Arena Stage

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Summer 2015 Scene Stealers: Part 1

The summer of 2015 brought many Scene Stealing moments and here is Part 1 of some of our favorites. ______ Hassan Allen as Hero and Molly Janiga as Philia Singing “Lovely’ in A Funny Happened on the...

Fantastic News! ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ to Have A Spring 2016 Run At NYC’s Second Stage

Some wonderful news about the critically acclaimed production of Dear Evan Hansen now playing at Arena Stage: It’s having a Summer 2016 production at Second Stage. What a smart move to put it in a...

The March on Washington for Gun Control Presents “26 Pebbles” on Monday, August 24th at 8 PM at Arena Stage

Monday, August 24, 2015 at 8 PM At Arena Stage-In the Kogod Cradle 1101 6th St., SW in Washington, DC 20024 Price: $20. Tickets are available at the Arena Stage Sales Office, by phone 202-488-3300, or...

Mike Faist on Playing Connor in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ at Arena Stage

Mike Faist is playing Connor in the critically acclaimed production of Pasek and Paul’s Dear Evan Hansen at Arena Stage. Here we talk about his journey with the show. Joel: When did you first get the...

Magic Time!: A Love Letter to ‘Dear Evan Hansen’

Dear Dear Evan Hansen, I know it might sound odd, but this is a love letter to a musical. I saw you for the first time in my life last night, and I knew right away I had to write you to tell you it...

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ at Arena Stage

There are a lot of great shows in town this month. There’s the fan-favorite The Book of Mormon, the charming and captivating Once, the grassroots Capital Fringe Festival (which just ended)—even Lady...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #30: ‘A Family Reunion’ by Larry Blossom

Abducted and missing for fifteen years, Sarah and Joey miraculously return home to their family. Is it a cause for celebration or the beginning of a new tragedy? Raised apart in captivity, both are...

50th Anniversary: ‘RENT’ at Wildwood Summer Theatre by Rocky Nunzio

“Forget regret or life is yours to miss” seems to be the motto of Wildwood Summer Theatre. Wildwood Summer Theatre is the D.C. area’s premiere all-youth run non-profit theatre company. Wildwood was...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #22 ‘Straight Faced Lies’ by Mark Jason Williams

Straight Faced Lies: Award-winning play about a dysfunctional family Thanksgiving comes to Capital Fringe. New York Playwright Mark Jason Williams (Recovery, The Other Day) returns to Capital Fringe...

‘The Blood Quilt’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater

America used to be defined by its communities. Communities of ethnic and national identity, of urban migration, of rural affiliation, of blood and toil. Today, America is defined by its latest pop...

Magic Time!: ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater by John Stoltenberg

There is no humor in one’s own unhappiness. To be lonely and disappointed in life is not to be amused. To feel empty and over the hill is not to be tickled. Yet when we laugh at the woes and sorrows...

‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater by Michael Poandl

You really don’t need to know anything about Chekhov or his work to enjoy Arena Stage’s hilarious production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, the 2013 smash hit by comedy playwright...

Meet the Cast of ‘August: Osage County’ at The Highwood Theatre Part 7: Laura Goldberg

In Part 7 of a series of interviews with the cast of August: Osage County at The Highwood Theatre, meet Laura Goldberg. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen...

UrbanAria’s ‘Blue Viola’ at Artisphere

Feelin’ Blue? Are you a violist who’s feeling unwanted and underappreciated? Then run down to UrbanArias‘ entertaining and high-strung English sung short opera Blue Viola, and you’ll be playing more...

In The Moment: ‘The Originalist’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater

Arena’s resident playwright John Strand has developed an affectionate, quite delightfully complex, fictionalized account about Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Strand’s The Originalist has plenty...

‘The Originalist’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater

Over 2500 years ago, Aristophanes put “living” contemporary power-brokers into his comic masterpieces and then skewered them with their own foibles. The results were scandalous and provocative. Then...

Meet the Cast of ‘Nunsense’ at Wolf Pack Theatre Company: Part 4: Brigid K. Lally

In Part 4 of a series of interviews with the cast of Nunsense at Wolf Pack Theatre Company, meet Brigid K. Lally. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell us where local theatregoers may have seen you...

DC Job Fair Held at Arena Stage Tomorrow From 10 AM to 2 PM

THE D.C. JOB FAIR SPONSORED BY CHARLES ALLEN, ELISSA SILVERMAN AND ARENA STAGE AT THE MEAD CENTER FOR AMERICAN THEATER TOMORROW, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015 FROM 10:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M. Driven by the...

