Nicole Hertvik

A grateful farewell to our New York correspondent, Deb Miller

For nearly a decade, Deb Miller has covered New York theater for DC Theater Arts superbly. By NICOLE HERTVIK

‘Once Upon a One More Time’ is wacky but it works

The show at STC inspired by the music of Britney Spears is as thought-provoking as it is toe-tapping, as clever as it is hilarious, and a bona fide success. | Review by NICOLE HERTVIK

Nostalgia makes for a winning ‘A Christmas Story’ at Silver Spring Stage

An iconic holiday classic and a delightful trip down memory lane.

‘The Wizard of Oz: A British Pantomime’ is a delightful holiday romp

The traditionally British holiday panto meets the very American story of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ in The British Players’ delightful production.

‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ at Theater J touches us with joy and sadness

Based on the wildly popular memoir, a tender exploration of mortality and friendship.

A charming story underbaked in ‘Waitress’ at Capital One Hall

Sara Bareilles’ engaging and emotional score remains a source of joy, but this non-Equity tour is a pale shadow of its Broadway counterpart.

The comedy in Olney’s ‘Thanksgiving Play’ comes with a side of snark

Now available to stream: Playwright Larissa FastHorse’s satire about white “wokeness,” a brilliant middle finger.

Neil Simon’s ‘Rumors’ at Rockville Little Theatre is a delightful romp

For anyone with a funny bone yearning for a few hours of frothy fun.

Round House Theatre’s ‘Quixote Nuevo’ is a comedic quest at its best

A man who imagines he’s Don Quixote runs after adventure and tilts the world.

‘Hamilton’ and other shows postponed as Kennedy Center delays re-opening through August 9

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced today the postponement of all scheduled ticketed performances through August 9, 2020, due to the ongoing effects of COVID–19. The Center’s...

Artists Who Inspire! #5: Patrick Flynn

Playwright Patrick Flynn was on a roll before Coronavirus brought American theater to a standstill. His adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit, produced by Adventure Theatre MTC, earned him a 2019 Helen...

Fade to black: Coronavirus closures force local theaters to rethink their futures

This article originally appeared in the April issue of District Fray Magazine. It is reprinted here with permission. The paint was still drying on the set of Signature Theatre’s world-premiere...

Artists Who Inspire! #3: Jordan Friend

Welcome to the third installment of Artists Who Inspire! During this unprecedented shutdown of live theater, DCMTA will use this space to lift up local theater artists who are finding ways to remain...

20th annual WATCH Award winners

Announcement of Awards: 20th Annual Washington Area Theatre Community Honors (THE WATCH AWARDS) The 2019 WATCH Award winners were announced on April 4th, 2020. The ceremony was canceled due to the...

Artists Who Inspire! #2: Deb Sivigny

Welcome to the second installment of Artists Who Inspire! During this unprecedented shutdown of live theater, DCMTA will use this space to lift up local theater artists who are finding ways to remain...

Artists Who Inspire #1: Tia Shearer Bassett

Welcome to the first installment of Artists Who Inspire! During this unprecedented shutdown of live theater, DCMTA will use this space to lift up local theater artists who are finding ways to remain...

Olney Theatre Center’s ‘The Amateurs’ is a comedy of ‘epidemic’ proportions

There is nothing like a good old-fashioned plague to get you pondering life’s big questions: the Bubonic Plague, the AIDS Crisis, COVID-19, really any epidemic will do. Of course, Jordan Harrison’s...

Pulitzer Prize-winner Nilo Cruz discusses his new play ‘Exquisite Agony,’ now playing at GALA Hispanic Theatre

In a particularly poignant scene in Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz’s Exquisite Agony, a heart transplant recipient named Amer has an intimate conversation with Romy, the pregnant daughter...

Megan Hilty on her upcoming Kennedy Center concert, ‘Smash,’ and love

Football and musicals rarely overlap, but it was eight years ago this month – in the coveted slot right after the 2012 Super Bowl – that Smash, the NBC series about developing a Broadway musical,...

