This year’s 14th Annual Page-to-Stage Festival takes place:
Saturday, September 5th from 10:30 a.m.–11 p.m.
Sunday, September 6th from 6–7 p.m.
Monday, September 7, from 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m.
Venues throughout the Kennedy Center
FREE! No tickets required, limited seating available.
The Kennedy Center hosts more than 40 D.C.-area theater companies in a series of free readings and open rehearsals of plays and musicals. This three-day event gives audiences a look at new works being prepared for Washington premieres in the 2015–2016 theater season.
Limited seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.
General admission seating opens approximately 30 minutes prior to each event.
Programs, artists, and schedules are subject to change without notice.
No free parking for free events.
Select events are indicated as Family Friendly. All other events may contain mature content.
* – This event is also entered in the Women’s Voices Theater Festival.
PARTICIPATING THEATERS INCLUDE:
ABG Playwrights, Actors Repertory Theatre, Adventure Theatre MTC, African-American Collective Theater, All of the Above, Alliance for New Music-Theatre, Arcturus Theater Company, Baltimore Playwrights Festival, Blind Pug Arts Collective, Bowie State University, Bridge Club: A Writer’s Collective, Bucharest Inside the Beltway, Catholic University of America Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Compass Rose Theater, Constellation Theatre, Crash of Rhinos, DC Theatre Group, Doorway Arts Theatre Company, The Essential Theatre, Faction of Fools, Factory 449, First Draft, Forum Theater, FRESHH Inc., Gang of Five, Georgetown University, Guillotine Theatre, The Highwood Theatre, The Indian Ocean Theatre Company, Initiative Student Theatre, The Inkwell, Interrobang Theatre Company and the Strand Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center’s VSA and Accessibility, Mosaic Theater Company of DC, Naked Theater Company, Nu Sass Productions, Pallas Theatre Collective, Playwrights Collaborative, Quotidian Theater Company, Rapid Lemon Productions, Inc., Safe Streets Arts Foundation, Scena Theatre, Seventh Street Playhouse, Synetic Theater Company, Taffety Punk Theatre Company, Theater Alliance, Theater J, Tonic Theater Company, Unexpected Stage Company, Venus Theatre, VSA Playwrights, Washington Improv Theater, The Washington Rogues, Washington Women in Theater, and The Welders.
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THE SCHEDULE:
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5. 2015
10:30 a.m.
[Terrace Theater]
Adventure Theater MTC
Lemony Snicket’s A Lump of Coal
Adapted by Norman Allen from the book by Lemony Snicket
Directed by Holly Twyford
It is Christmastime! The hilarious and heartburning, uh, heartwarming holiday adventure of a Lump of Coal who wants to be an artist. Traditionally the dreaded stocking stuffer for children on the Naughty List, this Lump turns one child’s worst nightmare into a dream come true. Direct from Lemony Snicket–author of A Series of Unfortunate Events–this stage adaptation will delight audiences young and old with its story of unlikely friendships and holiday miracles. Followed by post-performance discussion. Musical Theater. [Terrace Theater] [Family Friendly]
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11 a.m.
[Millennium Stage South]
Washington Women in Theater
Just Between Us: A Piano, a Mic, a Memory*
By Marilyn Hausfeld
Musical direction by Alex Rybeck
An intimate musical conversation with Marilyn Hausfeld, followed by a talkback to discover the nuts and bolts of putting together a cabaret. Her childhood audition for The Sound of Music on Broadway set her on a path of discovery. Followed by post-performance discussion. Musical Theater.
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[Russian Lounge]
Rapid Lemon Productions Inc.
