2013

An Interview with Washington National Opera’s ‘Tristan and Isolde’s’ Alwyn Mellor by Leslie Weisman

British soprano is making her debut with the Washington National Opera in the role of Isolde in Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, sharing the role with Swedish soprano Iréne Theorin. Leslie: You’ve...

Bruce Randolph Nelson, Jonathan Brody, and Brad Aldous on Playing Groucho, Chico, and Harpo at CENTERSTAGE by Amanda Gunther

Groucho. Harpo. Chico. They are best known together as The Marx Brothers and for their madcap comedy, setting the standard by which modern comedy is now compared. This 2013/2014 season at CENTERSTAGE...

Meet The Cast of 1st Stage’s ‘The Pitmen Painters’ Part 3: Alden Michels by Joel Markowitz

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of The Pitmen Painters, we meet Alden Michels. Why did you want to become a member of the cast of this production at 1st Stage? I’ve been looking for...

‘The Václav Havel Project: Antiwords and Unveiling’ at Alliance for New Music-Theatre at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Justin Schneider

“Everything is real, especially that crate of beers.” That’s not a preface you expect to hear at the theatre, but it’s a fitting opening to The Václav Havel Project, presented by Alliance for New...

Arts Collective at HCC Kicks Off 19th Season with ‘What Improv Group?!?!’ This Friday, September 27th by Susan Kramer

ARTS COLLECTIVE at HCC announces its 19th SEASON! Kick-Off: “What Improv Group?!?!” Friday, September 27 with OUTSTANDING Special Guests! Howard Community College’s Arts Collective (AC) – Over the...

Interview with Ian Storey of ‘Tristan and Isolde’ at Washington National Opera by Leslie Weisman

British tenor Ian Storey plays Tristan in Washington National Opera’s Tristan and Isolde Leslie: You’ve performed the role of Tristan in opera houses from Berlin to Glyndebourne, under the baton of...

Meet Director Stevie Zimmerman of 1st Stage’s ‘The Pitmen Painters’ by Joel Markowitz

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of The Pitmen Painters, we meet Director Stevie Zimmerman. Joel: Why did you want to direct this show and do it at First Stage? Stevie: I had been...

‘Communicating Doors’ at Colonial Players by Amanda Gunther

I wouldn’t go through that door if I were you! It’s not simply a case of ending up in an adjoining room or storage closet, not at Colonial Players as they open their 65th season with Alan Ayckbourn’s...

‘Durang Durang’ at Fells Point Corner Theatre by Amanda Gunther

It’s certainly one for the books. Six books in fact, well six plays, anyhow. Fells Point Corner Theatre kicks off the 2013/2014 season with Christopher Durang’s Durang Durang, six of his short plays...

‘Measure for Measure’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company by John Harding

Director Jonathan Munby has set his fabulous new staging of Measure for Measure in a fanciful 1930s, pre-war Vienna. But it could as well be taking place in any society where the prevailing moral...

‘The Baltimore Waltz’ at Silver Spring Stage by Amanda Gunther

It is a common misconception that there are five stages of grief that a person can cycle through when coming to terms with something as severe as a terminal illness. Denial, anger, bargaining,...

‘Antiwords’ Inspired by Václav Havel’s ‘Audience’ by Eliza Anna Falk

Antiwords inspired by Václav Havel’s ‘Audience’ Havel’s ultimate goal as a playwright was to appeal to his spectators, to provoke them into self-reflection and encourage them to change. His main...

‘A Storyteller Comes to Silver Spring for a House Concert’ By Ellouise Schoettler

Several years ago when Silver Spring, MD story-lover Laura Hagmann was driving back from the annual October National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, she realized she wanted more...

Behind the Barricade at Toby’s: Part 5—An Interview with Jeffrey Shankle (Marius) by Amanda Gunther

Continuing on in the ‘Behind the Barricade at Toby’s’ interview series, I sat down with veteran actor Jeffrey Shankle to discuss the role of Marius. Find out what it’s like for the lovesick ingenue of...

‘Goodnight Moon’ at Adventure Theatre MTC by Julia L. Exline

Adventure Theatre MTC brings Margaret Wise Brown’s beloved story to the stage in the musical version of Goodnight Moon, directed by Roberta Gasbarre, with Book, Music & Lyrics by Chad Henry, and...

Film Review: ‘Thanks for Sharing’ by Leslie Weisman

“Thanks for sharing,” most commonly considered a wry reply to one who’s just told you something you really didn’t need to know, is both apropos and perplexing as a title for a film whose characters...

