and one of the best known and most influential mid-sized theatres in America.

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