Variations on Family
Directed by Rosiland Cauthen
Reading of selected plays from the 11th annual Variations Project production. Followed by post-performance discussion. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Mild cursing, sexuality]
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[North Atrium Foyer]
Initiative Student Theater
You Have to Go Back Out There
Written and directed by Caitlin Caplinger
When They imposed Mass Ignorance, the Stock did not notice. It is impossible to conclude that one has been stripped of their right to question if one was not especially manufactured with that ability. Out There, good and right are mutually exclusive. When Serendipity screams for the first time, you have no choice but to play, for you are Prescient. At the end of the game, you wonder: is it imperative that I share this experience? You Have to Go Back Out There is a thought-provoking piece of immersive theater which guarantees a unique experience that toys with the ideas of homo ludens (“the playing man”), intellectual apathy, and questioning your reality for the sake of betterment, in an alternate yet uncomfortably familiar world.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
By Emma Oliver
Directed by Ian Claar
There’s a comfort in unloading your problems onto a stranger. And what choice do you really have when you’re waiting for a bus to take you anywhere but here? An international crossroads provides Sam and Claudia with the not-so-objective confidante that they both need in their times of romantic crisis. Some may idealize travelling with a companion, but often times the mysteries within are the ones that need the outside perspective.
Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Mild cursing, violence]
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[South Atrium Foyer]
The Highwood Theatre
The Requiem*
By Madison Middleton
Directed by Eva Silverman
Discouraged by her failure to cement herself within the music industry, Maria, a young violinist, finds herself where she began: her parent’s townhouse. When she arrives, however, the house is dim and her parents are not at home. Maria decides to settle in and unpack despite their absence. In that process, she discovers an old man with a passion for Mozart living in the attic. Inspired by The Highwood Theatre’s desire to raise awareness about mental health issues, The Requiem is a dramatic story of music and memory loss, a side of mental illness Highwood has yet to explore.
The Long Way Around*
By Julia Starr
Directed by Melissa B. Robinson
When free-spirited Addie makes the radical decision to leave their small town in Illinois to live openly as a lesbian in Chicago, Luce finds herself at a crossroads: does she accept the nostalgic and familiar love she and Addie once shared as teenaged girls, riding around in a Subaru with the windows down, or does she continue on her current trajectory, living in the same zip code as her parents with her fiancé-turned-husband Nathan? Exploring the fuzzy line between friendship and romance in female relationships, The Long Way Around is a pondering on the oft-forgotten “Q” in the “LGBTQ” acronym–questioning.
Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Mild cursing, sexuality]
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12 p.m.
[Terrace Gallery]
Guillotine Theater
Hootenanny*
By Monique LaForce
Directed by Catherine Aselford
Backstage at the new smash hit, Hootenanny–a bluegrass musical version of Macbeth–Samantha and Chip wait for their cues. Bit players who believe they are destined for better things, the greenroom becomes their lair–a place where they wrestle with their desire for each other, refine their career aspirations, and test the limits of their ambition. How far will they go to get what they want? Award-winning bluegrass band Dead Man’s Hollow provides original music. Musical. [Terrace Gallery]
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1 p.m.
[Israeli Lounge]
Seventh Street Playhouse
Paul
Written and directed by Anthony E. Gallo
This play examines the complex and contradictory life of Christianity’s second-leading theological architect through his Epistles, from the Romans to Titus, and the writings of Josephus. Paul’s impact not only on the now 2 billion Christians around the world but tangentially on non-Christians as well is not disputed. The play follows him from being a deeply religious Jewish leader, successful businessman, civic leader, and persecutor of fringe cults to becoming an apostle of the Nazarene following his epiphany on the road to Damascus. The narrative traces his conflicts with members of the new cult, with his fellow disciples, the Romans, Greeks, Jewish leaders, his own family and friends, and the people he tries to convince. It’s as if Paul’s spiritual conversion also resulted in personal character conversion. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama.
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1:30 p.m.
[Millennium Stage North]
Theater J
Falling Out of Time
Based on the novel by David Grossman
Translation by Jessica Cohen
Adapted and directed by Derek Goldman
The Walking Man leaves on an expedition to find his lost son in that shadowy and mysterious place where the living and the dead may meet again. As he paces in ever-widening circles, townsfolk fall into step with him and share their grief over their own departed loved ones. A new adaptation of acclaimed Israeli author David Grossman’s about enduring loss, this incandescent fable of parental grief powerfully distills the experience of accepting death in a way that is moving, beautiful, and timely in Israeli society and across cultures. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Mild cursing, violence].
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2 p.m.
