As Black History Month gets underway, it’s only fitting that a local theater has enlisted the help of students from Howard University — one of the nation’s most prestigious historically Black institutions — in its latest production.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s play The Sensational Sea-Minkettes (Feb. 4 – March 3) is a world premiere that depicts the experiences of young women at a fictional HBCU (Historically Black College or University). And Woolly has cast two understudies from Howard and brought on several interns from the school to work in the other departments this season as part of its ongoing efforts to engage with the local community and “break down silos” through collaboration.

The show centers on a group of majorettes, the name for dancers at HBCUs that have historically performed at football games and homecomings, utilizing props, impressive stunts, and multiple styles of dance. (Beyoncé’s Homecoming helped solidify their popularity, but the majorette tradition goes back nearly 60 years.)

As the Sea-Minkettes prepare for their homecoming performance, the audience gets a window into the “pressure for excellence facing young Black women and the ways in which our society fails them,” Maria Manuela Goyanes, Woolly’s artistic director, says in a statement.

It’s musical theater major Mahlet Gebreyesus’ first experience with a professional theater, says the sophomore, who was cast as an understudy for two Sea-Minkettes — a paid role. It’s been refreshing to see elements of Black culture shown so prominently on stage, she adds.

“These are my friends on this stage,” Gebreyesus says. “I see my cousins, these people I’ve grown up seeing in these roles and situations. This is a show about us.”

The play does something else unique: Written by Virginia-born playwright Vivian J.O. Barnes and directed by Taylor Reynolds, it explores the complexities of Black female friendships and sisterhood.

“It’s a Black story not centered around trauma or pain,” adds Gebreyesus. There are elements of those experiences throughout the production, she says, but the main focus is on HBCU culture. “This type of story deserves to be on a stage.”

The downtown theater and the historic university have had an informal existing relationship — through talks with students and other opportunities — for years, according to representatives from Howard and Woolly.

But while the two entities have been unofficially connected for at least a decade, it’s rare for undergraduates at Howard to get cast in a professional role at the theater. Wynter Cook, a senior in the musical theater program, was also cast as an understudy. They attend multiple rehearsals each week to prepare for the show’s run.

Meanwhile, a handful of students will intern in various departments at Woolly through the spring semester for credit, working with the set design and arts administration teams, according to Kristen Jackson, a D.C. native who has two roles at Woolly: associate artistic director and connectivity director.

“We’re really trying to expand the world of possibilities that people see when they think about a career in the theater,” Jackson says, noting that some students will get a behind-the-scenes look at fundraising and general management.

The opportunity came about after casting director Danica Rodriguez sent out a mass email to Howard’s theater department explaining the play’s concept and requesting student involvement, per Gebreyesus, the sophomore understudy.

“They made sure to establish that relationship of like, ‘We want to see y’all in the show because the show is about y’all,” says Gebreyesus, who went through a standard audition process — callbacks and everything — to land the role as understudy for “Gabby” and “Racquel.”

Given how often COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses have affected major productions in recent years, Gebreyesus says she and Cook, the other understudy, are “very prepared” for the possibility of having to fill in for the main cast members.

Howard’s involvement isn’t the play’s only local connection: The Experience Band and Show, a brass-heavy group that started by busking outside Gallery Place, recorded some of the music that plays during the show.

The run includes multiple accessibility dates, such as audio-described and open-captioned performances, mask-required performances, shows with ASL interpretation, and “blackout nights,” during which the theater invites an all-Black audience to attend. (Woolly hosted its first blackout night in 2022.)

It all goes back to Woolly’s list of guiding principles, which includes radical inclusion.

Nikkole Salter, chair of Howard’s Theatre Arts department says well-intentioned arts organizations often set out to center diversity and inclusion in their mission statements, but financing goals and other influences can make them change course. Not so at Woolly:

“Woolly Mammoth has made a concerted effort to always include community in its programming,” Salter says, “and not just in a happenstance or auxiliary way to the things they really want to do. It’s sort of central.”

The experience has already had a lasting impact on the students, who credit Howard and Woolly for treading into uncharted waters.

“I get to see myself reflected in this industry a lot more than I had prior [to coming to Howard],” Gebreyesus says. “And I love it.”