Washington DC

Avant Bard to stage August Wilson’s ‘How I Learned What I Learned’

An autobiographical solo play originally performed by Wilson himself.

‘I have to live in hope’: Tazewell Thompson gets personal

In rehearsal for August Wilson’s ‘Seven Guitars’ at Arena Stage, the renowned director opens up about the future of theater and America.

in ‘Xenos’ at Kennedy Center, Akram Khan dances to the end of the world

A rumination on identity, memory, death, life, and regeneration — a portrait of humanity captive to demons.

Fun’s in store at ‘Enchanted Bookshop Christmas’ from Encore Stage & Studio

Highly enjoyable and full of spirit, a great way for your family to kick off the holiday season.

Randy Preston crows about his songs in ‘Accoustic Rooster’ at KenCen

‘I put in as much music as I could because kids need to be exposed to as much good music as they can.’

‘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.

‘The Great Leap’ scores a solid win at Round House Theatre

Regional premiere of Lauren Yee’s play gives AAPI artists a shot.

Susan Derry’s new holiday album inspired by Creative Cauldron cabaret

Atypical tunes with lyrics to bring comfort, light, and hope at a dark time.

Fugard’s ‘My Children! My Africa!’ at WSG still speaks urgently

Washington Stage Guild revives the extraordinary play written just before the end of apartheid in South Africa.

Sterling Playmakers gets away with an entertaining ‘Catch Me If You Can’

Buckle up for a musical about one of the greatest con men of all time.

Without reservation, ‘Fully Committed’ at NextStop is a delight

The script gives an actor the opportunity for a sparkling display of comic virtuosity, and Jaclyn Young takes full advantage.

Welcome to the sound and sheer energy of ‘Rent’ at Signature Theatre

In these still difficult times, ‘Rent’ is a much-needed tonic for the soul.

GALA’s flamenco festival wraps with cathartic ‘De paso’

Sara Pérez and company stripped GALA’s theater back to bare walls and floor, to give us the authentic experience of pure flamenco.

An enjoyable ‘Enchanting Elgar’ by the National Chamber Ensemble

This beloved string ensemble returns to the stage (and screen) with ‘pomp and circumstance.’

Inside ‘Birds of North America’ at Mosaic with its cast and director

Regina Aquino, David Bryan Jackson, and Serge Seiden talk about time and its loss and life’s precious moments.

A captivating, explosive ‘Disgraced’ from Peace Mountain Theatre

The play’s challenging realities come front and center into our hearts and minds.

Olney elevates ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to new and exciting heights

A diverse, unique, and thoughtful recreation of ‘a tale as old as time.’

‘Gotta take the risks’: A Q&A with Wanda Whiteside of Live Garra Theatre

In ‘Dry Bones’ the company tells stories of citizens returning from incarceration.

Two women dress down ‘Five Women Wearing the Same Dress’

The comedy now running at Dominion Stage gets a critical look by its director and a cast member.

Plenty of laughs in pinkalicious ‘Five Women Wearing the Same Dress’

From Dominion Stage, a splendid peek into interior lives.

Enjoyable ‘Aesop’s Fables’ from Creative Cauldron’s Learning Theater

With the support of a couple of professional actors, the cast treats the audience to an evening of great family entertainment.

A fanciful and delightful ‘Cymbeline’ from Rude Mechanicals

Emphasizing the play’s fairy tale elements, Director Erin Nealer steered actors toward a wry, broadly comic style that regularly drew well-earned laughs.

At Kennedy Center, the WNO has fun being back home

In a concert called ‘Come Home: A Celebration of Return,’ the variety of styles and greatest hits was almost too much for the ear and heart to bear.

Reginald L. Douglas named Mosaic Theater artistic director

Mosaic’s mission to produce transformational art that reflects DC’s diverse voices aligns with Douglas’s vision and hope for theater.

4615 Theatre returns to stage with ‘Housewarming Theatre Festival’

Featuring six short plays, a new interactive piece, musical performances, and more, the site-specific event will run four days in December.