Baltimore Symphony at Strathmore: ‘Scheherazade & 1812 Overture’ by Jane Coyne

Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra were given a rock star welcome by a packed house of devoted fans as they returned home to the Music Center at Strathmore on Saturday to perform their...

A Report on ‘A Fire in Water’ at Silver Finch Arts Collective’ by Terry Byrne

A Fire in Water, a modern, one-act chamber opera in Silver Finch Arts Collective’s cooker, has all the elements of a masterwork: timeless themes of love and war, a stunning score by Terrance Johns and...

‘Maria Schneider Orchestra’ at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Lisa Driscoll

In a night filled with everything from big band charts to accordion-led ballads,

‘The Pitmen Painters’ at 1st Stage by Julia L. Exline

“Why do we assume that the educated and privileged have more to say than anyone else?” 1st Stage presents The Pitmen Painters, a fascinating true story written by famed writer Lee Hall about...

‘Time Stands Still’ at McLean Community Players by Terry Byrne

As a working journalist who had spent the day sorting through graphic photos of a terror attack on shoppers in Kenya, I was in the right frame of mind to take in a performance of the Tony Award...

Meet The Cast of 1st Stage’s ‘The Pitmen Painters’ Part 2: MiRan Powell by Joel Markowitz

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the cast of The Pitmen Painters, we meet MiRan Powell. Joel: Why did you want to become a member of the cast of this production at 1st Stage? MiRan: I didn’t...

‘Peter Nero: Classic Connections’ at Hylton Performing Arts Center by Keith Tittermary

When I was about 11 years old, I saw the talented and comedic Victor Borge perform at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. I wasn’t there to see him, though, I went to see Ann Jillian sing, and he...

‘The Nerd’ Kicks Off Rockville Little Theatre’s 2013-2014 Season on September 27th by Ken Kemp

Rockville Little Theatre opens its 65th season with Larry Shue’s outrageous comedy The Nerd, at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre from September 27th through October 26th. Produced by David Levin,...

‘That Kind of Girl’ and ‘Gretel’ at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Ramona Harper

That Kind of Girl That Kind of Girl delves deeply below the emotional surface in an innovative stream of creative consciousness that examines gender equality as it flows vignette to vignette in an...

Nibbles and Sips Around Town: ‘The Art of the Fruit Tart’ by Cary Pollak

Those of you who have enjoyed summertime performances at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts here in the Washington, DC area know that enjoying a picnic on the lawn before the show is...

Shakespeare Theatre Company Reaches Lansburgh Theatre Agreement

According to Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Managing Director Chris Jennings, an agreement has been reached that ensures that they will continue to occupy their longtime home in the Lansburgh Theatre....

‘The Velocity of Autumn’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater by John Stoltenberg

For $64,000, the funny thing about aging is…? Funny like strange or funny like—? Like LOL. Oh, okay, lemme think. [Thinks a long time; lame music plays.] Haven’t got all day. Please, I need more time!...

Meet The Cast of 1st Stage’s ‘The Pitmen Painters’ Part 1: James Miller

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of The Pitmen Painters, we meet James Miller. Joel: Why did you want to become a member of the cast of this production at 1st Stage? James: The script...

‘Anda Union: The Wind Horse’ at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Tiffany Draut

A little bit of Mongolia came to College Park on Friday, September 20, 2013, as the group Anda Union performed their concert The Wind Horse at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the...

Filichia on Friday: ‘Trinity Repertory is Golden’ by Peter Filichia

Here is a new article from Peter Filichia’s column on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday.’ It’s an honor to bring Peter’s column every week to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. This week: Trinity...

Judges Wanted for ‘The Challenging Voice Competition’ Sat 9/28 @1:30 PM

To raise money to support its mission to end homelessness, Wesley Housing is hosting the Challenge Voice Competition. It is at Cameron Run Park in Alexandria next Saturday afternoon, Sept. 28th, from...

‘Pet Shop Boys’ at The Music Center at Strathmore by Marlene Hall

Before there was Daft Punk, Deadmau5, and Paul van Dyk, there was The Pet Shop Boys. Last night the Pet Shop Boys, lead singer Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe turned Strathmore into a fashion...

‘NSO Pops: Cirque de la Symphonie’ at The Kennedy Center by Justin Schneider

One of my favorite things about attending shows at The Kennedy Center is how helpful the ushers are. In this case, they helped me pick my jaw up off the floor. Cirque de la Symphonie, the first...