‘King Hedley II’ at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater

Make no mistake about it. August Wilson is one of America’s greatest dramatists. Authentic, historically rich, and dramatically insightful — few playwrights have the gifts and the talent to create...

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater Announces Its 2015/16 Schedule

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announced its 2015/2016 Schedule. It will feature five world premieres, three musicals, three powerful dramas making regional debuts, and...

Peter Hillard, Matt Boresi, and Bob Wood of UrbanArias on ‘Blue Viola’ Playing Today and Tomorrow

Introduce yourself to our readers, and tell us the kind of work that you do. Tell us a bit about UrbanArias. Wood: UrbanArias is a five-year-old company dedicated to producing short (defined as 90...

Director of Artistic Programming at Arena Stage Robert Barry Fleming on ‘Blue Viola’ Playing Tomorrow and Sunday

Michael: Introduce yourself to our readers, and tell us the kind of work that you do. Robert: I work to realize the artistic vision and mission of Arena Stage in our practical day-to-day business and...

‘Baskerville’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater

A small, merry band of actors is taking audiences on a lively, cheery, clever lark of an evening’s entertainment. What is it? It is a sharply produced production of local playwright and multi-Tony...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2014: A Year in Dance 2014 by Lisa Traiger

My year 2014 in dance opened in January with a return of the now annually visiting Mariinsky Ballet to The Kennedy Center Opera House. Though the company brought “Swan Lake,” the company’s signature...

Spine: Feeling Blue? Escape to ‘Five Guys Named Moe’

A man staggers onto the stage at Arena’s Kreeger Theater. Nomax, played with deep loss by Kevin McAllister, has offended his girl with yet another drunken night. He sings “Early in the Morning,” an...

‘Five Guys Named Moe’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater

Who can resist the youthful, sensuous, energy of five high-stepping, superfine dudes who can sing and dance? “Jump blues” back to the rockin’ days of guys and dolls for an entertaining evening of...

Matchmaker! Matchmaker! Meet Tevye’s 5 Daughters at Arena Stage: Part 4: Hannah Corneau

In Part 4 of a series of interviews with the daughters of Tevye in Arena Stage’s Fiddler on the Roof, meet Hannah Corneau. Joel: Introduce yourself to our readers, and tell them where they may have...

Matchmaker! Matchmaker! Meet Tevye’s 5 Daughters at Arena Stage: Part 3: Shayna Blass

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the daughters of Tevye in Arena Stage’s Fiddler on the Roof, meet Shayna Blass. Joel: Introduce yourself to our readers, and tell them where they may have seen...

Spine: ‘Whose War? Our War? Their War?’

The National Civil War Project presents the work of “a multi-city, multi-year collaboration between four universities and five performing arts organizations to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the...

‘Journeys’: An Evening of Musical Theatre to Benefit Loudoun Interfaith Relief” This Saturday at 8 PM

Don’t pretend you haven’t noticed – the winds are shifting. There are pumpkin flavored things everywhere. You’ve even been forced to unearth your sweater collection from the back of your closet. The...

‘The Shoplifters’ at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater

The under-affluent of this country find small change on America’s stages: under-represented more often than not, they are the butt of jokes and edgy satires and, on DC stages, are presented as...

The Playwright’s Playground: The Playmakers CATF 2014: Director Kristin Horton Discusses Radical Love, Lessons Learned, and the Power of Community with ‘Dead & Breathing’

This Special Edition of The Playwright’s Playground continues The Playmaker Series: CATF 2014. In a series of in depth conversations, I speak with the artistic teams associated with the plays at this...

A Celebration for Jerry Manning Is Set for Monday, June 23rd at 6 PM at Arena Stage

A celebration of Jerry Manning‘s life will take place at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater on Monday, June 23 at 6:00 pm. The gathering, organized by Gary Phillips—a longtime friend...

‘Healing Wars’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wage on; in Syria, the blood still flows, as it does in Somalia and South Sudan; in Mexico, death continues to pile up bodies in the drug war, as they do in America’s...

“Yakety Yak”: Part 1: Kara-Tameika Watkins on ‘Smokey Joe’s Café’ at Arena Stage

In Part One of our series of interviews with the cast of Arena Stage’s Smokey Joe’s Café, meet Kara-Tameika Watkins. Why did you want to be a part of the cast of Smokey Joe’s Café at Arena Stage? I...

