RED BIKE By Caridad Svich Makes DC Premiere As Multi-Site Community Celebration

Pan Underground will produce RED BIKE by Caridad Svich, as part of a multi-site installation, premiering first in Anacostia on October 24, followed by The Parks at Walter Reed on November 6.

Caridad Svich's RED BIKE is a play about being a child, growing up in small town America and figuring out where you stand in a divided country. Reimagined by Pan Underground, the performance will be an immersive experience at the center of a community celebration. Part-block party, part-performance, attendees will gather safely outdoors for local vendors, music, food and community. The performance, staged on bicycle, will grow out of the celebration, made for and with DC. Audience members will be free to sit, stand or move safely through the space during the show.

RED BIKE will feature Alina Collins Maldonado, Ahmad Kamal and Bianca Lipford. Miranda Pepin will play The Child, performing on bicycle. Pete Danelski is Installation Director, Aria Velz is Audio Director and Jordan Clark Halsey is Associate Producer on the project.

"I believe RED BIKE is a play made to be in community," said playwright Caridad Svich. "When I wrote it, I wanted to create a work that would uplift communities and people that are often historically excluded from the centrality of narratives, especially people that are the "working poor" of the United States. In this case, the focus is on a child of the working poor, and how they navigate their life and try to keep hope as a political action and faith alive."

Pan Underground is committed to keeping community at the heart of RED BIKE. The production company is working closely with a broad coalition of partners, including Gearin' Up Bicycles, Upper Georgia Avenue Main Street and The Parks at Walter Reed among others, to ensure the production creates opportunities for vendors and businesses local to each neighborhood. Additional vendor and collaborator information will be announced throughout October and can be found at www.panunderground.com.

"I couldn't be happier to see the region's first production of RED BIKE actually taking place directly in DC communities," said Pan Underground Executive Producer, Pete Danelski. "Caridad's play is a call to hold on tight to who we are and what we can be, in the face of rapid change. It only feels right that its DC premiere not only celebrate but be created alongside the people that make this place home. After the past year and a half, RED BIKE is part of an effort to resist returning to the status quo within the theatre industry. Instead, we're interested in growing and diversifying audiences by engaging them in new, exciting ways."

The production schedule for RED BIKE is as follows:

October 24, 2021: PNC Parking Lot, 2020 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20020

Block Party begins at 2pm; performance begins at 3pm

November 6, 2021: The Parks at Walter Reed, 1010 Butternut St. NW, Washington, DC 20012

Block Party begins at 2pm; performance begins at 3pm

At both events, the block party will begin at 2pm, with the RED BIKE performance beginning at 3pm. Following the performance, the community celebration will continue, with the creative team, for approximately one hour.

Tickets for both the Anacostia and Walter Reed performances of RED BIKE will go on sale Saturday, September 25, 2021, and will be available through panunderground.com. Tickets will be on sale through November 6.

Health and Safety: The entire team behind the production are fully committed to creating a healthy space for all. Attendees are required to show proof of vaccination status (with physical or digital copy of your vaccination card) to attend RED BIKE. Guests may also show a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of show time. Once within the performance space, all attendees are asked to wear masks while moving around the space. Masks may be removed while seated, eating or drinking.

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