Pride Plays Reveals D.C. Programming, With THE NORMAL HEART, Directed By Zhailon Levingston

The programming has been announced for Pride Plays 2025 in Washington, D.C., collaborating with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Pride Plays 2025 will take place during Washington, D.C's WorldPride celebration, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Pride celebrations in Washington, D.C.

Pride Plays, a festival celebrating the rich tapestry of LGBTQIA+ experiences through the power of live theater, will kick off June 3rd at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, with artists including Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart, directed by Zhailon Levingston (Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Broadway's Chicken & Biscuits), and Sylvian Oswald's PONY, directed by Will Davis (Men In Boats); as well as Arturo Luíz Soria (Ni Ni Madre), Danilo Gambini, Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, Ibi Owolabi, Jason Tseng, Emily Hartford, KJ Moran Velz, and Charlotte La Nasa.

“Bringing The Normal Heart to the Pride Plays stage alongside a slate of bold new works is a powerful reminder of our lineage,” said the Pride Plays producers and original founders. “Larry Kramer's words ignited a movement, and at a time when queer rights are once again under attack, his work reminds us of what's at stake. Uplifting this landmark play in conversation with the next generation of queer stories is exactly what Pride Plays was built for: to honor where we've been while demanding the futures we deserve.”

PONY

By Sylvan Oswald

Directed by Will Davis

Tuesday, June 3 and Thursday, June 5 at 7:30pm

On the Mainstage

When Pony, a formerly incarcerated trans guy, moves to a small rural town to start a new life, he quickly becomes entangled with its isolated community. He starts to fall for a waitress who is obsessed with a local murder; his social worker doesn't understand him; and he is pursued by a young trans man who thinks Pony could be the father he always wanted. Amid this whirlwind of fear and desire, Pony must find the strength to confront the stories he's been told about masculinity, violence, and self-worth.

THE NORMAL HEART

By Larry Kramer

Directed by Zhailon Levingston

Wednesday, June 4 and Friday, June 6 at 7:30pm

On the Mainstage

Originally published in 1985 and celebrated in a passionate and eloquent 2011 Broadway revival, this definitive edition of Larry Kramer's play features an updated version of the script, as well as notes on both the original production and the revival.

A searing drama about public and private indifference to the AIDS plague and one man's lonely fight to awaken the world to the crisis, The Normal Heart was based on Kramer's real-life experience. Produced to acclaim in New York, London and Los Angeles, the play centers on Ned Weeks, a gay activist enraged at the indifference of public officials and the gay community. While trying to save the world from itself, Ned confronts the personal toll of AIDS when his lover dies of the disease.

NOVIOS

By Arturo Luíz Soria

Directed by Danilo Gambini

Tuesday, June 3 and Thursday, June 5 at 7:30pm

In The Rehearsal Hall

A motley crew of cooks hurl insults, grab ass, and compete to be the most macho en el calor of a gringo's kitchen but, when a new dishwasher arrives rupturing the haze of machismo and sparking a love affair with Luiz, the youngest amongst them, Gallo, the head chef and guardian to Luiz, must do what she can to wrangle the men before the train goes off the rails, jeopardizing her whole operation. 

THE HOTEL/MAKEDA - A BALTIMORE CYCLE PLAY

By Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi

Directed by Ibi Owolabi

Wednesday, June 4 and Friday, June 6 at 7:30pm

In The Rehearsal Hall

Nearly a decade after World War II, Genieve Adams has made The Hotel Makeda one of Baltimore's most celebrated destinations. But, even with all of its success, family secrets, the legacy of slavery, and familiar regret threaten to tear it apart. Can Gen protect her family and her business or will she be consumed by the shifting alliances of those she holds most dear. The Hotel/ Makeda: A Baltimore Cycle Play examines a business woman's life as she navigates love, history, family, and systemic pressures and it invites us to reflect on what exactly do we mean by the American Dream. 

FEAR & WONDER

By Jason Tseng

Directed by Emily Hartford

Tuesday, June 3 and Thursday, June 5 at 7:30pm

In The Workshop Studio

In a forbidden love story, Jabez and Ryan, two boys of color, navigate a Christian summer camp together in the early 2000s. Their friendship quickly grows into a budding romance that they try to keep alive after returning home. Challenged by their parents, the hazards of landline phones, and their faith, they are forced to secrecy. Finding solace in each other and their shared love of music, theology, and Harry Potter; the reality of living in between two worlds threaten to keep them apart as they navigate their blossoming queer identities and teenage angst in their conservative faith communities.

MOTHER MARY

By KJ Moran Velz

Directed by Charlotte La Nasa

Presented Wednesday, June 4 and Friday, June 6 at 7:30pm

In The Workshop Studio

Taxi driver Jo Cruz knows the streets of Boston like the back of her hand, but no road map can prepare her for meeting Mary O'Sullivan, a Catholic school teacher with a boyfriend and a strict Irish mother. Despite rising tensions between their Irish and Puerto Rican communities, Mary and Jo start connecting over daily rides to work - sharing hot dogs, library books, and a lineage of islands under Catholic and colonial rule. But their new friendship takes a turn when Mary asks Jo to take her on a risky road trip where there's no going back. A new romcom about choice, the women who choose, and the sinners and saints that make Boston home.

Tickets are free and open to the public. You can reserve your tickets by visiting https://www.woollymammoth.net/pride-plays/.