A STRANGE LOOP at Atlas Performing Arts Center Featuring Deaf and Hearing Cast to Open This Week
Performances will run from July 23 – August 10.
Visionaries of the Creative Arts and Deaf Austin Theatre's collaboration and co-production of A Strange Loop, the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-Winning musical by Michael R. Jackson opens in Washington, D.C. this Friday, July 25, 2025. Playing July 23 – August 10, 2025 at the Sprenger Theatre at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, D.C.
Directed and choreographed by the visionary Alexandria Wailes—an Obie-winning artist, Chita Rivera Award recipient, and Tony-honored trailblazer celebrated for her groundbreaking work on Spring Awakening, Once on This Island, for colored girls, and the Oscar-winning film CODA—this innovative co-production marks the first time two Deaf theatre companies in the United States have joined forces to stage a performance, bringing a fresh perspective to Jackson’s critically acclaimed work. A Strange Loop will be performed by a company of Deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing artists in ASL and spoken/sung English. A Strange Loop will be directed and choreographed by Wailes; Stanley Bahorek (Broadway’s Company, Amazing Grace, Spelling Bee) serves as Associate Director and Music Supervisor.
“I’m thrilled to bring A Strange Loop back to the DC theater scene—this time through a powerful Deaf BIPOC lens,” said VOCA Artistic Director Michelle Banks. “This reimagined production will celebrate our culture and community by presenting the show in a fully bilingual format, blending Spoken English and American Sign Language (ASL). It’s more than a performance; it’s a communal experience that centers Deaf artistry, intersectional identity, and the brilliance of Black and queer expression.”
Casting includes Gabriel Silva as Usher; Tyler “T” Lang as Voice of Usher; Mervin Primeaux O’Bryant as Thought 1; ELLISON K. as Thought 2; Malik Paris as Thought 3; Damien DeShaun Smith as Thought 4; as Wade Green Thought 5; Jeremy Rashad Brown as Thought 6; Voice of Usher understudy Deimoni Brewington, deaf swing Elbert Joseph, and hearing swing Terrence Berry.
Additional Production Team for A Strange Loop features director of artistic sign language (DASL) by Kailyn Aaron-Lozano, music direction by Walter “Bobby” McCoy, set design by Jessica Trementozzi, costumes by Isabelle Fields, lighting design by Helen Garcia-Anton, projection design by Julian Kelley, sound design by Kevin Alexander, caption design by Andres Poch, and intimacy direction by Emily Sucher.
Originally produced Off-Broadway in 2019, A Strange Loop premiered on Broadway in April 2022 winning Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical at the 75th Tony Awards. A Strange Loop follows Usher a Black queer man writing a musical about a Black queer man writing a musical. The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is renowned for its raw, incisive humor and its deep dive into identity, self-perception, and artistic struggle.
“This collaborative partnership is a significant opportunity for us to elevate the representation and raise awareness of the talents of Black Deaf individuals in musical theater,” agreed Banks and DAT Artistic Director Dr. Brian Cheslik.
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