[Russian Lounge]
Scena Theater
Thersites
Written and directed by Robert McNamara
Thersites is a wild ride through Homer’s Iliad, as “the smallest and ugliest man in the Greek army” describes the “true” facts of the Trojan War. Drama. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
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2:30 p.m.
[African Lounge]
The Inkwell
Pushing Boundaries Writing Workshop
By Anne McCaw, Rich Espy, Nicole Jost, and Noelle Vinas
This two-hour hands-on workshop is led by Artistic Director Anne M. McCaw for local writers who need guidance in how to push themselves and their writing to new levels in form, theatricality, subject matter, and language. Followed by post-performance discussion. [Cursing, sexuality]
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[Family Theater]
The Washington Rogues
The Young Romantics
Book and Lyrics by Alexandra Petri
Music by Sam Linden
Directed by Ryan Taylor
From Alexandra Petri, writer of last year’s hit The Campsite Rule, this sexy rock musical explores the explosive marriage of Mary and Percy Shelly, pioneering proponents of free love and polyamory, and their encounters with the seductive rock star of his time, the legendary Lord Byron. It’s weird! It’s feminist! It’s the Rogues’ first musical, and we are ready to rock! Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. [Cursing, sexuality, mature themes].
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[North Atrium Foyer]
Quotidian Theatre Company
Maytag Virgin*
Written and directed by Audrey Cefaly
In this Southern love story disguised as a death story, two lost and lonely teachers are thrust together at the very moment their lives have been ripped apart, bouncing off of each other while searching for “normal.” Followed by post-performance discussion.[Sexuality].
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3:30 p.m.
[Terrace Theater]
FRESHH Inc.
Surrender
By Goldie Patrick
A new hip-hop theater piece described as a “hip-hop theater bembe,” Surrender is a ritual performance of music, dance, and verse, telling the story of a young woman and her rites of passage into womanhood. A biographical piece, this show combines mix-tape performance styles with traditional Yoruba rituals and traditions. In Surrender, we experience how Egbe and Egungun, (spirit guides and ancestors) lead the main character, Goldie, to revisit the past, confronting issues of identity, love, and spirituality in a desperate attempt to find purpose. Followed by post-performance discussion. [Cursing, sexuality, mature themes].
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[South Atrium Foyer]
Interrobang Theatre Company and The Strand Theatre Company
Kerrmoor*
By Susan McCully
Directed by Eve Muson
In an isolated Appalachian town, the hard-hewn return to their backwoods rituals to ward off threats from an increasingly hostile modern world. Will Lorna convince her mother to make the necessary sacrifice and prevent social and ecological disaster? Will the chilling Rite at Kerrmoor be repeated? Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. [Cursing, sexuality, mature themes].
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4 p.m.
[Israeli Lounge]
Tonic Theater Company
Strings
By Carole Bugge
Directed by Stevie Zimmerman
Loosely riffing on a real-life train ride in which American physicists Burt Ovrut and Paul Steinhardt and English physicist Neil Turok tweaked the Big Bang theory, changing it forever. En route from Cambridge to London, the fictional trio discusses science, explores old jealousies, and infidelities and is visited by famous dead scientists Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, and Max Planck. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy/Drama. [Mild cursing, sexuality].
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[Terrace Gallery]
VSA Kennedy Center Accessibility
VSA Playwright Discovery: Young People Write About Disability and Inclusion
By Leah Davis, Paige Colvin, David Merkle, Bennet Sherr, Catherine Valdez, Olivia Popp, Milly Kate Toombs, Christopher Huntsman
Selections from outstanding work written by young people from across the country, featuring an acting company from the Washington, DC theater community. [Mild cursing].
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4:30 p.m.
[Russian Lounge]
Compass Rose Theater
If I Hold My Tongue*
By Patricia Henley
Directed by Lucinda Merry-Browne
A two-act play set in Fells Point, Baltimore, If I Hold My Tongue explores the lives of four prostituted women living in a halfway house. An empathetic portrait of their struggles to leave street life, the play is a realistic look at emotionally and physically scarred women who wish to return to a normal life, a job, a family, and safety. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. [Cursing, drug and alcohol abuse].