Rorschach’s ‘The Toxic Avenger’ is the campy musical you didn’t know you needed in your life

Poor Melvin Ferd the Third just can’t catch a break. The ladies shun him, the jocks harass him, and the pretty blind librarian he has a crush on? Well, she thinks he’s a scrawny dweeb. But don’t fret...

‘The Royale’ Director Paige Hernandez talks boxing, hip hop, and the virtue of politeness

Multidisciplinary artist Paige Hernandez is not a fan of boundaries. Whether performing, directing or teaching, the Baltimore native has made a career out of blending artistic forms and reaching...

For actor Justin Weaks, the diverse content produced in DC theaters was reason enough to move here

In his five years on DC stages, actor Justin Weaks has played an impressive array of characters written by contemporary African American playwrights. It is a dream he feared would never become reality...

‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!’ Pigeon and Driver tell us why!

Oh, that pigeon! Always causing trouble. He never wants to take a bath. He stays up past his bedtime. And now he wants to drive… a bus?! Children’s author Mo Willems continues his tenure as inaugural...

Playwright Lauren Gunderson had one stipulation when reworking ‘Peter Pan.’ The sexism and racism had to go.

When Gunderson agreed to rework ‘Peter Pan’ for Shakespeare Theatre Company, she had one stipulation: the sexism and racism had to go.

‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ at Adventure Theatre is charming holiday fare

We all want to feel loved, right? And there are times we feel forgotten. Unseen. Disposable. The classic children’s story The Velveteen Rabbit is a sentimental reminder that a child’s love can turn...

21 best bets for holiday entertainment in and around DC!

The winter holidays are a great time to see a live performance, so here is our list of best bets in holiday entertainment in and around DC. Whether you are looking for a show to enjoy with your kids,...

‘Little Red’s Most Unusual Day’ entertains at Kentlands Arts Barn

Offenbach and Rossini are not names that roll easily off most children’s tongues. Luckily for parents who are looking for a fun way to introduce their children to classical music, the work of these...

First look at the fierce performers of ‘School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play’… and their fabulous dresses

DC Theater Arts spent a day at rehearsal with the cast of Round House Theatre Company’s season opener: School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play. Not only is this play a fabulous female-centered...

Flying V Theatre: Pushing the Boundaries of Theater One Podcast Episode at a Time

Imagine a world where pop culture and high culture intersect. A world in which wrestling, comics, and gaming meld seamlessly with the performing arts, allowing people of all backgrounds to experience...

Round House Theatre Unveils Major Renovation

Round House Theatre reopened this week after an eight-month renovation that revamped nearly every aspect of the Bethesda, MD theater space. What began as a desire to improve the acoustics in the...

In ‘Aladdin,’ Iago Is The Perfect Sidekick: And No, He’s Not a Parrot Anymore

LA-based character actor Reggie De Leon brings comedic flair to the beloved Disney character Iago. ‘Aladdin’ is playing at the Kennedy Center through September 7th.

Mara Bayewitz On Playing ‘Dolley Madison, Presidentress’

How does an actor prepare to embody of of the United States’ most famous first ladies? We spoke to Mara Bayewitz about her upcoming solo turn as Dolley Madison playing at Best Medicine Rep one weekend...

Got Plans for the Tony Awards? Now You Do!

I am through being a lonely theater geek, locking myself in my bedroom and shushing non-interested family members throughout the Tony Awards broadcast! This year, I’ve decided to throw myself a party....

Photo Highlights from the 2019 Helen Hayes Ceremony!

Visual highlights from the 35th Annual Helen Hayes Awards Ceremony. A complete list of recipients can be found here. Photos of the before and after parties can be found here. All photos by Mukul...

Review: ‘Fame’ Is Full of Heart at GALA Hispanic Theatre

There is something very “meta” about Gala Hispanic Theatre’s production of Fame. See, you’ve got this group of scrappy young artists with talent, so much talent. And they are determined to show the...

