Aleshea Harris's What to Send Up When It Goes Down to Play BAM This Summer

BAM and Playwrights Horizons have announced that their co-presentation of Aleshea Harris's What to Send Up When It Goes Down, directed by Whitney White for the Movement Theatre Company, will perform a limited run at the Fishman Space at BAM Fisher this summer. The play was originally scheduled to take place at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, but the move indoors in light of an improved health situation will allow for an expanded playing schedule while allowing more patrons to attend. The show begins previews on June 20, with an opening night on June 27. It will run through July 11.

Billed as a play/pageant/ritual/home-going/celebration, What to Send Up When It Goes Down bears witness to the physical and spiritual deaths of Black people as a result of racist violence. Setting out to disrupt the pervasiveness of anti-Blackness and acknowledge the inherent value of Black people throughout history, this theatrical work blurs the boundaries between actors and audiences, offering a space for catharsis, discussion, reflection, and healing. This co-production will also have a staging at Playwrights Horizons in the fall.

Alana Raquel Bowers, Rachel Christopher, Ugo Chukwu, Kalyne Coleman, Denise Manning, Javon Q. Minter, and Beau Thom star in the production, which will feature scenic design by Yu-Hsuan Chen, costume design by Qween Jean, lighting design by Cha See, and sound design by Sinan Refik Zafar.