Arena Stage's TURN ME LOOSE Extends Through October 21

The D.C.-area premiere of Turn Me Loose, Gretchen Law's intimate, no-holds-barred drama about the extraordinary and explosive life of Dick Gregory, will receive an additional six performances during its run at Arena Stage. Under the direction of John Gould Rubin, Turn Me Loose now plays through October 21, 2018 in the Kreeger Theater.

Turn Me Loose chronicles Gregory's rise as the first Black comedian to expose audiences to racial comedy; in confronting bigotry head-on with biting humor and charm, Gregory turned activism into an art form. Obie Award-winner and former stand-up comedian Edwin Lee Gibson portrays the comedian-activist, with John Carlin as Stand-up Comic/Emcee/Interviewer/Heckler/Cabbie.

Tickets may be purchased online at arenastage.org, by phone at 202-488-3300 or at the Sales Office at 1101 Sixth Street, SW, D.C.

Turn Me Loose is presented in association with John Legend, Get Lifted Film Company, Mike Jackson, The Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, Beth Hubbard, The Private Theatre, Eric Falkenstein, SimonSays Entertainment, Jamie Cesa and Jana Babatunde-Bey.

Turn Me Loose is generously sponsored by Beth Newburger Schwartz and Donald Wallace Jones, Dr. Betty Jean Tolbert Jones and Tracey Tolbert Jones.

ABOUT: This intimate and no-holds-barred drama chronicles Dick Gregory's rise as the first Black comedian to expose audiences to racial comedy. His comedy spared no one, including politicians, celebrities and the white supremacists who were part of his regular audience. In confronting bigotry head-on with biting humor and charm, Gregory turned his activism into an art form, risking his own safety at each performance. Turn Me Loose is an exuberant and raw tribute to Gregory's life as a civil rights activist, comic genius and unapologetic provocateur.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays and impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its seventh decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. arenastage.org

Photo by Margot Schulman