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[African Lounge]
The Inkwell
WELLSPRING showcase
By Anne McCaw, Rich Espy, Nicole Jost, and Noelle Vinas
This is an interactive exploration of four entirely new plays by local writers that push boundaries in form, subject matter, and theatricality. The event will include discussion, exercises, presentation of works in progress, and games to invite the audience to engage in the process of exploring and developing these plays. [Cursing, sexuality].
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6 p.m.
[Millennium Stage South]
Washington Improv Theater
iMusical
Directed by Travis Charles Ploeger
iMusical combines long-form improvisation with modern musical theater to craft spontaneous musicals with integrity and fun. Washington Improv Theater’s longest-running company ensemble (9 years!), iMusical ranges from the silly to the sublime, with something for hard-core improv and musical theater fans alike. Followed by post-performance discussion. Musical Theater. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Mild cursing].
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6:30 p.m.
[North Atrium Foyer]
Taffety Punk Theatre Company
Inheritance Canyon*
By Liz Maestri
Directed by Lise Bruneau
In this sneak preview, the enigmatic Shell and two of her friends survive a deadly military experiment to find themselves trapped in a landscape where the rules of time, space, and gravity are changing. Drama. [North Atrium Foyer] [Mild cursing, violence, alcohol abuse].
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7 p.m.
[South Atrium Foyer]
Indian Ocean Theater Company
Scenes for Sundays
By John L. Sowalsky
Directed by Harley Venton
A series of short scenes both dramatic and comedic, which address spiritual and ethical issues. Followed by post-performance discussion. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Sexuality, mature themes].
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7:30 p.m.
[Russian Lounge]
Bucharest Inside the Beltway
Finally Quiet In My Head
By Cristina Bejan
Directed by Brittney Sankofa
A play about mental illness, finding your roots, family, friendship, and healing the wounds of sexual violence in the District of Columbia. Proudly promoting NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Finally Quiet in My Head by Cristina Bejan just had a quite successful U.S. premiere at the DC Black Theatre Festival. The show has been invited back for a remount at Anacostia Arts Center August 2–14, 2016. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama/Comedy. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Cursing, sexuality, drug and alcohol abuse, mature themes].
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[Israeli Lounge]
Arcturus Theater Company
The Point*
By Marilyn Ansevin Austin
Directed by Ross Heath
As a middle-aged physician starts to show signs of dementia, her family and friends aid her to varied levels of success. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Mild cursing, sexuality, drug and alcohol abuse].
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[Terrace Gallery]
Crash of Rhinos
The Bison Beast of Dubois
Written and directed by Mario Baldessari.
A small-town prank aimed at kick-starting local tourism reawakens long-simmering prejudices between the town and the neighboring Reservation–as well as something strange from deep in the Wyoming back country. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Mild cursing].
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8 p.m.
[Millennium Stage North]
Pallas Theater Collective
code name: CYNTHIA
By Steven and Karen Multer
Directed by Tracey Elaine Chessum
This new musical opens as Paris falls to the Nazis and master spy Betty Thorpe (code name: Cynthia) barely escapes with her life. When a mysterious mastermind blackmails the stunning beauty back into intelligence for the Allies, Betty seduces the enemy to save civilization from a ruthless dictator and her own delicate world from falling to pieces. Based on the true story of a true American patriot, Washington, D.C. becomes a chessboard where honor, sex, and political ethics are as up for grabs as the fate of the free world. Developed in conjunction with Pallas Theatre Collective, it received readings at three universities and at the International Spy Museum, premiered in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2015, and will continue to be presented at readings and workshops in both Chicago and D.C. throughout the upcoming season. Followed by post-performance discussion. [Mild cursing, sexuality].
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[Terrace Theater]
African-American Collective Theater (ACT)
Missing Pieces
Written and directed by Alan Sharpe
The violent murder of a prominent gay activist in Washington, DC propels a veteran detective and his rookie partner into a world of sex, lies, and corruption in urgent pursuit of the killer among the victim’s friends, co-workers, ex-lovers, drug dealers, strippers, street trade, and random pickups. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. [Cursing, sexuality, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, mature themes].
