Washington DC

Howard Community College Arts Collective’s ‘The Return of Hallowscream’ at HCC Smith Theatre THIS Friday, October 28TH at 8 PM by Susan Kramer

Arts Collective @ HCC’s “The Return of Hallowscream” – Improv Actors and Writers Take On Everyone’s Favorite Scary Holiday on Friday, October 28, 2016 Arts Collective’s “What Improv Group?!?!”...

Review: ‘A Party To Murder’ at The Little Theatre of Alexandria

A Party to Murder, which opened last night at Little Theatre of Alexandria, is in the style of many Agatha Christie mysteries. Early on in the first act, one of the characters in the play even makes a...

Review: The Romantics III: ‘Schumann & Heine’ at The In series at Source

Close your eyes for just a moment. Imagine that you are comfortably seated in an elegant, yet commodious room, filled with people who have come to share—no, not the latest election scuttlebutt; but...

Magic Time! Mike Daisey on Playing ‘The Trump Card’ in the Turbulence of Trump

You might say The Trump Card keeps getting dealt one new hand after another. Since Mike Daisey’s monologue played to acclaim in August at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Donald Trump’s campaign for...

Review: ‘Opera Magic: Highlights from Eugene Onegin’ at the Russian Chamber Art Society

Weaving together the strands of a full opera in a concert setting has to be one of the biggest challenges around for presenters and audiences. Over the past year the Washington area has seen such...

Review: ‘Beertown’ at dog & pony dc at Thurgood Marshall Center for Service & Heritage

I’d never been to Beertown, though I knew it by reputation as a must-visit burg. Folks had told me of this storied hamlet in the heartland where the local citizenry gather every five years to remember...

Review: ‘Rameau’s Nephew’ at Spooky Action Theater

An intellectually manic world, propelled by a charming, whimsical disrupter with an abundance of prickly opinions aimed at the cultural elite, awaits audiences at Spooky Action Theater. It is Rameau’s...

Review: ‘Hamlet’ at Compass Rose Theater

Compass Rose Theater’s production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, directed by Lucinda Merry-Browne, is subtle and restrained, yet powerful. Wonderful acting and directing meet creative use of...

Review: ‘Bat Boy: The Musical’ at Prince William Little Theatre

I was elated after watching Prince William Little Theatre’s Bat Boy: The Musical at Hylton Performing Arts Center. With story and book written by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, music and lyrics by...

Review: ‘The Best Haunted House Ever’ at Encore Stage & Studio

The Best Haunted House Ever, written by Houston playwright Pat Cook, depicts two groups of high school students, one from Jenkins High and the other from Hoover High, who visit the former residence of...

Review #2: ‘An Evening with Chris Botti’ at Strathmore

World-renowned, Grammy Award-winning trumpet superstar Chris Botti returned to Bethesda’s Strathmore Music Center Thursday night to serenade a packed crowd to an elegantly enlivening evening of...

Review: ‘Pride and Prejudice’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse

If you want to see a thoroughly charming romantic comedy, visit the Laurel Mill Playhouse for their lovely production of Pride and Prejudice. Based on the legendary Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, Pride and...

The Suzanne Farrell Ballet: All-Balanchine Program at The Kennedy Center

Original works of George Balanchine drift onto The John F. Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower stage by The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Under the direction of Suzanne Farrell, who was once the protégé of George...

Review: ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ at American University

A funny thing happens on the way out of American University’s fabulous new production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. You find yourself humming along to “Comedy Tonight” or tapping...

Review: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Gallaudet University’s Theater and Dance Program

Like a gift that keeps on giving, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream keeps on rekindling. Dreamer after dreamer reconceives it as if anew. And last night that classic spark reignited at Gallaudet...

Review: ’43 1/2: The Greatest Deaths of Shakespeare’s Tragedies’ at the Logan Fringe Arts Space

Five actors, a stage manager, an audience, and a lot of blood. Nu Sass Productions has remounted its 2013 Capital Fringe hit, complete with gags and cornball and puppets. The pace might not be up to...

Review: ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ at the Colonial Players of Annapolis

The Colonial Players of Annapolis’ Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, directed by Craig Allen Mummey and written by the late Edward Albee, brings the audience on a journey through the breakdown of two...

