For those who think the world of theater revolves entirely around New York City, prepare to have your mind blown. While many tend to overlook it, the art of performance and stagecraft isn’t just alive and well in the Washington DC area – it’s also thriving like never before. From large productions at established venues to intimate festivals for new works, there’s always a troupe strutting and fretting across the boards, as the following selections reveal.
Kennedy Center Mosiac Theater Folger Theatre In Series
| Name | Location | Description |
| John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | 2700 F St. NW | Devotees of American musical theater will have a busy schedule this summer, with four shows on Kennedy Center’s calendar. June 13 sees the opening of two oeuvres that are a study in contrasts: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s feel-good classic The Sound of Music and Stephen Trask’s edgy Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Pre-WWII Berlin comes alive with Cabaret on July 11 and on July 18, and another Rodgers and Hammerstein fave, The King and I, comes here as well. |
| Signature Theater | 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington | The revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s ‘70s rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar is currently at the theater, with kudos to the supporting cast. Get tix soon: The run ends July 2. |
| Mosaic Theater Company of DC | 1333 H St. NE | A winner of the 2017 Helen Hayes Award, the Mosaic Theater Company has successfully charted its mission of producing thoughtful, socially relevant fare in just two seasons. On June 7, you can enjoy the premiere of The Return, a drama and love story about a Palestinian mechanic and an Israeli woman from his past. |
| Everyman Theatre | 315 W. Fayette St,, Baltimore | Catch the remaining performances of Noises Off about a British comedy troupe in which everything that could possibly go wrong does, until June 18. But don’t overlook Everyman’s intimate running events that include readings, conversations with cast members, and opportunities for you to play a dramatic role. |
| Folger Theatre | 201 E. Capitol St. SE | One of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, Timon of Athens is a story for our time: Can an arrogant man of wealth ever truly find friendship? This modern-dress production is, by all accounts, gripping, in large part to the play’s lead, Ian Merrill Peakes. On June 11, Timon closes Folger’s season until the fall season which opens with Antony and Cleopatra. |
| Infinity Theatre | 1661 Bay Head Rd., Annapolis, | See A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, (June 10–August 16), which recounts the rise of the country music legend through her most beloved hits. In July, both Godspell and the family-friendly Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical premiere at the theater. |
| Creative Cauldron | 410 South Maple Avenue, Falls Church, VA | You can follow the Yellow Brick Road, starting June 8, with the Cauldron’s production of The Wizard of Oz. Make sure to check the company’s summer cabaret series that runs from July through September as well. |
| In Series | 1835 14th St. NW | Celebrate the summer solstice a little early with a screwball comedy of fairies, pirates and mermaids at Oberon, an English adaptation of Carl Maria von Weber’s operatic version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (June 10–18) |
| Source Festival | 1835 14th Street, NW | The Source Festival is a springboard for aspiring performers and playwrights eyeing the New York scene from June 9–July 2. To celebrate its 10 year anniversary, the Festival hosts Perfect Arrangement by Topher Payne. Don’t miss full-length play readings and six new, 10-minute plays, as well as a selection of “Best Of” 10-minute plays. |
| Capital Fringe Festival | Various
locations |
This festival is a mashup of music, dance and visual art. But there’s plenty of stagecraft, from Crazy Mary Lincoln: A New Musical to Morningstar, a one-man drama set on the eve of a nuclear apocalypse to kid-friendly fare. From July 6–30. |
Nancy Oakley cut her teeth as a travel editor and writer for in-flight magazines, including Delta Sky and US Airways Magazine. She currently explores the world as senior editor of a local arts-and-culture monthly and its sister publication, a home-and-garden quarterly.
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