Grease is a musical that celebrates the changes born of the late 1950s era of rock n' roll, drive-in movies, and James Dean"an era that sat on the cusp of the turbulent 1960s. Riverside Cent…
Here's a thought: Older virtuosi are boring. That's not original to me, but to an audience member who offered his views during a concert intermission recently. We were at the Phillips Collec…
Is racism a taboo subject in the arts? Of course not. From Uncle Tom's Cabin to Porgy and Bess to the whitewashing of the Oscars, artists have used their platform to convict American society…
The Essential Theatre rings in the New Year by continuing an 18-month celebration of the 30th anniversary of its founding. In partnership with the District of Columbia Public Library System …
Professional theaters in the DMV have been at the forefront of making diversity a critical watchword and action step. During the past several years, the DMV has hosted two women's theater fe…
What does the New Year bring to downtown Silver Spring? Murder at McGinty's! A Taste For Murder Productions and McGinty's Public House have formed a partnership to present dinner theatre " o…
Annapolis' Colonial Players takes on Lucy Kirkwood's 2016 environmental disaster drama The Children in an intimate production which explores the human cost of uncontrolled consumption and de…
"It's a ridiculous thing to sing at the top of your lungs about your vulnerability," American composer Laura Kaminsky observed to this year's Washington National Opera's American Opera Initi…
A near-capacity crowd hushed as the evening opened with the title song from Nat King Cole's 1959 album Welcome to the Club. I was immediately impressed that Don Dillingham, the evening's sol…
She's mesmerizing, astounding, and accomplished beyond reason. I'm writing about world-renowned superstar recording artist Diana Ross. Ross, conductor Emil de Cou of the National Symphony Or…
The National Building Museum announced its partnership with Folger Shakespeare Library, in association with the University of South Carolina, to design the 2020 Summer Block Party exhibition…
It is often hard to determine what fills the seats in many performing arts genres, with counterintuitive surprises on both the negative and positive side. Count this one as a positive: While…
The Arcanists in co-production with Science Art Fusion (ScienceAF) announce the launch of The Internet: LIVE!!1, an inventive new live comedy game show. In it, player-performers bring web co…
Studio Theatre and Artistic Director David Muse are pleased to announce that Reginald L. Douglas will join the organization as its new Associate Artistic Director later this month. Douglas c…
Brave Spirits Theatre (BST), led by Artistic Director Charlene V. Smith, has taken on a spectacular challenge: Shakespeare's eight history plays. Richard the Second, Henry the Fourth Parts I…
Located just 47 miles away from Washington, DC in The Plains, Virginia, Dark Horse Theatre Company creates some of the best theater in the DC area. Director Natasha Parnian continues a strea…
"I want us to be in contention for a Helen Hayes Award," IN Series artistic director Timothy Nelson told me last fall over coffee near his office in the Shaw neighborhood. We were discussing…
When Dion Boucicault's premiere farce London Assurance made its debut at Covent Garden in 1841, the 20-year-old Irish actor and playwright became an instant success in England, garnering imm…
This month, UrbanArias presents composer Tom Cipullo's chamber opera Glory Denied; the contemporary musical drama based upon the true story of America's longest-held prisoner of war (POW), F…
As the year draws to a close, we asked DCMTA writers to think back on the shows that left an indelible impression on them in 2019. In this category, outstanding professional design, we recog…
The Grand Foyer at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts teemed with patrons sporting gowns swirling against the carpeted floor and tuxedos announcing an auspicious occasion, si…
Tumultuous times call out for audacity in the performing arts. And Brave Spirits Theatre (BST) has boldly marked its territory for the next two years. Over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Brave S…
As the year draws to a close, we asked DCMTA writers to think back on the performances that left an indelible impression on them in 2019. Here are the professional performances that made the…
There's no doubt about it. Eureka Day is a very funny play. The show, now having its DC debut at Mosaic Theater, features five perfectly-attuned actors, a director who understands comedy, a …
We were saddened to learn of the passing of Victor Shargai. The philanthropist and Helen Hayes Award founding board member passed away yesterday. His loss will be felt by the many theaters a…