Venus

September 11, 2026 at 6pm
Woolly Mammoth Workshop
FREE
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Before experiencing VENUS, take a moment to reflect on what love, intimacy, and connection mean to you. Inspired by the themes of Venus, and using prompts from the Worque/Life Balance Conversation Card Game: Relationship Edition, Off Worque will lead participants through personal writing exercises and thoughtful group conversation designed to encourage reflection, vulnerability, and meaningful connection. No journaling experience is necessary.

September 17, 2026 at 9pm
Woolly Mammoth Theatre
FREE

Join Dr. Jameta Barlow for a special conversation with the actors! Dr. Barlow is a community health psychologist and professor and Associate Professor of Writing at The George Washington University. Join her and the actors to discuss the themes and points of connection in VENUS. 

About Dr. Jameta Barlow: Jameta Nicole Barlow, PhD, MPH, RYT® 200, a Charlottesville, Virginia native, is a community health psychologist and an associate professor of writing in The George Washington University’s University Writing Program. She holds secondary appointments in the Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Health Policy and Management in the Milken Institute of Public Health.Her research utilizes decolonizing methodologies to disrupt cardiometabolic syndrome and structural policies adversely affecting Black girls’ and women’s health,  intergenerational trauma and perinatal mental health. Dr. Barlow uses Black Feminisms and Womanism to theorize, implement and evaluate methodologies, interventions and policies for Black girls and women. With professional experiences in federal government, national nonprofits and academia, she has spent 24 years in transdisciplinary collaborations with physicians, public health practitioners, researchers, policy administrators, activists, political appointees, and community members in diverse settings throughout the world. Dr. Barlow holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English from Spelman College, a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Maternal and Child Health from The George Washington University and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology from North Carolina State University. Her book, writing Blackgirls’ and women’s health and science: implications for policy and practice, was released December 2023.

September 19, 2026 at 6:30pm
Woolly Mammoth Lower Lobby
FREE

Join us on September 19th for a pre-show game night and activities starting at 6:30pm. Enjoy Happy Hour pricing at our café and meet some new friends!

About Play Play DC: Play Play curates vibrant, imaginative, restorative and Teacher-designed experiences designed for grown and queer adults to reconnect, with themselves and with each other. Find out more at www.playplaydc.com.

September 19, 2026 at 8pm
Woolly Mammoth Theatre

Members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies are invited to join us for a performance of VENUS and to stay after to enjoy a special talkback facilitated by M Pease, Chair of the Maryland Commission for LGBTQIA+ Affairs. Come early to hear more from local advocacy and community organizations in the lobby!

About M Pease: M Pease, MS (they/them) is a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park and a doctoral intern clinician at Towson University Counseling Center. Their research program, clinical work, and consulting experience broadly center around race, gender, and sexuality, exploring how intersectional systems and experiences of oppression harm communities as well as ways to elevate experiences of empowerment, healing, and joy for marginalized communities. They are also a founding member of the DMV Chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society and their master’s thesis examined the impacts of colonialism on the psychological experiences of LGBTQIA+ Filipino Americans. They also engage in advocacy on the state and national levels as a member of the American Psychological Association’s Advocacy Coordinating Committee and the Chair of the Maryland Commission for LGBTQIA+ Affairs, becoming the first out trans person of color to lead a Maryland commission. 

September 23, 2026 at 7pm
The Festival Center, 1640 Columbia Road NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20009
FREE
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“You have to love yourself before anyone can love you,” we’ve heard, but how exactly do you do that? Self-worth is stubborn. Our brain is invested in maintaining the same sense of self-worth that we developed in childhood. It does this to protect us, so that we don’t trick ourselves into feeling better, and get further crushed should the harms of our past—rejection, bullying, neglect—happen again. But there is a way forward. Join New York Times best-selling author of Platonic and the forthcoming Worth: The New Science of Self-esteem and Secure Attachment, Dr. Marisa G. Franco, for an interactive evening built to help you shift long-held negative beliefs about yourself. At the start of the workshop, hear from members of the artistic team in conversation with Dr. Franco about how self-worth and attachment theory show up in VENUS.

