Washington, D.C., April 26, 2011 – What is Swampoodle? Is it a rundown part of town where the Beatles sang and the girls screamed? An underground ghetto where the Irish fought and died? A beat-up urban Cathedral where Malcolm X lectured the Nazis and Nureyev danced? There’s only one way to find out!
Swampoodle, a play exploring the NoMa neighborhood’s intriguing history, debuts at the historic Uline arena May 21. Swampoodle is a daring and innovative look into the past, a tailor-made spectacle created by The Performance Corporation and Solas Nua, both Irish arts and theatre organizations. Purchase tickets.
Uline Arena hosted The Beatles’ first-ever North American concert and witnessed dozens of historic sporting, entertainment and political events, like Malcolm X’s address to an audience that included the leader of the American Nazi party. The arena is located on the site of DC’s forgotten Irish-American shantytown, Swampoodle, which now comprises much of the rapidly growing NoMa neighborhood. The show combines the glamour of old-school show biz with the grit of an Irish ghetto to create a fantastic adventure. Warning: Swampoodle may contain eye-popping high-wire feats, roller derby smack-downs, big-track earthmovers, brass band music and scenes of a spectacular nature.
Purchase Tickets:
http://swampoodledc.com/boxoffice.html
Swampoodle Dates:
Preview: May 20, 8:30 pm
Show Dates: May 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 8:30 pm
Location:
Uline Arena, Corner of M Street, NE and Delaware Avenue, NE
Metro: New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U, Red Line
Cast and Crew:
Cast: Clare Barrett, Rachel Beauregard, MJ Casey, Chris Dinolfo, Judith Ingber, Maya Jackson, Jason McCool, Adrienne Nelson, Stephanie Roswell, Karl Quinn, Anastasia Wilson.
Written by Tom Swift
Directed by Jo Mangan
Production Design by Ciaran Bagnall
Costume Design by Niamh Lunny
Lighting Design by Marianne Meadows
Swampoodle is supported by Culture Ireland’s Imagine Ireland season. Imagine Ireland is a year-long season of Irish arts in America in 2011, an initiative of Culture Ireland, with funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. www.imagineireland.ie
About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood north of Union Station and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In the last five years, private developers have invested more than $3 billion in the 35-block area covered by the NoMa BID, and have plans to develop more than 20 million square feet of office, residential, hotel, and retail space. In 2010, more than 6,000 people moved into NoMa to live or work; and eight new retailers opened for business. NoMa has 15 modes of transportation, including two Red Line Metro stops, and the best biking facilities in DC, with the only East Coast Bikestation, the 8-mile Met Branch Trail, and six Capital Bikeshare stations. For more information about NoMa, visit nomabid.wpengine.com and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter @NoMaBID; or Facebook at www.facebook.com/nomabid.
###