2012

‘Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You!’ at MetroStage by Doug Poms

Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You! currently in performances at MetroStage in Alexandria, Virginia, is a wonderful, winning one-man show written and performed by veteran stage and television actor,...

‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater by Amanda Gunther

The capitol-wide Eugene O’Neill Festival continues its journey with another classic presented at Arena Stage. This time be prepared to enter a day in the life of the Tyrone Family in O’Neill’s Long...

Judyisms: ‘The Seagull’ by Judy Stadt

Having acted in more than eighty plays, there are so many funny “happenings” that can take place during the run of a show that become the future tales one remembers when they are old and grey … like...

Parallel Exit Physical Comedy Presents ‘Exit Stage Left’ Tomorrow Saturday April 7th

Parallel Exit Physical Comedy Theatre has made an international name for itself while bringing its unique brand of physical comedy to festivals around the world. Following in the footsteps of Buster...

An Interview with Playwright and Novelist Jessica McHugh by Teresa McCormick Ertel

Teresa: You and I met just before the opening of your first play, Fools Call It Fate, which is a psychological drama about destiny and choices. How did seeing your work live on stage impact you...

‘Late Night Comic’ plays through this Saturday at JBK Theatre at Frederick Community College

Theatre FCC is proud to present the musical Late Nite Comic, the first production of this show since it closed on Broadway almost 25 years ago. Written by Allan Knee with music and lyrics by Brian...

‘Memphis’ at Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center by Amanda Gunther

Coming to you live from the center of your radio dial – the most sensational show hot off Broadway to hit your Hippodrome Theatre stage – Broadway Across America presents Memphis! The winner of four...

Kyle Carter: From Woodbridge, VA to Washington Heights in ‘In the Heights’ by Joel Markowitz

I was talking to my friend Kenny a few weeks ago and he told me about a co-worker named Grace whose son Kyle Carter was in the tour of In the Heights. Since In the Heights is one of my all-time...

‘Strange Interlude’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company by Simon Chin

Eugene O’Neill, as Stephen Sondheim has written, was an experimental playwright whose theatrical ambition soared far above his literary accomplishment, which often remained earthbound. Strange...

‘Red Riding Hood: A New Fable’ at Olney Theatre Center by Amanda Gunther

Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go as The Olney Theatre Center presents Red Riding Hood: A New Fable. A rollicking twist on this classic Brothers Grimm tale, the...

‘Young Olympians and the Most Amazingly Awesome Adventure Ever!’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre by Mike Spain

The fun starts at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s Fun Company’s production of The Young Olympians and the Most Amazingly Awesome Adventure Ever! before we ever take our seats. The usher directs us...

‘Hopa Tropa Kukerica!’ at Ambassador Theater by Julia Exline

Under the patronage of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ambassador Theater presents Hopa Tropa Kukerica!, an authentic celebration of Bulgarian culture! Lilia Slavova wrote and directedhis...

‘Strathmore Presents: Patti LaBelle’ on Friday, March 30, 2012 by Jane Coyne

The one and only Patti LaBelle returned to The Music Center at Strathmore on Friday, March 30, 2012, where she promptly and proudly announced that she was 67 years old and “in it to win.” She wasn’t...

Interview of Fanon Hill By Teresa McCormick Ertel

Art can cross barriers of culture and race and build bridges of understanding. Fanon Hill and his partner Sam Holmes created the Black Male Identity Project – that utilizes the arts, such as painting...

On the Waterfront at American Century Theater by Eric Denver

American Century Theater (ACT) is currently producing a powerful production of On the Waterfront – about the shenanigans of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the resultant...

‘A Girl Named Destiny’ at Venus Theatre by Amanda Gunther

Genergy. noun – The study of male and female energies – gender energies – as applicable to roles presented on the stage. This concept is thoroughly explored and developed through Venus Theatre’s world...

‘Frozen’ at Rockville Little Theatre by Amanda Gunther

Humanity in its rarest form comes to light in the Rockville Little Theatre’s presentation of Frozen by Bryony Lavery. Directed by Kevin O’Connell, this play focuses on the dramatic relationship...

Erik Liberman on Playing The Baker in Centerstage’s ‘Into the Woods’ by Joel Markowitz

Erik Liberman has had a very busy year on and off the stage. When I heard he was going to play The Baker in Centerstage’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, I jumped on the opportunity...