‘Smokey Joe’s Café – The Songs of Leiber and Stoller’ at Arena Stage

Arena Stage is raising the roof with a rollicking journey through the golden age of rock, rhythm, and blues with Smokey Joe’s Café – The Songs of Leiber and Stoller. Director Randy Johnson,...

‘Spamalot’ at Act Two @ Levine’s Pre-Professional Program

When Spamalot director Kevin Kuchar delivered the ubiquitous pre-show curtain speech, he emphasized a focus on process over product that serves as the foundation for the Act Two @ Levine’s...

‘The Velocity of Autumn’ at The Booth Theatre

As the curtain rises on Eric Coble’s The Velocity of Autumn, directed with much heart by Molly Smith, we find Alexandra, played by the phenomenally spunky Estelle Parsons, under “extraordinary...

From Arena Stage to The Booth: ‘The Velocity of Autumn’ Interviews: Part 2: Meet Director Molly Smith and Cast Members Estelle Parsons and Stephen Spinella

This upcoming Monday night-on April 21st-The Velocity of Autumn by Eric Coble opens on Broadway at The Booth Theatre. It’s been an exciting journey so far for the play that entertained enthusiastic...

‘Camp David’ at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater

The real President Jimmy Carter attended the premiere of Camp David—the engrossing new play by Lawrence Wright in which he is the central character—and offered up this mini-review of it in an...

From Arena Stage to The Booth: ‘The Velocity of Autumn’ Interviews: Part 1: Producers Larry Kaye and Van Dean & Playwright Eric Coble

Tonight The Velocity of Autumn by Eric Coble begins previews at The Booth Theatre. It’s been an exciting journey so far for the play that entertained enthusiastic audiences at Arena Stage. Audiences...

Here’s the Winners of 2 Pairs of Tickets to ‘Loveland’ at Arena Stage & $20 Discount Ticket Offer

Here are the winners of the two pairs of tickets to LOVELAND WINNERS: JIM CRUTCHFIELD AND DORIA KAPLAN ___ NOW PLAYING AT ARENA STAGE THROUGH APRIL 13TH. __ AND WE ARE OFFERING $20 TICKETS!! Running...

‘Loveland’ at Arena Stage

Loveland, Ann Randolph‘s self-written work playing at Arena stage follows character Frannie Potts’ journey from California to her home town of Loveland, Ohio. This one-woman show is set on plane with...

Meet the Playwrights of Arena Stage’s ‘Playwrights’ Arena’: Part 5: Heather McDonald

The Playwrights’ Arena a new play initiative developed by the American Voices New Play Institute. Centering on a small collaborative group of local playwrights dedicated to the support and development...

Tonight Through Sunday-‘Playwrights’ Arena’ Showcase’ at Arena Stage

MARCH 6 – 9, 2014 Norman Allen, Randy Baker, Jacqueline E. Lawton, Heather McDonald, Danielle Mohlman and Shawn Northrip—the six members of the inaugural Playwrights’ Arena playwriting group will...

Meet the Playwrights of Arena Stage’s ‘Playwrights’ Arena’: Part 4: Danielle Mohlman

The Playwrights’ Arena a new play initiative developed by the American Voices New Play Institute. Centering on a small collaborative group of local playwrights dedicated to the support and development...

Meet the Playwrights of Arena Stage’s ‘Playwrights’ Arena’: Part 3: Norman Allen

The Playwrights’ Arena a new play initiative developed by the American Voices New Play Institute. Centering on a small collaborative group of local playwrights dedicated to the support and development...

Meet the Playwrights of Arena Stage’s ‘Playwrights’ Arena’: Part 2: Shawn Northrip

The Playwrights’ Arena a new play initiative developed by the American Voices New Play Institute. Centering on a small collaborative group of local playwrights dedicated to the support and development...

Attending ‘The Velocity of Autumn’ Meet the Press at Sardi’s Today by Joel Markowitz

It was an exciting morning at Sardi’s as the cast, producers, and the director of The Velocity of Autumn were introduced to the NYC press. I was so thrilled to be there and to see my friends...

Arena Stage Announces its 2014-2015 Season

ARENA STAGE AT THE MEAD CENTER FOR AMERICAN THEATER ANNOUNCES ITS 65TH SEASON FEATURING FIVE WORLD PREMIERES, TWO MUSICALS, THREE COMEDIES AND A 25-WRITER COMMISSION FOR THE NATIONAL CIVIL WAR PROJECT...