Do you love DC-area theater, but missed seeing one of this season’s performances? Are you a theater professional and need to review the blocking or set design of a particular show? Or perhaps you are student or teacher looking to enhance your class studies by viewing one of the classic plays of our times?
The Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive (WAPAVA) has preserved and documented 50 productions from small and large theaters in the Washington, DC area this theater season and over 850 since 1993 in the James J. Taylor Collection. The Archive represents a cross-section of Washington-area theaters, from large and established (Shakespeare Theatre, Folger Theatre, Ford’s Theatre) to small and emerging (1st Stage, Creative Cauldron, Forum Theatre, Spooky Action). The James J. Taylor Collection is available and catalogued at the University of Maryland’s Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library and at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC.
Visit WAPAVA’s website to search our database of recordings in the Archive, and to plan your visit to one of the libraries to see a recorded show.
Here’s our list of archives for the 2015-16 season:
1st Stage
Floyd Collins
Productions are chosen for their historical and educational value. Premieres, unique events, community interest, and contributions of particular value by performers, directors, and/or designers are given special consideration. The WAPAVA Board of Directors decides what to record, taking into account recommendations from the WAPAVA Advisory Committee, reviews, and available financing.
This article is by Carole Bernard, Executive Director of WAPAVA.