Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Unveils New Partnerships With Howard University and SMYAL
The initiative expands the theatre’s Connectivity Core Partner Program in Washington, DC.
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Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company has announced two new members of its Connectivity Core Partner Program: Howard University and SMYAL. The partnerships expand the theatre’s efforts to deepen community engagement and collaboration across Washington, DC.
Launched during the 2020–2021 season, the Core Partner Program builds sustained relationships with organizations that share Woolly Mammoth’s focus on inclusion, anti-racism, social justice, and civic dialogue. The initiative connects the theatre’s national profile for producing new work with local organizations working across education, advocacy, and the arts.
The partnership with Howard University formalizes a long-standing relationship with the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, particularly the Department of Theatre Arts. The collaboration will create expanded opportunities for students through mentorship, internships, and applied professional experience at the regional theatre.
“At the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, we prepare artist-scholars to lead with both creative excellence and social responsibility,” said Raquel Monroe, Ph.D., dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. “Woolly Mammoth's bold producing ethos and commitment to civic dialogue resonate deeply with our mission. This partnership expands meaningful professional pathways for our students while strengthening the cultural ecosystem of Washington, DC.”
Professor Pat Parks, Area Coordinator for the Theatre Arts Administration Program at Howard University and a co-producer on the Broadway revival of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, said the partnership builds on years of collaboration between the two institutions.
“Our department has a longstanding relationship with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and codifying this partnership signals a deepening of our collaborative work,” Parks said. “Woolly's audacious producing lens—centered on bold, vanguard theatre that engages urgent social questions—parallels the Department of Theatre Arts' mission to nurture holistic, multi-hyphenate, and interdisciplinary creatives prepared to lead aesthetic and cultural activism on the national and global stage.”
Parks added that Woolly Mammoth’s role in developing works such as A Strange Loop provides a valuable case study for students studying producing and arts leadership.
“Students interning at Woolly gain firsthand insight into how a premiere nonprofit theatre shepherds a new work through its entire lifecycle, providing invaluable applied experience beyond the Howard University context,” Parks said.
Woolly Mammoth has also added SMYAL, a Washington-based organization supporting LGBTQ+ youth, as a new Core Partner. Founded in 1984, SMYAL provides programs focused on mental health support, housing stability, leadership development, and educational resources for young people.
Through the partnership, Woolly Mammoth and SMYAL will create opportunities for queer and trans youth to engage with theatre through storytelling, workshops, and community programming.
“SMYAL is thrilled to become a Connectivity Core Partner with Woolly Mammoth, joining forces to spark dialogue, inspire change, and create art that pushes for justice and inclusion,” said Rebecca York, Director of Youth Development and Community Engagement at SMYAL. “Together, we're opening doors for LGBTQ+ youth to explore their identities, share their experiences, and express themselves through powerful, transformative storytelling.”
With the addition of Howard University and SMYAL, Woolly Mammoth’s Connectivity Core Partner Program now includes organizations such as Black in Space, Mary Phillips, Miss Chief Rocka, Spit Dat, Strathmore, and Theatre Lab/AICA.
The theatre says the growing network reflects its goal of extending its work beyond the stage, creating programming that includes spoken word workshops, youth leadership initiatives, artist training, and community-based storytelling across the region.
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