Woolly Mammoth's 38th Season Kicks Off with THE ARSONISTS

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company announces the first production of its 2017-2018 season, The Arsonists by Swiss playwright Max Frisch, in a new translation by Alistair Beaton, directed by Michael John Garcés. The Arsonists will run from September 5 to October 8, 2017. The Arsonists is made possible by a generous grant from The Roy Cockrum Foundation.

The world may be starting to burn, but our Everyman has it all under control. He's a respected member of his community with a loving wife and a flourishing business, so surely the arsonists will spare him. As an upstanding citizen, he's even happy to do his civic duty by opening his home to two new guests... but when they start filling his attic with drums of gasoline, will the fire hit too close to home?

Written as a reflection on the rise of both Nazism and Communism, The Arsonists has uncanny new relevance today in light of the rise of populist nationalism around the globe. For Woolly's incendiary take on Max Frisch's classic comedy, artistic director Howard Shalwitz makes his long-awaited return to the Woolly stage. The production will also include several company members and a truly immersive community engagement and civic presence during the rehearsal and artistic process.

As part of the Connectivity plan for The Arsonists, community partners-including Collective Action for Safe Spaces, ONE DC, and many others-are participating in a collaborative process with members of the artistic team to develop a shared understanding of the complex social forces at play. In July, the cast, design team, and Woolly staff gathered together for a week-long workshop that explored different aspects of power and what it means to interrupt or intervene. This work will continue during the full rehearsal period. Partners in this effort will join Woolly's Connectivity team in leading post-show talkbacks for most performances; the full schedule will be announced later.

"The Arsonists is a chilling reminder that great destruction is the cost of complacency," says Woolly Mammoth Artistic Director Howard Shalwitz. "We explored Frisch's famous script during a company lab this past summer at the suggestion of Michael John Garcés. On the morning after the election, we decided it was the most essential play to launch our new season. Presented in the style of a Brechtian parable or mock-Greek tragedy, The Arsonists can be viewed through many different lenses, but no one will miss its shocking relevance for our nation today."

Howard Shalwitz stars as a small business owner who invites two mysterious strangers into his house. He is joined on stage by Woolly Mammoth company members Tim Getman; Kim Gilbert; and Emily Townley. The casts also includes Bahni Turpin, Regina Aquino, Peter Howard, Sue Jin Song, Akeem Davis, and JJ Perez.

Woolly company member Michael John Garcés, Artistic Director of Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles, returns to direct The Arsonists. Other company members on the production team include Misha Kachman (set design); Colin K. Bills (lighting design); Ivania Stack (costume design); and Jared Mezzocchi (video design). Stacey Printz (choreography), James Bigbee Garver (sound design), and Chad Clark of Beauty Pill (composer) round out the team.

SCHEDULE

The Arsonists runs September 5, 2017 to October 8, 2017, with performances: Tuesday- Friday at 8 pm (except an additional preview performance Monday, September 11 at 8 pm); Saturday at 3 pm and 8 pm (except Saturdays, September 9 and September 16 with an 8 pm performance only); Sunday at 2 pm and 7 pm (except Sunday, September 17 with a 7 pm performance only); with Pay What You Can performances on Tuesday, September 5th and Wednesday, September 6th at 8 pm. Tuesday, September 12 will feature a pre-show Burn Party, including appetizers and drinks, starting at 7:00 pm.

PERFORMANCE CALENDAR

September 5, 2017: Pay What You Can preview performance at 8 pm

September 6, 2017: Pay What You Can preview performance at 8 pm

September 7, 2017: Preview performance at 8 pm

September 8, 2017: Preview performance at 8 pm

September 9, 2017: Preview performance at 8 pm

September 11, 2017: Preview performance at 8 pm

September 12, 2017: Burn Party at 7:00 pm and Press Night Performance at 8 pm

September 13, 2017: Performance at 8 pm

September 14, 2017: Performance at 8 pm

September 15, 2017: Opening Night Performance at 8 pm

September 16, 2017: Performances at 8 pm

September 17, 2017: Performances at 7 pm

September 20, 2017: Performance at 8 pm

September 21, 2017: Performance at 8 pm

September 22, 2017: Performance at 8 pm

September 23, 2017: Performance at 3 pm and 8 pm

September 24, 2017: Performances at 2 pm and 7 pm

September 27, 2017: Performance at 8 pm

September 28, 2017: Performance at 8 pm

September 29, 2017: Performance at 8 pm

September 30, 2017: Performance at 3 pm and 8 pm

October 1, 2017: Performances at 2 pm and 7 pm

October 4, 2017: Performance at 8 pm

October 5, 2017: Performance at 8 pm

October 6, 2017: Performance at 8 pm

October 7, 2017: Performance at 3 pm and 8 pm

October 8, 2017: Performances at 2 pm and 7 pm

TICKETS

Tickets to The Arsonists start at $34. Visit us online at woollymammoth.net, by phone at (202) 393-3939, via email at tickets@woollymammoth.net, or in person at the Box Office, located at 641 D Street NW.

Patrons who are 30-years-old and younger may, at any time, purchase Section B tickets for $20 to any performance. There are also discounts available for educators, first responder men and women and active US military personnel, spouses, and veterans. A limited number of stampede seats are available two hours before curtain for only $20. More information is available at woollymammoth.net.

Tickets to the Burn Party are $20 and include access to the pre-show party plus admission to the show. Visit us online at woollymammoth.net, by phone at (202) 393-3939, via email at tickets@woollymammoth.net, or in person at the Box Office, located at 641 D Street NW

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

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Twitter: @WoollyMammothTC #WoollyBURN

ABOUT WOOLLY

Entering its 38th 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" (Washington Post) and "known for its productions of innovative new plays" (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.