2020

How the Kennedy Center is keeping live performance alive (cautiously)

Update November 18, 2020: COVID cancelations to cost Kennedy Center over $80 million Scheduled performances through April 25 are off; Broadway musical tours are postponed; Kennedy Center Honors are...

Michael Kushner is taking his podcast series ‘Dear Multi-Hyphenate’ to the classroom

An exciting and original project is coming this Spring from Broadway multi-hyphenate Michael Kushner – a person who has multiple proficiencies, often cross-pollinating into each other to allow a full...

‘Brown Sugar Bake-Off’ festival centers Black women’s voices

When I learned that a bake-off was taking place, I instantly thought of warm apple pie and holiday-themed gourmet cookies. That’s the foodie in me. However, the Brown Sugar Bake-Off festival is a...

Affecting fall releases of ‘The Peculiar Patriot’ and ‘I Am My Own Wife’ from Audible

Recognized as an outstanding leader in audio programming and technological excellence, Audible (an Amazon company) is the world’s largest producer and provider of original spoken-word entertainment,...

Get a quick lift with ‘Elevator Pitch’ from Parallel Exit

Since closing its production of The Artist Will Be with You in a Moment mid-run at the A.R.T./New York Theatres this past March, with the coronavirus pandemic shutdown of all live performances,...

Keegan Theatre’s fall rep to stream in real time from onstage

Keegan Theatre returns to mainstage programming with a pair of productions streaming live in rep November 12 to 29, 2020. Performed from the Keegan stage, the fall repertory includes the world...

Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s ‘Dracula’ is perfectly spooky

Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s production of Dracula is the perfect Halloween show, even in these scary times. Viewing the performance outdoors, on the grass lot of the future Maryland Theatre for the...

Signature Theatre to stream concert of hits from days of ​vinyl

This week Signature Theatre releases a new cinematic concert, an inspired alternative to its pre-COVID cabarets. Titled Signature Vinyl, the fully produced, professionally filmed production features...

Eddie Perfect’s ‘Beetlejuice’ demos released by Ghostlight Records for Halloween

Just in time for Halloween, Ghostlight Records has announced a thrilling treat for Beetlejuice fans everywhere. The new album from Australian-born singer-songwriter Eddie Perfect, Beetlejuice – The...

Spooky Action Theater’s ‘To the Earth’ literally zooms into space

As the pandemic continues to take its toll on live theater, smaller-budget theaters are staying nimble and daring, thanks to generous support from donors. One of these deft companies is Spooky Action...

Not-to-be-missed streams from Broadway Podcast Network and Irish Repertory Theatre

Among the must-see digital offerings to take us into November are a serial podcast send-up of the soap-opera antics that go on with a Broadway musical-in-the-making, and a lesser-known drama by one of...

IN Series’s ‘Orphée et Eurydice’ strikes chord of COVID love and loss

IN Series returns to the original revolutionary opera, Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice, for an intimate film experience exploring love, loss, and grief during a global pandemic in which millions have...

Felicia Curry and Adam Immerwahr to co-teach Black and Jewish plays at Theater J

In these tumultuous times, theatermakers and theatergoers have been working to share a long-time common goal: to reflect upon and engage with the human condition. In a noble effort to continue this...

Taking Care COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund expands to meet ongoing need

theatreWashington has announced an expansion of the Taking Care COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, originally organized in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the sudden loss of work for...

Theater Alliance kicks off eight nights of protest plays

True to its mission—to present “socially conscious, thought-provoking work” that engages audiences “in active dialogue”—Theater Alliance has launched a series of eight short plays by eight emerging...

Next Ice Age dancers carve out haunting moves

Looking for something really cool to do this Halloween weekend? Check out The Next Ice Age (NIA), an amazing ice dancing troupe that will provide both tricks and treats. The company performs its...

Theater will have to be less racist to survive: A Q&A with Soyica Colbert

Although Shakespeare Theatre Company’s acclaimed The Amen Corner had to shut down in March before its run was done, the production proved fortuitous for STC’s future: It brought Director Whitney White...

In time for the election, an audio play about political scheming from Studio

As millions across the country are taking to the polls, Studio Theatre releases its first audio play, an adaption of Kings, the lacerating, fast-talking political drama by Alexandria, Virginia, native...

Oh, what a night with The Doo Wop Project!

After a long seven-month hiatus necessitated by the COVID-19 closure of live-on-stage performances, The Doo Wop Project made its highly anticipated return last night with its first-ever virtual...

E. Faye Butler speaks out on playing Fannie Lou Hamer right now

“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” —Fannie Lou Hamer Anyone who has ever seen E. Faye Butler perform knows that they are witnessing something truly extraordinary. A two-time Helen Hayes Award...

Why Bob Bartlett is putting on his new play in his own backyard

It was a few weeks ago; an unexpected FB post from playwright Bob Bartlett caught my attention. He was posting a teaser about his newest work, which was in an early development stage. He titled it...

Virtual thrills for Halloween week

While Halloween parties and trick-or-treating may be on hold this year, you can celebrate the season and get your thrills with a spooky selection of shows and events streaming this week. The...

A George Mason University music review celebrates underrepresented voices

Give yourself a musical boost and some warm inspiration for these stormy days. Add plenty of deeply appreciated civility during an unsettled period. These might seem hard to find, but if 2020 has you...

Theater wonks and gamers connect with a new ‘Twist’

Theater professionals from New York City, Kentucky, and DC have come together to launch ​Twist, a new virtual experience centered around a rotating series of social strategy games. ​Following a...

Book releases for theater lovers of all ages

If you’d like to catch up on your reading during this extended hiatus of live theater, these top three book selections offer a variety of themes for different ages and interests, from the script of a...