An Interview with the Director and Cast Members of Silver Spring Stage’s ‘The Baltimore Waltz’ by Lennie Magida

Bob Scott says that when he first read The Baltimore Waltz, “it shouted, ‘Direct this one, Bob!’” Scott heeded that inner voice, and now he’s directing Waltz as it opens the Silver Spring Stage...

‘Closer Than Ever’ at Being Revived by Amanda Gunther

True to the company’s namesake, Being Revived is presenting a musical that you definitely may have missed. Having just one run in 1989 and critically acclaimed revival Off-Broadway just last year...

‘Stop Kiss’ at Peter’s Alley Theatre Productions by Amanda Gunther

All it takes is one kiss; a moment that can forever change your life for better or for worse. Peter’s Alley Theatre Productions starts off their season with a very poignant and moving drama that...

‘The Velocity of Autumn’ at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater by Nicole Cusick

With the stage in total darkness the house is consumed with loud noises of a storm and sirens evoking a very chaotic state. It last for about a minute, just enough to make your heart begin to race,...

Dallas Tolentino on Playing Dorian Gray at Synetic Theater by Joel Markowitz

As he is preparing to star as Dorian Gray at Synetic Theater, Dallas Tolentino takes us behind the scenes of preparing for his role. Joel: Why did you want to play the role of Dorian Gray? Dallas: The...

First Act at Act Two @ Levine Tomorrow – Thursday, September 19th From 7-9 PM

We still have a few spots available to audition Thursday evening for Act Two @ Levine‘s new First Act program for middle school students. Sign up for your audition today! First Act (Middle School...

Auditions for YAA’s ‘Showboat’ on Tuesday 9/24 and Saturday 9/28

Young Artists of America is holding auditions for their upcoming production of SHOW BOAT in Concert on: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 from 7:00 pm-9:30 pm and Saturday, September 28, 2013 from 11 am to...

Two More Saturdays to See Storytellers Anne Thomas and John Donvan by Ellouise Schoettler

SOLO SERIES Double Feature – Two more Saturdays to see this Outstanding Performance by two Fine Storytellers. (For Adults). SpeakeasyDC, the leading storytelling organization in the DC area,...

Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition Finals & All-Star Gala Concert at The Kennedy Center by Francine Schwartz

On Monday, September 16, 2013, the Finals of this year’s Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition took place at The Kennedy Center. This famous event is not only an opportunity to hear some of...

‘War of the Worlds’ Begins Performances at Sandy Spring Theatre Group at Arts Barn October 11th by Mara Bayewitz

Sandy Spring Theatre Group (SSTG) and The Gaithersburg Arts Barn present War of the Worlds and When Welles Collide, a two-part radio play Directed by: David Dossey *PERFORMANCES: October 11th – 27th,...

Helen Hayes ‘Makeover’ Announced – Now We Have ‘Helen’ and ‘Hayes’ Nominations And you will Still Win the Helen Hayes Award

If you were ‘split’ on how you wanted the Helen Hayes Awards to look in the future-then you will be pleased to hear that there are now ‘Helen’ and ‘Hayes’ nominations leading to winning the ‘Helen...

‘Art’ at Dignity Players by Amanda Gunther

A difference in opinion is nothing to stake a friendship on, and certainly nothing to lose one over, though it would seem that three long-time friends find themselves in exactly such a predicament as...

‘A Young Lady of Property’ at Rep Stage by Sydney-Chanele Dawkins

In Rep Stage’s first show of its 21st season, the setting is Late Spring, 1925. The journey to a small, nondescript Texas town unexpectedly seduces audiences with the compelling people of Harrison,...

‘The Marriage of Maria Braun’ at SCENA Theatre by Emily Cao

“My time is just beginning.” Truer words have never been spoken by any character. Maria Braun’s straightforward declaration is the essence of Robert McNamara’s The Marriage of Maria Braun at SCENA...

‘Come Blow Your Horn’ at The American Century Theater by Francine Schwartz

The American Century Theater (TACT) has an ambitious portfolio of theater performances, defined by their mission statement as presenting the classics of the 20th Century. The last play I reviewed here...

15 Pairs of FREE Tickets Offered for Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company’s Festival of Indian Dance & Arts by Daniel Phoenix SIngh

Win FREE tickets to the Festival of Indian Dance and Arts in Washington DC Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company is giving away 25 pairs of tickets to the Fall Festival of Indian Dance, which...