In this workshop you’ll: Understand where your sense of self-worth comes from (and how it can be changed) Practice the best tools science has to offer to help improve your sense of self Get vulnerable with strangers Leave with new tools to help you feel worthy Learn more about Woolly Mammoth’s production of VENUS by Steve Yockey This workshop works for people who have struggled with their sense of self just as much as it does for those who think they have it figured out. The event is in collaboration with Lost City Books and you can RSVP on their website and on Woolly Mammoth’s. 

About Dr. Marisa Franco: An enlightening psychologist, international speaker, and New York Times bestselling author, Dr. Marisa G Franco is known for digesting and communicating science in ways that resonate deeply enough with people to change their lives. She works as a professor at The University of Maryland and authored the New York Times bestseller Platonic: How The Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends and Worth: The New Science of Self-Esteem and Secure Attachment. She writes about friendship for Psychology Today and has been a featured connection expert for major publications like The New York Times, The Telegraph, and Vice. She speaks on belonging and self-worth at corporations, government agencies, non-profits, and universities. For tips on friendship, you can follow her on Instagram (DrMarisaGFranco), or go to her website, www.DrMarisaGFranco.com, where you can take a quiz to assess your strengths and weaknesses as a friend & reach out for speaking engagements.

September 26, 2026 at 2pm (matinee)
Woolly Mammoth Theatre (Post-Show Reception in Lobby)
Buy Tickets
Members of the Filipino community are invited to join us for a performance of VENUS and to stay after to enjoy a post-show reception!

September 26, 2026 at 6:30pm
Woolly Mammoth Workshop
FREE
Woolly Mammoth is excited to display Brittany Moná’s work this fall in the upper gallery. Brittany Moná ( Mo-Nay) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Maryland. Specializing in Black abstract and figurative portraiture. Her work blends figurative portraiture, and assumable techniques .Through her practice, Brittany explores themes of liberation, joy, memory, and transformation. Join us on September 26 at 6:30pm for a special conversation with visual artist Brittany Mona’ to hear more about her process and multidisciplinary work.

October 1, 2026 at 6pm
Woolly Mammoth Lobby
FREE Add-On to ticket for Venus

Join Friends In for an interactive social experience inspired by your Venus sign, the astrological placement said to shape how we connect, love, and express attraction. Come dressed as your Venus sign, meet others who share your placement, and take part in guided conversations and compatibility-inspired speed friending. Blending astrology, fashion, and community, this playful experience invites you to explore themes of identity, attraction, and human connection while making meaningful connections with new people before the performance of VENUS.
Attendees are required to purchase a ticket for one of the performances of VENUS.

In partnership with the National Children’s Theatre, Woolly Mammoth will host a Childcare Matinee performance for VENUS on September 13, 2026 at 2pm. This is for age groups 3-5 and 6-12 and will feature special workshops at Woolly so guardians can enjoy the performance.

For ages 3-5: Experienced teaching artists guide participants through creative play exercises, a story drama activity, and an art project – all while guardians enjoy the performance. Participants will receive a nut-free snack. Children must be potty-trained and able to use the bathroom independently. Limited to 12 participants.

For ages 6-12: Participants learn about performance and design fundamentals through engaging theatre games, collaborate with friends on improvised and/or scripted scenes, and create a theatrical design project – all while guardians enjoy the performance. Participants will receive a nut-free snack. Limited to 20 participants.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

About National Children’s Theatre: We champion research-based theatre education programs that help our kids shine. Based in Capitol Hill and serving schools and communities in the DMV, we offer camps, classes, and performance opportunities for ages 3-18. Learn more about us and why theatre education matters at nationalchildrenstheatre.org.