Most theaters in D.C. closed their doors in March with no idea when they will reopen. And given social distancing guidelines, only one thing is certain: 鈥淭here鈥檚 no going back to what it was before,鈥� said Maria Manuela Goyanes, the artistic director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
In a conversation about the future of theater hosted by the Mosaic Theater Company, Goyanes said the company is used to scheduling a complete season of shows, with a finely tuned calendar. That鈥檚 something they can鈥檛 do for the 2020-2021 season.
鈥淭he only way to announce it was without dates, which is, like, so antithetical to what we usually do. The show has an opening night, usually. It has a closing night,鈥� she said.
But in 2020, unique times call for unique measures. In this case, Marketing Director Timmy Metzner has already been toying with an idea that seemed perfect for the pandemic world.
鈥淗e came up with this idea of the golden ticket,鈥� Goyanes said, 鈥淵ou get the Woolly experience, digital or otherwise, whenever you want, however you want, as many times as you want.鈥�
For one flat price, those who purchase , subscribers can attend or watch digitally all eight productions in the upcoming season. It gives subscribers choices on how to see the shows, and gives the theatre options of when the shows could go on.
鈥淭hat kind of flexibility means that we don鈥檛 have to announce the dates for the show until, like, four to six weeks out of the show, which means we can actually look to see what is happening on the ground, to make that decision based on the data and the COVID data,鈥� Goyanes said.
Along with the flexibility the Golden Ticket provided, it allowed her to make concrete plans for the future even with so few answers about how the months ahead will go.
鈥淚t felt important to still make commitments to artists and projects,鈥� Goyanes said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 their livelihood. 鈥�
They currently have seven shows lined up for the season, but the formats are still up in the air. Some may start digitally, then come back as a live performance later, or have to be put off until they can be done live further down the road, but the shows will go on.
According to the Woolly Mammoth Theater鈥檚 website, Season 41 will begin in fall and go through the summer of 2021. They will look to implement 鈥渁n adaptable schedule given the rolling nature of re-opening and physical distancing protocols. 鈥�
The new season includes:
鈥淗i, Are You Single?鈥� by Ryan J. Haddad
鈥淏lack Is Beautiful, But It Ain’t Always Pretty鈥� by Kareem M. Lucas
Bushwick Starr’s production of 鈥淎nimal Wisdom,鈥� created by Heather Christian
鈥淭eenage Dick鈥� by Mike Lew
鈥淲here We Belong鈥� by Madeline Sayet
Octavia E. Butler鈥檚 鈥淧arable of the Sower,鈥� created by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon
鈥淎 Strange Loop鈥�: Book, music and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson
More information about the .
