What to Send Up When It Goes Down

October 30 - November 10, 2019

By Aleshea Harris
Directed by Whitney White
Produced by The Movement Theatre Company
October 12 & 13 at Duke Ellington School for the Arts
October 17 – 20 at Howard University
October 24 – 27 at THEARC
Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission

Ticket Information

Tour Locations (Tickets)

October 11 – 13 at Duke Ellington School for the Arts
October 17 – 20 at Howard University
October 24 – 27 at THEARC
October 30 – November 10 at Woolly Mammoth

Standby Information

Walk-up tickets will be sold at all venues until we run out of inventory, at which point we’ll begin a standby list. Any returned tickets will be sold first come, first serve. Any unclaimed tickets at show time will be sold, cash only, as pay-what-you-will to those remaining on the standby list.

WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN is a play-pageant-ritual-homegoing celebration in response to the physical and spiritual deaths of Black people as a result of racialized violence. Meant to disrupt the pervasiveness of anti-blackness and acknowledge the resilience of Black people throughout history, this theatrical work uses parody, song, and movement in a series of vignettes to create a space for catharsis, reflection, cleansing and healing. Boundaries blur as the audience is asked to not only observe the performance, but participate in the ritual as well.

WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN will “move” throughout DC, beginning with venues operating at the intersection of black social and cultural life, before landing at Woolly in the fall of 2019.

"WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN is an impactful work specifically created in response to the deaths of Black people. It unapologetically pries open a space for people of color in the theater with a community ritual that is by, for, and about Black people."

- Maria Manuela Goyanes, Artistic Director

WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN performance calendar

CONTENT TRANSPARENCY: WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN contains audience participatory moments that are designed to be fully accessible, discussions and depictions of racism and racialized violence, and profanity.

For a detailed summary of the show, INCLUDING SPOILERS, please click here. If you have further questions about any content please contact our box office at 202.393.3939.

"Fresh and original and in-the-moment life on the American stage"

New York Times