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[African Lounge]
The Essential Theatre
Calming the Man
By Anthony Lamarr
Directed by S. Robert Morgan
In a small 1970s Southern town, a father born into segregation pushes one of his two sons to succeed and cripples the other with anger and hatred. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. [Mild cursing, mature themes].
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Family Theater
Safe Streets Arts Foundation
From Uncle Tom’s Cabin to Uncle Sam’s Prisons
Directed by Perry Redd
Musical direction by Dennis Sobin
Excerpts from prisoner letters, poems, and other writings read by dramatic actors while the 1927 feature length silent film Uncle Tom’s Cabin is shown, with an original score performed by a combo consisting of bass and guitar. Drama. Cursing, sexuality, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, mature themes]
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8:30 p.m.
[North Atrium Foyer]
Playwrights Collaborative
Collaborative Shorts
Program of short plays. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [North Atrium Foyer].
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015
6 p.m
VSA Playwrights
This performance recognizes the eight Senior Division (grades 10–12) winners of the VSA Playwright Discovery Competition. Excerpts of four scripts will be performed as staged readings. The VSA Playwright Discovery Competition invites middle and high school students with and without disabilities to examine the disability experience and express their views through the art of script writing. A Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program.
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2015
11 a.m.
[Millennium Stage South]
Actors Repertory Theater
The Story Thief and the Prince of Dreams
By Sean Fri
Directed by Ray Ficca
A group of children at a family reunion gather to hear their venerable great-grandfather spin one of his legendary bedtime stories. When he’s unable to tell even one, they begin to worry that something’s amiss. Something is also worrying the prince of dreams. From his distant, slumbery realm, he notices that no children in the world are dreaming! He enlists the aid of our group of young heroes to find out where the dreams have gone, and it starts them on a trail that leads to the terrible Dream Thief, who is bent on stealing all the bedtime stories in the world and with them, the contented sleep of millions of children. Will the Prince of Dreams and the children be able to stop the Story-Thief in time for bed? Followed by post-performance discussion. [Family Friendly].
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[Israeli Lounge]
Theater Alliance
Hothouse New Play Development Series
By Dane Figueroa Edidi, Alan Sharpe, and Chinita L. Anderson
Each of our three DC-based playwrights will present his or her brand new piece to an audience for the first time in order to hear first-hand responses and engage in active dialogue around these pieces that are focused on issues relevant to DC residents as they move forward in the development process. Followed by post-performance discussion. [Israeli Lounge] [Cursing, sexuality, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, mature themes]
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[North Atrium Foyer]
Factory 449
The Weight of Water
By Allyson Currin
Directed by Elena Day and Tom Story
How do you hold onto the soul of someone who is slipping away from you? In caring for her last living relative, a young woman is determined to piece together the full picture of her aunt’s life and to discover the source of her aunt’s mystery and magic. Will the secrets of the past begin to emerge and reveal themselves? Or will they vanish along with her aunt’s fading memory and remain forever lost? Featuring Rena Cherry Brown. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. [Mild cursing, sexuality].
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[South Atrium Foyer]
Unexpected Stage Company
The Arsonists
By Jacqueline Goldfinger
Directed by Edward Sobel
Arson is the family business and the ancestral legacy for a father and his adult daughter. When a fire goes terribly awry, they have to make hard decisions about who they are and who they will be. Set deep in a Florida swamp, The Arsonists is a Southern Gothic tale of grief, loss, and redemption. The Arsonists received a 2015 Honorable Mention from The Kilroys. Followed by post-performance discussion. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Cursing, violence].
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11:30 a.m.
[Russian Lounge, Box Tier Level of the Opera House]
Baltimore Playwrights Festival
Tying the knot
By James Beller
Directed by Daniel Douek
When Michael announces to his mother, Arlene, that he is getting married, it is the happiest day of her life. But when he tells her he’s marrying Pauline and not his ex-boyfriend, David, Arlene is not merely shocked she is outraged.