Opening night at GALA Hispanic Theatre’s Fuego Flamenco Festival

GALA Hispanic Theatre’s groundbreaking new season was topped off November 5, 2021, by a full-house opening of Salvador performed by Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company as part one of the two-weekend Fuego...

GMCW’s ‘Holiday Show’ to ring in a season celebrating LGBTQ+ grit

Now in its 41st year, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington returns to live performance to sing of the community’s perseverence.

Arena’s ‘Celia and Fidel’ could not be more timely: Heather Velazquez

The deliciously comic young actress, who aspires to be Castro’s comrade (and stand-in for his late mistress), talks about her role in her cousin’s play.

Alliance for New Music-Theatre to preview ‘Black Georgetown Cemeteries Project’

Event November 10 to feature music composed by 19-year-old Duke Ellington grad Ronald Walton.

Landless Theatre Company’s ‘Doyle and Debbie Show’ returns

This “toe-tapping, hysterical parody” of yesteryear’s country western stars plays one weekend only, November 12 to 14.

Solas Nua to present U.S. premieres of digital theater from Belfast

Streaming November 18–21: four new works from Prime Cut Productions, one of Ireland’s leading theater companies.

Joseph Ritsch to perform as his drag persona, Sunrize

For three nights only, a loving satire of contemporary musical theater divas created by the Rep Stage producing artistic director.

Imagination Stage’s ’10 Seconds’ to debut at MLK Library

Imagination Stage in Bethesda debuts its stage play, 10 Seconds, at a premiere event on November 18 at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street NW, Washington, DC. Honorary Chairs for the...

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.

In poetry and song, Theater Alliance’s ‘Chorus Within Her’ centers women

The performance is both a container for this period’s pain and loss and a meditation on what persists and resists.

National Chamber Ensemble gets romantic with a new season

The company’s 2021-2022 season includes masterworks that have rightfully earned their status as highlights of the classical repertoire.

A top-notch ‘On the Town’ from Rockville Musical Theatre

The show’s sights are fixed on the joy of living this day — joy that the production gives the audience abundantly.

ExPats’ prison drama ‘Pankrác ’45’ is moving and unforgettable

It is 1945. Five women share a cell in the famous Pankrác Prison in Prague. Their meeting is fictional, but the events they describe are true.

NSO creates fine embroidery with Tortelier conducting

The entire program was united in evoking pastoral landscapes and idylls.

Dad and daughter wing it in ‘Birds of North America’ at Mosaic

Climate change, human choices, and the desire to find understanding color this compelling and unique narrative.

Yan Pascal Tortelier on conducting: ‘Art and beauty enlighten, elevate and open unexpected doors’

He returns to the National Symphony Orchestra’s podium for the first time in nearly three decades.

Dominion Stage’s ‘Five Women Wearing the Same Dress’ opens Nov. 5

A biting comedy about the societal label of being “too much” that diminishes women.

Who’s getting DC theaters to do the work that undoes racism?

Among consultants working with local arts organizations to end racist and oppressive practices, Young Playwrights’ Theater is playing a leading role.

In praise of a resilient small theater: Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble

Surviving the pandemic has highlighted the importance of community.

‘N’ at Keegan sheds light on a forgotten history of racism in theater

A compelling play based on the fascinating connection between renowned white playwright Eugene O’Neill and stellar Black actor Charles Gilpin.

The National Symphony Orchestra meets its audience at The Anthem

Musicians ditched their concert dress for casual-cool wear more in tune with the industrial-chic locale.

Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE takes a soul-infused journey from mercy to grace

At Kennedy Center, a rich triptych of works with historical underpinnings of the African American experience.

A Q&A with Matthew Gardiner on his new gig at Sig

“What is important in this moment for Signature,” says its new artistic director, “is how we are creating a culture of consent going forward.”

Delightfully eerie listening in ‘A Midnight Dreary’ from We Happy Few

An entertaining audio series perfect for Halloween.

Constellation Theatre’s ‘Mysticism & Music’ goes nowhere

Despite aesthetically engaging music and an enthusiastic cast, the production does not work.