‘The Taming of the Shrew’ at Synetic Theater by Natalie McCabe

There is a fine, fine line between loving and loathing, in the “interplay of joy and darkness,” as Director Paata Tsikurishvili, and Founding Artistic Director, and CEO of Synetic Theater so elegantly...

‘Side Man’ at 1st Stage by Julia L. Exline

1st Stage presents Side Man, a powerful play by Warren Leight about a jazz trumpeter’s insatiable passion for his music, and its destructive effect on his family. Directed by Michael Dove, this is a...

Introducing ‘Judyisms’ by Judy Stadt on DC Theater Arts

Hello Darlings! My name is Judy Stadt and I am a professional actor, vocalist, playwright, illustrator, jewelry designer … so let’s just call me an artist. So, what am I doing now? Well, I’m the...

An Interview with Justin Kiska on Directing ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ at Way Off Broadway by Teresa McCormick Ertel

Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre in Frederick, MD presents the classic tale of duality, Frank Wildhorn’s musical Jekyll & Hyde, directed by Justin Kiska. Teresa: What was your first personal exposure...

‘The Belle of Amherst’ at Bay Theatre Company by Amanda Gunther

“A word is dead when it is said,” some say. Emily Dickinson says that it just begins to live that day. And there are many words that are given great life, even a few worth tipping your hat to in The...

‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ at American University by Don Michael Mendoza

Since the regional rights were released in 2010, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – conceived by Rebecca Feldman, music and lyrics by William Finn, and a Tony Award-winning book by Rachel...

‘Hotel Cassiopeia’ at Single Carrot Theatre by Amanda Gunther

The dark creative eccentricity of shadowbox artist Joseph Cornell comes to life through Hotel Cassiopeia at Single Carrot Theatre. A play written by Charles Mee, infused with exploratory movements...

‘Shovel in the Dirt: A Grave Digger’s Musical (Replotted)’ at The EMP Collective by Amanda Gunther

Delve deep into the darkness with The Stillpointe Theatre Initiative’s production of Shovel in the Dirt: A Grave Digger’s Musical (Replotted). Hosted at the EMP Collective of Baltimore, this macabre...

‘The Flu Season’ at Nomadic Theatre at Georgetown University by Natalie McCabe

Playwright Will Eno has been described by The New York Times as “a Samuel Beckett for the Jon Stewart generation” and it is no surprise. Eno’s play, The Flu Season, produced by Nomadic Theatre, one of...

On March 31st ‘DC SWAN DAY’ Showcases Women Artists in a Series of Free Events by Pat Davis

On March 31, 135 female artists in Washington, DC will stick their necks out, stretch their wings, and plunge into SWAN Day. SWAN (Support Women in the Arts Now) Day does what theaters, publishers,...

‘The Spitfire Grill’ at Colonial Players by Amanda Gunther

The Colonial Players presents the musical version of the 1996 film The Spitfire Grill with a toe-tapping and melodic score by James Valcq, and with a book by Fred Alley. Mr. Valc and Mr. Alley also...

An Interview with ‘Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You!’ Writer and Performer Jay Alvarez by Jordan Wright

Beginning April 4th MetroStage will present Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You! – the compelling tale of one family’s escape from Cuba. The one-man drama is written, directed and performed by Jay...

Interview with Director Steven J. Satta and Actor Joseph Ritsch of Iron Crow Theatre Company’s ‘The Soldier Dreams’ by Teresa McCormick Ertel

Steven Satta Fleming is directing Daniel MacIvor’s heartbreaking and funny The Soldier Dreams at Iron Crow Theatre Company, and Steven Satta Fleming is playing Richard.The play is a poignant glimpse...

Constellation Theatre Company presents ‘The Adventures of Prince Achmed,’ with live original music by Tom Teasley on April 2, 3 and 4th by Emily Morrison

On April 2, 3 and 4, Constellation Theatre Company will venture into a new galaxy of entertainment when Helen Hayes Award recipient and nominee Tom Teasley plays a live original score to the 1926...

‘Antigone’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre by Mike Spain

Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s ( MET) presents a new world premiere adaptation of Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Antigone by MET ensemble member Reiner Prochaska. This sets Antigone against King Creon and the...

‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ at Elden Street Players by Don Michael Mendoza

David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross is a look into the lives of four real estate agents looking to do what it takes – whether it be lying, cheating, and what would eventually become a burglary – to come...

Nibble and Sips Around Town: Travel and Adventure Show in DC by Jordan Wright

The thrills and chills at the Travel and Adventure Show at the convention center last week were not from the food (a few vendors kept us from near starvation), but a myriad of exhibitors luring us to...

‘From Auditions to the Lair: Eitan Mazia on playing The Phantom of the Opera’ by Joel Markowitz

It was a night to remember when Eitan Mazia made his entrance in The Phantom of the Opera at a packed auditorium at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD, in Young Artists of America’s...

‘A View from the Bridge’ at McLean Theatre Company by Charles Miller

The McLean Theatre Company, McLean High School’s theater group, puts up Arthur Miller’s classic A View from the Bridge. Under the direction of Amy Poe, the high school cast handles the mature content...

‘Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp’ at Elden Street Players

Elden Street Players present Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, a re-imagining of the classic tale that draws inspiration from The Arabian Nights. Directors Laura Fontaine and Meredith Walker shed a...

‘Side Man’ at The Providence Players of Fairfax by Mike Spain

When I take my seat at the James Lee Community Center to see the Providence Players of Fairfax’s production of Side Man – I feel like I am sitting at Charlie’s Melody Lounge – especially when I look...

‘Cause Célèbre’ at The British Players by Amanda Gunther

A headlining murder case that electrified London in 1935 – a true murder story with all the spicy elements: a sexually frustrated middle-aged married woman, her young hot-blooded angry lover, the...

An Interview with Actress Emily Morrison by Pat Davis

Emily Love Morrison is a Washington, DC actor, who most recently performed in American Century Theater’s Little Murders, by Jules Feiffer. She offered her perspective on life as an actor in DC. Pat:...

Film Review: ‘Attenberg’ by Chris Siggins

Attenberg, directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari, stars Ariane Labed as Marina, Evangelia Randou as her best friend Bella, Vangelis Mourikis as Marina’s father Spyros, and Yorgos Lanthimos as The...

‘Blood Bound and Tongue Tied’ at Strand Theater Company by Amanda Gunther

Be prepared to bring your imagination along for the journey as Strand Theater Company of Baltimore presents Blood Bound and Tongue Tied. Directed by Lindsay Gentry, area playwright Jacqueline E....

An Interview with Constellation Theatre Company’s Allison Stockman by Pat Davis

Constellation Theatre Company is one of Washington, DC’s under-the-radar wonders. Founded in 2007, the theater company, in its intimate space at Source, has quietly been doing the big things that...

Artistic Director Kevin Finkelstein on Molotov’s ‘Julius Caesar’ by Joel Markowitz

Why would Molotov Theatre Group pick a Shakespearean classic to produce? I asked Molotov’s Artistic Director Kevin Finkelstein to fill us in. “The decision to do Shakespeare is a selfish one: in...

Strathmore Presents: ‘Ethan Bortnick and His Musical Time Machine’ by Jane Coyne

A delightful and engagingly “humble” young boy by the name of Ethan Bortnick, just eleven years old, headlined a concert at The Music Center at Strathmore on Friday, March 23, 2012. He is clearly...

‘Lend Me A Tenor’ at The Heritage Players by Amanda Gunther

It’s a thunderous orgasm of insane comedy rupturing up from the seasoned talent put on display through The Heritage Players Lend Me a Tenor. With Director Damien Gibbons at the helm, the hysterical...

Stage Write: ‘An Interview with Maryland Film Festival’s Rahne Alexander’ by Teresa McCormick Ertel

Entering its 14th year, Maryland Film Festival is an annual four-day event that takes place the first weekend of each May, presenting top-notch film and video work from all over the world, with...

‘An Adaptation of Julius Caesar’ at Molotov Theatre Group by Erica Laxson

Molotov Theatre Group presents yet another ambitious play and this time it’s Shakespeare who gets a taste of their unique French Horror flavor. Presenting a spectacularly gory adaptation of Julius...

Stage Write: ‘A Chat With Actor Johnny Alonso’ by Teresa McCormick Ertel

Actor and area native Johnny Alonso discusses with wit and candor how determination and a love for performing took him from fronting a local alt band as a teenager to an industrious career in film and...