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
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

Photo by Teresa Castracane.

The Ensemble of What to Send Up When it Goes Down. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

Kambi Gathesha. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

The Ensemble of What to Send Up When it Goes Down. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

(L-R) – Ugo Chukwu, Rachel Christopher. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

Denise Manning, Alana Raquel Bowers, Kambi Gathesha. Photo by Teresa Catracane

The Ensemble of What to Send Up When it Goes Down. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

Alana Raquel Bowers. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

Beau Thom. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

Ugo Chukwu and Beau Thom. Photo by Teresa Castracane.