VENUS

VENUS is a cosmic dark comedy about Nicole and Beth, two women whose wildly different approaches to romance collide during a midnight date under the stars. Nicole seeks order, carefully managed dating profiles, curated surroundings, and clear exits, while Beth is impulsive and intense. Their initial attraction turns increasingly strange and frightening as romance gives way to obsession, stalking, and haunting by a woman in a red raincoat.

Written by Steve Yockey and directed by Woolly Mammoth Artistic Director Reggie D. White, the production is a National New Play Network World Premiere and launches Woolly Mammoth’s 2026–2027 season.

When: The page’s performance listing gives the run as September 10–October 4, 2026. The production information elsewhere on the page states September 9–October 4, 2026.

Showtimes: September 25 at 7:30 PM; September 26 at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM; September 27 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM; October 1 at 7:30 PM; October 2 at 7:30 PM; October 3 at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM; and October 4 at 2:00 PM.

Accessibility: The September 27, 2:00 PM performance is audio described. The October 1, 7:30 PM performance is open captioned. The October 3, 8:00 PM performance is ASL interpreted; interpreters will be positioned on the left side of the stage for audience members facing the stage.

Playwright: Steve Yockey, whose other work includes *Pluto*, *Mercury*, *Wolves*, *Afterlife*, and *Very Still & Hard to See*. He is also the creator and showrunner of HBO’s *The Flight Attendant* and Netflix’s *Dead Boy Detectives*.

Director: Reggie D. White, who became Woolly Mammoth’s Artistic Director in 2026. His directing credits include work at The Public, Atlantic Theater Company, Vineyard Theatre, Arena Stage, Indiana Repertory Theatre, and the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. He is also an actor and the author of *Fremont Ave.*, which won a Helen Hayes Award.

Cast: Kimberly Gilbert plays Beth, and Regina Aquino plays Nicole. Gilbert is a Woolly Mammoth company artist and Helen Hayes Award winner whose credits include *Marie Antoinette* at Woolly Mammoth, *Born Yesterday* at Ford’s Theatre, and *Angels in America* at Round House Theatre. Aquino is an actor, producer, director, and writer who founded Origin Stories Productions and has performed extensively on Washington-area stages, at the Kennedy Center, and at Lincoln Center.

Run time: 90 minutes, with no intermission.

Content advisory: The play contains strong language and descriptions of death, stalking, harassment, and physical violence. It also briefly mentions sexual assault, school shootings, and arson.

Reception: Reviews on the page describe the production as darkly funny, emotionally precise, and unexpected, praising the performances of Gilbert and Aquino and White’s direction.

Venue: Woolly Mammoth Theatre.

Tickets: Price not available.