Review: ‘night, Mother’ at Dominion Stage

Depression can be a tricky state; while it entails some sadness, the marker of depression goes beyond sadness. Indeed, it is a mental state that involves many other elements such as hopelessness,...

Review: ‘Stupid Fucking Bird’ at Silver Spring Stage

Stupid Fucking Bird is Aaron Posner’s inspired and irreverent takeoff on Anton Chekhov’s 19th Century play The Seagull. Stupid Fucking Bird follows the plotline of its predecessor, while...

City of Gaithersburg’s ‘Singer Songwriter Series’ Presents ‘Cruz Contreras’ Tomorrow, Saturday, October 22nd at 7:30pm

Gaithersburg, Maryland’s Arts on the Green invites you to experience the music of Cruz Contreras on Saturday, October 22, 2016, as part of the City of Gaithersburg Singer Songwriter Concert Series...

Review: ‘An Evening with Chris Botti’ at Strathmore

Chris Botti and his Band know how to rock a house. “There are a few things that make us different from other bands,” announced popular trumpeter Chris Botti from the stage in the concert hall at The...

Arena Stage Holds an Open Reading of Zelda Fichandler’s Words This Sunday, October 23th from 2:00-7:00 p.m. and a Public Memorial Service This Monday, October 24th at 2:00 p.m.

Open reading of her words on Sunday, October 23 from 2:00-7:00 p.m. Public Memorial Service on Monday, October 24 at 2:00 p.m. Arena Stage’s Co-Founder and Founding Artistic Director Zelda Fichandler...

Come to KAT’s ‘Cabaret’: Part 5: Meet Liz Weber

In Part 5 of a series of interviews with the cast of Kensington Arts Theatre’s (KAT) Cabaret, meet Liz Weber. Where have local theatergoers seen you perform before on our local stages? What roles have...

‘Black Diamond’ by Danish Dance Theatre at The Kennedy Center

The choreographic universe Tim Rushton created for his evening-length contemporary ballet Black Diamond is made up of an engaging accretion of enticing, quirky, and oddball moments in movement. The...

Come to KAT’s ‘Cabaret’: Part 3: Meet Matt Trollinger

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of Kensington Arts Theatre’s (KAT) Cabaret, meet Matt Trollinger. Joel: Where have local theatergoers seen you perform before on our local stages?...

A Report on ‘No Word in Guyanese For Me’ at Rainbow Theatre Project

The dual intersections of tradition and the authenticity of the individual, autonomous human being compartmentalize, collide and—then —slowly merge in the Rainbow Theatre Project’s thought-provoking...

Review: Peter Frampton Raw: An Acoustic Tour at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater

It was a packed house for Peter Frampton Raw: An Acoustic Tour last night at The Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater. With excitement in the air, the crowd could not sit still ahead of the show, and...

Meet the Cast of ‘Postmortem’ at Montgomery Playhouse: Part 1: Gemma Davimes

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of The Mongomery Playhouse’s Postmortem, meet Gemma Davimes. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you perform...

Why ‘TAME.’ Enraged Me—And Why We Need Its New Shrew by Angela Kay Pirko

The first time I read through TAME., I had to walk away from my computer. TAME. had been described to me not as a reinterpretation but rather as a reimagining of The Taming of the Shrew—a play I have...

‘An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe’ This Thursday, October 20th at 1 PM and 8 PM at Gaithersburg Arts Barn

AN EVENING WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE Adapted by Robert Mason and Lindsay Price AN EVENING WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE ONE DAY ONLY! TWO PERFORMANCES! THURSDAY OCTOBER 20, 2016, at 1 and 8 PM Just in time for...

Review: ‘Witch’ at Convergence Theatre at Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint

Whatever your choice in Hallowe’en fare, Witch—an adaptation of a Jacobean melodrama now having its world premiere at The Mead Theatre Lab—has it all. There’s murder, mayhem, and blood on the...

Review: The Second City’s ‘Unelectable You’ at The Kennedy Center

Billed as “The Second City’s Completely Unbiased Political Revue,” Unelectable You—now in the middle of a four month pre-election national tour—paused in Washington, DC last weekend for a stop at The...

Review: ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat’ at UrbanArias

Oliver Sacks’ non-fiction book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, consists of a series of neurological case studies. Each study examines one of Sacks’ patients, each of whom is suffering from...

