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2024-25 SEASON

The Ford/Hill Project

The Ford/Hill Project

This excavation of the testimonies of Anita Hill and Christine Blasey Ford is revisited in the nation’s capital in a special debut presentation of a new play. With an ensemble of four actors speaking from the verbatim transcripts of these pivotal hearings, these two women’s stories can be seen in a new light when side-by-side in Waterwell’s illuminating new work.  

The Comeuppance

The Comeuppance

On the night of their 20th high school reunion, the self-proclaimed “Multi-Ethnic Reject Group” reconnects while they pregame in Prince George’s County, Maryland. But amid the flow of reminiscing, an otherworldly presence forces these former classmates to face the past head-on and reckon with an unknowable future.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Julia Masli is an award-winning clown from Estonia, based in London. All she wants to do is solve people’s problems and eventually win the Nobel Prize, presented to those who have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. But this plan keeps going wrong as she continually wins prizes for comedy.

2023-24 SEASON

ROSE: YOU ARE WHO YOU EAT

ROSE: YOU ARE WHO YOU EAT

Once upon a vine, John Jarboe’s aunt revealed that John not only had a twin sister in the womb, but that John consumed her: “You ate her. That’s why you are the way you are.” This was a lot for John to swallow! In this musical shrine to the consumed twin, named Rose, John welcomes you into a feast of gender through song, storytelling, and a full plate of wordplay.

Amm(I)gone

Amm(I)gone

Creator and performer Adil Mansoor invites his Pakistani mother to translate Antigone into Urdu as means of exploring the tensions between family and faith. Should he keep his queerness buried from his devout Muslim mother? Through Greek tragedy, teachings from the Quran, and audio conversations with his mother, Mansoor creates this theatrical personal story about locating love across faith.

The Sensational Sea Mink-ettes

The Sensational Sea Mink-ettes

The Sensational Sea Mink-ettes are days away from their Homecoming half-time dance performance and the pressure is on. The student body, the administration, the alumni, their families—everyone is expecting perfection. As the big day creeps closer, the women must contend with flaring tempers, bodies pushed to their limits, and what it means to be a team in Vivian J.O. Barnes’ funny and surprising world premiere play.

Public Obscenities

Public Obscenities

When Choton returns to Kolkata on a research trip with his Black American boyfriend Raheem, his grandfather’s photograph stares down at him from the walls of his family home. Choton loves being the translator, toggling nimbly between Bangla and English, interviewing queer locals, showing Raheem his world. But through the lens of Choton’s grandfather’s old camera, Raheem begins to notice things Choton can’t. Peer into this bilingual play from visionary writer-director Shayok Misha Chowdhury about the things we see, the things we miss, and the things that turn us on. 

MY MAMA AND THE FULL-SCALE INVASION

MY MAMA AND THE FULL-SCALE INVASION

Sasha’s 82-year-old mother, Olga, is on the frontlines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, having lived in Kyiv her whole life. Olga is thrust into increasingly fantastical situations: she strategizes with President Zelenskyy, strikes Russian drones with jars of pickles, and even debates with God. Inspired by online chats with her mother, playwright Sasha Denisova brings us this new play about a family’s connection and legacy amidst the present-day war and global crisis.

INCENDIARY

INCENDIARY

Tanya is a Black mother determined to break her son, Eric, out of death row — or die trying. She’ll need guns, to get her hair done, and to f*ck some people up. As time ticks towards the fateful date of Eric’s execution (and birthday), the play explodes into a collision of the hilarious and tragic. In this world premiere, playwright Dave Harris harnesses the storytelling techniques of comic books and video games to explore the complexities of generational trauma and daring heroism with his singular, satirical style.

THE NOSEBLEED

THE NOSEBLEED

Are we doomed to repeat the mistakes of our parents? Through a series of absurd autobiographical vignettes, Aya Ogawa’s THE NOSEBLEED delves into the sh*t show of parenthood, as both a parent and a child – and what it takes to forgive. A trip to their home country of Japan, a child’s nosebleed, and the hit reality TV show The Bachelor come together in this “wackily funny, psychologically insightful” (The New York Times) theatrical tribute to Ogawa’s father, with surprises like a healing ritual for the audience and a transcendent appearance by a 20th century icon.

2023 GALA: THIS MAMMOTH MOMENT

2023 GALA: THIS MAMMOTH MOMENT

SEVEN METHODS OF KILLING KYLIE JENNER

SEVEN METHODS OF KILLING KYLIE JENNER

When Forbes Magazine declares Kylie Jenner a “self-made” billionaire, Cleo takes to Twitter to call out white women who co-opt and profit from Black culture. Soon online discourse spills into reality, blurring the tenuous lines between internet personas and who we are IRL. On the internet, actions don’t always speak louder than words.

JUST FOR US

JUST FOR US

JUST FOR US takes the audience through hilarious anecdotes from Alex Edelman’s life — his Olympian brother AJ, an unconventional holiday season, and a gorilla that can do sign language — but at its center is an astonishing and frighteningly relevant story. After a string of anti-Semitic abuse is directed at Edelman online, he decides to covertly attend a gathering of White Nationalists in New York City and comes face–to–face with the people behind the keyboards. The result is a hair-raising encounter that gives JUST FOR US its title and final, jaw-dropping moments.

AIN'T NO MO'

AIN’T NO MO’

BREAKING NEWS: It’s the final boarding call for African American Airlines’ Flight 1619 to Africa, and every Black person in the United States gets a free ticket. In a kaleidoscope of scenes capturing the moments surrounding this outrageous departure, Jordan E. Cooper’s vibrant, no-holds-barred comedy examines the lives of Black Americans in the aftermath of the election of a Black president – and hurtling toward the point of no return. AIN’T NO MO’ is “…thrilling, bewildering, campy, shrewd, mortifying, scary, devastating, and deep” (The New York Times).

Casting Update | Crew Insert

2021-22 SEASON

19 BY O-SLICE

19 BY O-SLICE

Last seen at THEARC in the cast of HOMEGROWN, O-Slice is back and bolder than ever with 19. A dazzling new multimedia experience fusing theatre and live concert, 19 uses poetry, music, storytelling, and verse to tell the coming-of-age story of a Nigerian-American artist on the rise.

THERE'S ALWAYS THE HUDSON

THERE’S ALWAYS THE HUDSON

Lola and T met years ago in a support group for sexual abuse survivors. They’ve made a pact… and the deadline is coming at them fast. So tonight, they decide to take matters into their own hands by plotting to exact revenge on anyone who has ever f–ked with them. Spend the night with two fractured souls who let loose their fury in this fearless adventure. Paola Lázaro’s new work takes an unflinching look at confronting trauma, and how the bonds with our chosen family can carry us through.

HI, ARE YOU SINGLE?

HI, ARE YOU SINGLE?

Join Ryan, a gay man with both a high sex drive and cerebral palsy on a journey through gay bars, hookups, and lots of margaritas in search of romance.

A STRANGE LOOP

A STRANGE LOOP

The 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winner about a Black, queer writer writing his original musical… about a Black, queer writer writing his original musical.

TEENAGE DICK

TEENAGE DICK

A modern, darkly comic re-telling of Shakespeare’s RICHARD III set in the most treacherous of places – high school.

Reading

HOMEGROWN

HOMEGROWN

HOMEGROWN, a collaborative performance project, brings local legends of DC’s spoken word scene together with Ward 7 and Ward 8 residents.

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