Take Ten With The Creator of the ‘Take Ten’: theatreWashington’s Michael Kyrioglou

We’ve all read his columns, now get to know the person behind them! In the midst of last week’s Helen Hayes Awards-fever, I asked theatreWashington’s Michael Kyrioglou to answer some questions...

Review: Local Students Let Their Freak Flags Fly in KAT – Second Stage’s ‘Shrek the Musical, Jr.’

Sometimes, true perfection can be found where we least expect it. Whether you know it as a movie or a musical, Shrek has a pretty clear message for audiences: If you keep waiting for a perfect happy...

Helen Hayes Videos: Get To Know Your Hosts!

The 35th Annual Helen Hayes Awards are just around the corner and we couldn’t be more excited! All of DC theater in one room together, wearing fancy duds and celebrating another year of hard work and...

The Lab at Georgetown Brings Together Global Artists for ‘The Gathering’

The Lab program at Georgetown University occupies an interesting space in the DC performing arts world, existing at the intersection between art and international affairs. Georgetown’s Laboratory for...

Improvised Excellence: Matthew Morrison Brings His Signature Style to Strathmore This Weekend

Broadway fans are in for a treat as Matthew Morrison (Glee, The Light in the Piazza) and Shoshana Bean (Wicked, Waitress) will be headlining Strathmore’s Spring Gala Concert this weekend. Morrison and...

Nu Sass To Perform ‘Marx in Soho’ at Edinburgh Fringe Festival

DC-based theater company Nu Sass Productions is taking Marx in Soho to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer. Marx in Soho, by American Historian Howard Zinn, will feature Mary Myers as Karl Marx...

Amanda Gookin’s Forward Music Project at Kennedy Center’s Direct Current Festival

Amanda Gookin is a cellist, a founding member of the acclaimed music group PUBLIQuartet, and, since 2015, the founder of the Forward Music Project, which commissions new multimedia works for solo...

Report: ‘Les Misérables in Concert’ by Young Artists of America at Strathmore

Young Artists of America presented its annual concert on Saturday, March 16, performing a semi-staged concert version of Les Misérables that featured a large ensemble of performers, chorus members and...

2019 WATCH Award Winners and Ceremony Recap

The 19th Annual WATCH Awards recipients were announced tonight at a ceremony at The Birchmere in Alexandria Virginia. The ceremony was notable for two touching moments. Charles Hall, father of Leta...

Studio Acting Conservatory Announces Location for 2019-2020 Classes

The newly formed Studio Acting Conservatory has secured temporary space for its next season of classes. 2019-2020 Classes will take place in Washington, DC, at the Garnet Patterson School, directly...

Laura Benanti on Motherhood and Performing with Her Mom

There is one role that Tony Award-winner Laura Benanti cherishes above all others: Mother. The My Fair Lady star gave birth to daughter Ella Rose in 2017. “Becoming a mom changed me in every possible...

Behind the scenes with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Photo Feature)

Ever wish you could go behind the scenes at a classical music event? Here are some images from last week’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra performance at the Kennedy Center. This Dutch orchestra (they...

Studio Theatre To Close Its Acting Conservatory

Raise your hand if you studied at Studio Theatre’s Acting Conservatory? For the 10,000 plus performers whose careers started at Studio’s 43-year-old conservatory, the news that Studio would be closing...

Photo Feature: Behind the Scenes at ’19 the Musical’

In honor of last week’s Women’s March, DC Theater Arts sat in on a workshop performance of 19, a musical in development highlighting the fight to pass the 19th Amendment giving women the right to...

Local Favorite Margo Seibert Comes Home for Signature Theatre Concert

Fans of Margo Seibert – the Broadway star of Rocky and In Transit – may face some unusual competition for tickets to her upcoming concert at Signature Theatre. That’s because metro DC is no touring...