Woolly Mammoth Hosts Interactive Events to Accompany AMERICA ALL BETTER!! Tonight

As part of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company's ongoing initiative to "ignite an explosive engagement between theatre artists and the community," Woolly has announced the House Lights Up events for its upcoming production of The Second City's AMERICA ALL BETTER!! Following sell-out runs of BARACK STARS, BARACK STARS: THE WRATH OF RAHM, A GIRL'S GUIDE TO WASHINGTON POLITICS, and SPOILER ALERT: EVERYBODY DIES, Chicago's The Second City returns to Woolly today, July 9 through August 4, 2013.

House Lights Up events and experiences are curated by Woolly's Connectivity Department to engage more deeply with the theatre's patrons. By providing fun, interactive experiences, Woolly hopes to create stronger connections between the art and the theatre's audiences. Through the run of AMERICA ALL BETTER!!-the second of a three-play long collaboration in partnership with Method 121-audiences will interface with installations in the lobby including photo booths, touch screen Pinspiration boards, and tweet/text polls, and interact with a team of Creatives who will guide patrons through their experience. House Lights Up programming is made possible through generous grants from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Andrew Mellon Foundation, and the Theatre Communications Group.

"We are so thrilled by the support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, and Theatre Communications Group (TCG), as we work to cultivate the next generation of theatre audiences," says Woolly Connectivity Director Jocelyn Prince. "This new funding has allowed us to engage Method 121 to digitally enhance our lobby, which in turn will enable us to promote and facilitate dialogue with younger patrons using new media, and encourage them to engage their personal networks with the shows on our stage."

HOUSE LIGHTS UP LOBBY EXPERIENCE

Is America really All Better?

In this interactive lobby experience, audiences will be invited to vote on the state of American society via texts and tweets. Their polling results will be displayed in real-time to view while exiting the theater after the show, creating a shocking peek into one tiny subsection of America: the Woolly Mammoth audience. They will also receive tailor-made infographics in their post-show emails, based on responses from their fellow audience members. All commentators and spin-masters welcome!

All Better!! Photo Booth

After they have done their civic duty by voting in our lobby, patrons are invited to mosey on over to the All Better!! photo booth and capture the moment with a snazzy photograph reflecting just how "All Better" America truly is. Maybe. Audiences can also make their photos "All Better" by slapping a filter over the image and Instagraming it with the tag #WeAreBetter.

Pinspiration Station:

Colorful infographics depicting the current state of America will be pinned to the Woolly Mammoth Pinterest Page, allowing audiences to compare what they believe is true with what is actually "true" either online or in the lobby with Woolly's touchscreen display. A very special selection of these infographics will be displayed in the upper lobby along with QR codes so that audiences can immediately share the shocking truth-that may or may not align with their polling results-on any platform they choose!

WOOLLY'S BIRTHDAY BASH

To celebrate Woolly's 34th birthday, the performance on Saturday July 13 will be a birthday party benefit for the theatre. Audience members will enjoy the 8pm showing of AMERICA ALL BETTER!! and party the night away with the cast of The Second City, with an open bar, dessert, and the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to San Francisco. Tickets start at $100 and can be purchased through the Woolly Mammoth Box office at 202-393-3939 or online at www.woollymammoth.net/events.

Tickets for Second City's AMERICA ALL BETTER!! start at $35, 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.

AMERICA ALL BETTER!! runs Tuesdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm, and Sundays at 2pm and 7pm. July 9 at 8pm will be a Pay-What-You-Can performance and July 13 will be Woolly's Birthday Benefit performance beginning at 8pm.

ABOUT WOOLLY:

Now in its 33rd season, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company continues to hold its place at the leading edge of American theatre. Acknowledged as "one of the most influential outposts for the best new American plays" (The Washington Post), and "known for its productions of innovative new plays" (The New York Times), Woolly Mammoth is a national leader in the development of new works, and one of the best known and most influential mid-sized theatres in America.

Woolly Mammoth's upcoming Season 34, themed AMERICA'S TELL-TALE HEART includes Lisa D'Amour's DETROIT (September 9-October 6, 2013), Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' APPROPRIATE (November 4-December 1, 2013), Jackie Sibblies Drury's WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT... (February 10-March 9, 2014), Elevator Repair Service's ARGUENDO (March 31-April 20, 2014), and Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's THE TOTALITARIANS (June 2-29, 2014). Returning this holiday season are The Pajama Men, Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez, with their newest show, JUST THE TWO OF EACH OF US (Dec 10, 2013-Jan 5, 2014). For more information, visit www.woollymammoth.net.

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