Woolly Mammoth Presents THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF STEVE JOBS, Now thru 8/5

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company remounts the monologue from Mike Daisey (creator and performer) and Jean-Michele Gregory (director), The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs from tonight, July 17–August 5, 2012.

Beginning at Woolly in 2010, this extraordinary show has played extended runs around the world to sold-out crowds and rave reviews. By examining the human price we pay for our high-tech toys, Daisey opened a Pandora's box in the world of technology and production, demanding social responsibility in the corporate sector, inspiring his audiences to action, and influencing drastic change in the corporate practices of both Apple and Foxconn, Apple's supplier in China.

Mike Daisey came under fire when the radio show This American Life retracted its episode, "Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory" for the monologue's use of dramatization, and the fabricating of some personal details in Mike's journey.

Following this recent media storm, Steve Jobs returns to Woolly this July-stronger, sharper, and more important than ever. This all-new version cuts the contested material and addresses the controversy head on, using the struggle over fact and fiction to tell an even better story that pierces the heart of our human relationship with our labor.

Says Artistic Director Howard Shalwitz: "It is rare that a work of theatre has such a direct and salutary impact on our world, as The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs. I'm proud to have played a role in bringing the show to life, and I'm equally proud to welcome it back to our theatre this summer. This summer's return engagement will be different from the earlier Woolly version in many ways, taking account of the death of Steve Jobs and the subsequent media frenzy, and the controversy unleashed following Mike's appearance on This American Life. As a result, I believe this final chapter for The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs will be the richest and most rewarding yet."

"Since the run here at Woolly last spring, a lot has happened to deepen, enrich, and yes, further complicate this remarkable work of theatre," adds Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann. "This includes the death of Steve Jobs; the national broadcast of "Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory" on This American Life and its subsequent retraction; the publication of a major exposé by The New York Times corroborating the labor abuses chronicled in the show; and finally, Apple's pledge to reform their labor practices. But lest we forget the very real circumstances that inspired Mike to create this monologue in the first place: we are just learning the details of yet another suicide at a Foxconn facility in China, this time in the southwestern province of Sichuan. Mike's work has had an enormous impact in so many ways, but this news is a reminder to me of what is truly important and how much work still remains to be done."

Tickets for The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs start at $40, and can be purchased through the Woolly Mammoth Box Office at 202-393-3939, online at www.woollymammoth.net, or in person at 641 D Street, NW (7^th & D). For directions and parking information, please visit www.woollymammoth.net.

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