Review: ‘Bloody Poetry’ at The Catholic University of America

So far as I can tell, The Catholic University of America’s Drama Department turns out a lot of local talent. I keep seeing mentions of it in program bios around town. Must be something good going on...

Review: ‘Wild Lines: Jane Ira Bloom Plays Emily Dickinson’ at the KC Jazz Club

There is nothing quite like “a vast morsel.” When Jane Ira Bloom plays her soprano saxophone, her wiry body jutting and jagging to the notes popping out of her horn, vastness of her petite frame...

Review: ‘Kiss’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

I go to see live theatre for a lot of reasons. I go to laugh and to be moved, to feel excitement or empathy, to be entertained in a way that just isn’t possible with podcasts or Netflix. I also go...

Magic Time! ‘Kiss’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Kiss is a work to be reckoned with. Its power and importance, its comedic wit and caustic intelligence, make it a major theatrical event of the season. For anyone who prefers shows to have substance...

Review: ‘The Summit: The Manhattan Transfer Meets Take 6’ at The Music Center at Strathmore

The Summit: The Manhattan Tranfer Meets Take 6 was an explosion, in gale wind proportions, of musical enjoyment, creative genius, vocal excellence and a boatload of fun as these two renowned, Grammy...

Review: ‘The Wizard of Oz: Young Performers’ Edition’ at Kensington Arts Theatre-2nd Stage

Kensington Arts Theatre-2nd Stage’s production of The Wizard of Oz Young Performers’ Edition is up and running at the Kentlands Arts Barn. A great way to while away a few hours with your kids on an...

Review: ‘Twelfth Night’ at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

Annapolis Shakespeare Company’s visually and musically stunning production of Twelfth Night is a creative resetting of Shakespeare’s play. Set in 1929 Hollywood, it is a loving tribute to the romantic...

Review: ‘POTUS Among Us’ at Washington Improv Theater

A quick but firm handshake, a genuine embrace, a passing glance to own the room and most of all a nudge, wink and leaning in to make me feel welcome; I have met my first candidate and I haven’t even...

Review: ‘Cirque Spooktacular’ at The Kennedy Center

Like The Nutcracker at Christmastime, Cirque Spooktacular, the NSO Pops’ Cirque de la Symphonie Halloween Extravaganza, is bound to become a seasonal tradition at The John F. Kennedy Center for the...

Review: ‘Wonder of the World’ at Howard Community College Theatre Program

Wonder of the World by David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Bill Gillett and presented by Howard Community College Theatre Program, opened last night. The thundering Niagara Falls serves as a perfect...

Review: ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater

Kathleen Turner is back at Arena Stage, and that is always good news for Washington theater-goers. Having starred in Mother Courage and her Children, and Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly...

Review: ‘Speech and Debate’ at George Washington University Department of Theatre and Dance

“Why can’t we talk about anything real in school?” The question is posed by Solomon, a nerdy high school student and wannabe journalist, whose teacher has forbidden him to report on the topic he wants...

Review: ‘¡Viva Cesar, Viva Kennedy!’ Featuring Eugenia León and La Santa Cecilia at The Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater

It is Hispanic Heritage Month at The Kennedy Center; as soon as you enter you can feel there is something different in the air. As soon as you enter you are greeted with some powerful artwork...

A Celebration of Life for Zelda Fichandler This Sunday October 23rd From 2-7 PM and Monday, October 24th From 2-4 PM at Arena Stage

ARENA STAGE AND THE FICHANDLER FAMILY HOST A CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR ZELDA FICHANDLER AT THE MEAD CENTER FOR AMERICAN THEATER Open reading of her words on Sunday, October 23 from 2:00-7:00 p.m. Public...

Rick Foucheux, Veteran DC Actor, Talks About Giving Back for Quotidian Theatre’s ‘HUGHIE’ Benefit Performance on October 30th at 7 PM

It’s an act of love and giving back. Rick Foucheux, veteran actor and esteemed member of the DC theater community, is taking to the Quotidian Theatre Company stage in Bethesda to reprise his iconic,...

WAPAVA Presents Its List of 2015-16 Season Archives 50 Productions from Washington, DC Area Theaters Preserved

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...

A Preview of Colonial Players of Annapolis’ ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’? by Director Craig Mummey

Colonial Players of Annapolis may be in its 68th season, but the production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opening October 21, 2016, will be its first regular season production from the Edward...