News

Update: Psalm’s Salon to feature women of color, Studio Theatre extends series

Studio Theatre‘s series of digital salons—Psalm‘s Salons at Studio—continues its exploration of equity in theater on August 20 at 5 pm with Natalie Graves Tucker, Farah Lawal Harris, and Lady Dane...

Touring artists to take CenterStage at Reston Community Center

Even as it faces the challenges of COVID-19, the Reston Community Center CenterStage has programmed a Professional Touring Artists Series that aims “to help our community reflect on how structural...

Woolly Mammoth announces next season of live shows with dates TBD

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company announces its 2020–2021 season featuring the return of a postponed production, new partnerships, a digital season, an evolution of Woolly’s subscription plan, and...

‘Black Trans Women’ online event affirms #BlackTransLivesMatter

Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, announces Black Trans Women at the Center: An Evening of Short Plays, a celebration of Black trans talent and experience coproduced by Lady Dane Figueroa...

Arena Stage announces new season to begin in January 2021

In a swift pivot, Arena Stage has recently announced an upcoming season that reflects their commitment to compelling, dynamic work packed with drama, humor, music, and first-class storytellers. The...

New study: Theatergoers are averse to returning but woke to racism

Shugoll Research, a national marketing research company in Bethesda, Maryland, has released findings from a Wave 2 online survey it conducted with 743 DC-area theatergoers about three pressing areas...

Eric Whitacre’s new virtual choral work is testament to power of community

“Human beings will go to any length necessary to find and connect with each other.” —Eric Whitacre, in a 2011 TED Talk Even anti-maskers, I suppose, are dimly aware of the heightened risks of human...

The Kennedy Center introduces multiple social impact initiatives

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has recently revealed a plan for several ongoing and long-term social impact initiatives—and the urgency and importance of this work has only grown...

Mosaic Theater announces postponements and temporary leadership change

Mosaic Theater Company has canceled its plans to open Alexandra Petri’s Inherit the Wind in August and announced suspension of its on-stage season through 2020. At the same time, Mosaic announced,...

Synetic Theater’s much-anticipated ‘The Decameron’ is now online

Paused a month ago out of respect for Black Lives Matter protests, Synetic Theatre’s much-anticipated original series The Decameron is back on the virtual boards. Each day through the end of July,...

Expert artists from 1st Stage to offer classes online

Something new and engaging is coming our way. A singular opportunity for area theatergoers who want to learn more about how theater is made: 1st Stage in Tysons is offering a Virtual Classroom. The...

‘Black Stories Matter’ live storytelling show to benefit Black Lives Matter DC

Black Stories Matter, a live online storytelling show benefiting Black Lives Matter DC, will be presented by the DMV’s Better Said Than Done on Zoom July 10, 2020. Black Stories Matter features eight...

Capital-area community theaters plan fundraising telethon

As COVID-19 continues to ravage the country, its effects on the arts have been devastating. Many organizations have turned to creative ways to raise funds in an effort to offset losses from canceled...

Rorschach Theatre to stream ‘Magic in Rough Spaces’ this weekend

Four pieces developed by Rorschach Theatre artists will be showcased in online readings this weekend, June 27 and 28, 2020, as “Magic in Rough Spaces.” Three works are brand new; one is a “bonus...

In Brave Soul Collective online debut, raw monologues about anti-Blackness

Brave Soul Collective (BSC) launches their virtual performance season Sunday, June 28, 2020, at 7 pm EST with Question Marks—an online event of raw, thought-provoking theater that addresses one...

Alden Theatre’s ‘Drive-Thru Drama’ offers family-friendly joy

The ever nimble Alden in McLean has developed a unique way to provide theatrical entertainment in this era of COVID-19. With indoor live theater on hiatus for more than three months, the Alden is set...

DMV-area organizations plan for a virtual summer camp experience

As the end dates for social-distancing recommendations keep being pushed further toward the end of the year, many DC, Maryland, and Virginia arts organizations are committing to an effort to connect...

Woolly Mammoth launches new Connectivity Core Partner Program

As the nation grapples with profound racial unrest—in addition to a global health crisis that is disproportionately affecting Black and Indigenous people—DC’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is...

DMV theaters take a knee and take a stand

Beyond mourning and outrage, these DC Metro performing arts institutions have gone on the record with commitments to make a difference and be accountable. (Last updated June 12, 2020, 3:30 pm.: added...

Solas Nua puts ‘Being Here’ on pause to address protests for racial equality

From Artistic Director Rex Daugherty June 9, 2020: Dear friends of Solas Nua, I wanted to let you know that we are pausing our production of BEING HERE to give the artists more time to make the...

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces virtual Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival

Now in its 61st year, the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, a production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, announces the festival will be presented for the first time all-digital. From June 5 to...

Lobbies closed by COVID reopen to support #BlackLivesMatter

“We call on theaters to #OpenYourLobby in support of protestors,” said the impassioned post on social media. Do not equate the property violence of protestors to the massive, state-sanctioned violence...

LA TI DO revises LA TI DOnline launch to support Black Lives Matter

LA TI DO Productions (LTD) has delayed its launch of LA TI DOnline to create space for the communities its connected to in support of focusing on Black Lives Matter protests resulting from the deaths...

Call for submissions for the first ‘Virtual Theatre Festival’ this summer

Broadway Theatre Studio, producers of the popular long-running Off-Broadway musical-mixology series The Imbible, is partnering with the iconic theater magazine Playbill to host a brand-new Virtual...