How DMV theaters are strategizing for reopening

With the fall season and following seasons still only tentatively planned, arts organizations are taking the time to focus on a reopening strategy that makes the most sense for their staff,...

If you missed ‘What the Constitution Means to Me,’ now’s your chance

This tense election season has been made all the more nerve-wracking by our president’s persistent dissing of the Constitution he swore to uphold. Short of a landslide shellacking, Heidi Shreck’s What...

Short works series from Theater Breaking Through Barriers and Playbill Virtual Theatre Festival

Streaming this week and beyond are two new series of original short works from two significant mainstay organizations of the New York theater community: Theater Breaking Through Barriers (TBTB); and...

New music releases of hits from the New York stage

Among the latest releases of music from stars and shows of the New York stage are a current single with a duet performance of a vintage song from the 1920s, the original cast recording of a new...

Live and online this week

While the pandemic shutdown of Broadway continues, New York theater artists continue to reach out to fans with virtual presentations and a few live Off-Off-Broadway events that will keep...

In Synetic Theater’s ‘Joy,’ two fearless performers get personal

Synetic Theater is renowned for its lively, “silent,” physical-movement–oriented productions of classic theatrical works propelled by original music. Now, with precautions necessary to combat the...

Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates Sondheim in stellar quarantine cabaret

The pandemic has caused many arts organizations to search for creative ways to bring their talent to fans. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC has jumped into the fray with Losing My Mind: A...

Erik Ransom envisions ‘The World to Come’ in a new podcast series

Award-winning New York-based composer, librettist, and lyricist Erik Ransom (his hit GRINDR The Opera won London’s Off West End Award for Best New Musical in 2019) has joined forces once again with...

The new bio ‘Eubie Blake: Rags, Rhythm, and Race’ recounts the life and times of an American music legend

Authors and music specialists Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom present a densely packed, meticulously researched, and painstakingly incisive portrait of a jazz icon and his times in their recently...

Urban Arias’ ‘The Roost’ takes a steamy look at a couple in quarantine

The Decameron Opera Coalition, a collection of different opera companies throughout the United States, has created a unique event, inspired by classic literature and modern necessity. Their Tales from...

E. Faye Butler to rock the vote as Fannie Lou Hamer at Arena Stage

Two-time Helen Hayes Award winner E. Faye Butler returns to Arena Stage to take on the iconic role of civil and voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer in Cheryl L. West’s play Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak...

The Public Theater examines the ‘SHIPWRECK’ of our nation in a four-part audio drama

In a co-production with DC’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (where SHIPWRECK made its American debut in February), The Public Theater presents the New York audio version premiere of Anne Washburn’s...

The Breath Project resists racial injustice with free virtual festival

The Breath Project—a new theatrical initiative formed in response to racial injustice against Black people—will stream as a free virtual festival October 24 and 25, 2020. In partnership with Studio...

Nominations announced for the 2020 Tony Awards

Today at noon on YouTube, nominations for this year’s 74th annual Tony Awards were announced to honor outstanding achievements in the 2019-20 Broadway season, cut short by the precautionary closure of...

Edge of the Universe Players 2 presents a free audio farce by Chekhov

The Edge of the Universe Players 2, a DC-based company dedicated to deep meanings in the form of theatrical high entertainment, had planned to continue exploring that territory in the 2020 Fringe...

Exciting programs in the ‘New York Butoh Institute Festival 2020’ online this month

First performed in 1959, by dancers Tatsumi Hijikata (1928–86) and Kazuo Ohno (1906–2010), the abstract, expressive, and unconventional art of butoh (“dance of darkness”) developed in post-World War...

UrbanArias’ new opera is a sexy comedy about expecting parents in lockdown

UrbanArias has partnered with eight other American opera companies to create a newly commissioned operatic video series, Tales From a Safe Distance, inspired by Boccaccio’s The Decameron. Each company...

Alden Theatre’s ‘Drive-Thru Drama’ gets spooky

Just in time for Halloween, The Alden Theatre in McLean continues its unique Drive-Thru Drama performances with Objects in Mirror May Be SPOOKIER Than They Appear, October 16 to November 1, 2020....

A poetic look at paintings from London’s National Gallery in ‘Give Me Your Hand’ by Irish Rep

Founded in 1824, and ranked seventh on the list of the world’s most visited art museums in 2019, The National Gallery in London is home to an encyclopedic collection of more than 2,300 world-famous...

Dominion Stage announces winners of first playwriting contest

The trials and tribulations of a talk show host’s family. A date between two extreme opposites that gets dangerous. These are the themes of the two winning entries in Dominion Stage’s first...

Roundabout Theatre among dozens nationwide to stream ‘It Can’t Happen Here’ from Berkeley Rep

In 1935, with the ascent of Hitler and Mussolini and the rise of fascism in Europe, Sinclair Lewis (the first writer from the US to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in Literature) published his...

Shakespeare Theatre Company plots next season with new twists

The lineup for Shakespeare Theater Company‘s 2020–2021 season—as announced by Artistic Director Simon Godwin and Executive Director Chris Jennings—is signficantly different from plans first announced...

Mosaic Theater heads into fall season recommitted to anti-racism

A monthslong period of intensive introspection and evolution at Mosaic Theater Company, led by a recommitment to anti-racism, has culminated in the company’s recent announcement of fall programming,...

Tune in to conversations with Broadway legends Tim Rice and Marsha Mason

This promises to be a great month for listening, as two major stars of Broadway and beyond share their experiences and reminiscences in new virtual conversations that are guaranteed to hold massive...

Updates on the extended Broadway shutdown and the upcoming Tony Awards

As anticipated, it was just confirmed by The Broadway League – the national trade association for the Broadway industry – that the suspension of all Broadway performances has now been extended through...