ARTSFAIRFAX announces $100,000 emergency COVID-19 grants program

ARTSFAIRFAX today announced $100,000 in available funding through the newly created Emergency Relief and Recovery Grant Program. Funding will provide critical support to Fairfax County and the Cities...

Rehearsals in PPE and other big changes to expect when theaters reopen in DC

We will open again. The COVID-19 virus will neither darken nor silence us even with the many scary unknowns before us. We know reopening for DMV theater will happen. The date may be uncertain, but...

Studio Theatre welcomes ten new commissioned artists

Building on over 40 years of producing powerful contemporary theater, Studio Theatre is embarking on the largest round of commissioning in its history. They are awarding grants to ten...

Applications now open for $500 microgrants to emerging writers and composers

A new arts program—Emergent Seed—is offering $500 microgrants and the opportunity for emerging writers and composers in the DC Metro area to have their work broadcast in virtual events. Committed to...

Signature Theatre postpones ‘Mamma Mia!’ at The Anthem until 2021

Mamma Mia! at The Anthem DC will not run June 25 – July 5, 2020 as previously scheduled. Signature Theatre has worked with our sponsors Amazon and Max Productions and our partners at The Anthem and...

Young Artists of America at Strathmore announces virtual summer camp program

Young Artists of America at Strathmore (YAA) is thrilled to announce Virtual Summer Performing Arts Intensives, an online version of their award-winning summer musical theater program. While COVID-19...

DMV-area organizations continue to cancel and postpone events due to COVID-19 pandemic

After a month of cancelations, DMV area organizations continue to postpone or cancel shows and events, as well as make changes for their 2020-2021 season. The following list reflects those...

Major-media reviewers voice worries about returning to the theater

Twice a month, Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal; Elisabeth Vincentelli, contributor to The New York Times and The New Yorker; and Peter Marks of The Washington Post get together on “3 on the...

Faction of Fools Theatre Company announces new Co-Directors

At a time when theater companies around the country must push back production schedules, their missions are amplified to plan future productions that will uplift, transform, and heal. At Faction of...

Spooky Action shifts new play readings to YouTube

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Spooky Action Theater’s New Works in Action play-reading series has been shifted to a virtual meeting space on the company’s YouTube channel. “We are excited to explore...

Adventure Theatre honors API Heritage Month with streaming special events

Though the sea of online content is deep at the moment, that’s not stopping Adventure Theatre MTC. They are diving right in with a full lineup of API Heritage Month storytimes, interviews, and digital...

When shows go on again, audiences across America will be slow to show up, says new survey.

Shugoll Research, a national marketing research company in Bethesda, Maryland, is releasing a Phase III study of theatergoers and their intent to return to the theater when it reopens after the...

Washington Performing Arts, looking ahead, sets town halls for input

With so much still unknown about the lasting effects of COVID-19 on the performing arts, the singular Washington Performing Arts (WPA) has delayed announcing its 2020–21 season until June 15, 2020....

Theater artists to envision the future in Saturday chats online from Olney

In a time when connection is more important than ever, Olney Theatre Center is revamping its Streaming Saturdays, a live online discussion series featuring the perspectives of a wide range of theater...

Brave Spirits Theatre kicks off festival of playreadings from the early English stage

Brave Spirits Theatre announces a virtual summer staged reading festival celebrating the history plays of the English early modern stage. A supplement to BST’s two-year Shakespeare’s Histories...

Pandemic Theatre launches ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ as 5-part web series

Amongst the chaos of COVID-19, another brand-new theater company has sprung up in the DC area. Pandemic Theatre, founded by local actor and theater maker Acacia Danielson, is turning to digital...

Many theatergoers in no hurry to go back to Broadway, new survey finds

Shugoll Research, a national marketing research company in Bethesda, Maryland, is releasing a new study of theatergoers and their intent to return to the theater when it reopens after the coronavirus...

IN Series produces first ever fully digital opera performance season

As performing arts organizations worldwide struggle to schedule live performance seasons in the midst of a global pandemic, DC’s IN Series leads the charge onto the digital stage by programming an...

‘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...

Mosaic Theater Company promises provocative 2020–2021 season

In the face of global crisis and economic uncertainty, Mosaic Theater Company of DC draws inspiration for its new season from a nucleus of towering yet under-appreciated figures in history. These...

Local playwrights write short scripts you can download for free

In the wake of COVID-19 theater closures, DC’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Baltimore Center Stage, Connecticut’s Long Wharf Theatre, The Public Theater of NYC, and The Repertory Theatre of St....

Meet the winners in American Pops Orchestra’s ‘Voices of Tomorrow’ competition

“What a fantastic NextGen competition, the talent was exceptional! I’m happy to say that we had an unprecedented amount of participation, both in viewers and votes. We’re committed to promoting new...

Round House Theatre premieres ‘Homebound’ web series

Round House Theatre is making streaming news with their project Homebound, a new web series bringing together DC-area playwrights, actors, and designers to explore life under stay-at-home orders in...

Quotidian Theatre Company to close, a casualty of COVID-19

Those of us in the arts are all getting used to a new normal. Unfortunately, a return to any kind of normal will not be possible for some organizations. And, sadly, it turns out that Quotidian Theatre...

Shakespeare Theatre Company hosts ‘Twelfth Night’ viewing party

Shakespeare Theatre Company invites audiences to celebrate William Shakespeare’s birthday by attending a viewing party of the National Theatre of London’s 2017 production of Twelfth Night on Thursday,...

The Pandemic Players offer a helping hand to Baltimore theaters

It is said that the best actors know how to improvise—and a group of DMV-area performers is doing just that, by forming a fully online theater company from the ashes of Baltimore live performance....