Saving Myself for Steve Martin
By Ann V. Wixon
Directed by Miriam Bazensky
Divorced, 45, and facing an uncertain future, Eve attends her first SWASS (single women actively seeking sex) meeting in this hilarious one-woman show. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
Commander
By Mario Correra
Directed by Chelsea Dove
Is America ready for a gay president? Governor Ned Worley is about to find out. But can the ambitious politician prove the naysayers wrong or will personal demons–and a troubled partner–scuttle his historic candidacy?
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12 p.m.
[African Lounge]
Bridge Club: A Writers Collective
Funeral of Casey B. Collins
By Natalie Ann Piegari
Directed by Quill Nebeker
A darkly comic exploration of grief, love, and suicide. Drama. [Mild cursing, sexuality, violence].
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1 p.m.
[Theater Lab]
DC Theatre Group
Voices Speak to Us
Written and directed by David L. McWellan
Starting from the turn of the twentieth century until the present, Israelis and Palestinians confront each other with their narratives and poetry–expressions that describe their thoughts and emotions. Personal dialogue, poem, and song are combined into a theatrical format with conflict, a beginning, middle, and end. The drama escalates to a thrilling climax and then to the characters reaching more understanding of the crisis and their lives. Drama. [Theater Lab] [Mature themes, violence].
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2 p.m.
[North Atrium Foyer]
ABG Playwrights
The Best Worst That Can Happen
By Jean Koppen
Joanna is worried about her mother’s failing memory. Margie is concerned about her daughter’s career and love life. In truth, both are terrified about how they will handle the worst that can happen–Margie contracting Alzheimer’s Disease. When an unlikely new housemate enters their lives and his movie producer brother pays an unexpected visit, both Margie and Joanna discover the best that can happen in the worst situation. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Mild cursing, sexuality].
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2:30 p.m.
[Millennium Stage North]
Faction of Fools
Classics Made Foolish
By William Shakespeare, Edmond Rostand, and Lewis Carrol
Adapted and directed by Paul Reisman
DC’s award-winning Fools are back in the factory exploring a physical take on scenes from several beloved classics (including Richard III, Cyrano, and Alice in Wonderland), replete with their celebrated brand of comedy and high-flying spectacularity. Followed by post-performance discussion. Commedia dell’Arte. [Family Friendly].
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[Family Theater]
Alliance for New Music-Theatre
R.U.R.: A Retro-Futuristic Musical based on Karel Capek’s Rossum’s Universal Robots
By Karel ?apek
Stage directed by Susan Galbraith
Composed and music directed by Maurice Saylor
R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) takes us “back to the future” in a new musical adaptation and unveiling of a play written in 1920 by Czech playwright Karel ?apek, who introduced the word “robot” to the world. The prescience of the work will engage audiences for the play’s focus is very much part of today’s global conversation: Will the combination of a robotic workforce and artificial intelligence liberate mankind from economic drudgery or will it become a superior force that threatens to overcome the human race? For Alliance for New Music-Theatre, R.U.R. represents an ambitious launch of a boldly scaled work in full partnership with the Czech Embassy as part of its year-long Mutual Inspirations Festival. It will involve more than a dozen local performing artists and include a robotic ballet, an original score by local composer Maurice Saylor, and the invention of a new musical-theatrical language that represents the soundscapes of robots and mankind. It is slated to be produced in DuPont Underground’s new cultural space in early 2016. Musical. Followed by post-performance discussion. [Family Friendly].
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[Russian Lounge]
Catholic University of America Benjamin T. Rome School of Music
Alice Flagg
Music and libretto by Joseph R. Kaz
Additional text by Henry Timrod
Set in Pre-Civil War South Carolina, Alice Flagg is a two-act opera that tells the tale of one of the Low Country’s most beloved ghost stories. Alice, a daughter of the southern aristocracy, falls madly in love with a lumberjack, John Braddock, who is far below her station. In retaliation, her family sends her away to boarding school in Charleston, but not before the two lovers secretly get engaged. While in Charleston, Alice falls prey to a fatal illness, causing both her family and John to come to her aid. Opera. [Mild cursing].
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[South Atrium Foyer]
Gang of Five
Five and Dime: A Set of Ten Minute Plays
By Robin C. Baron, J. T. Caruso, Mark Haag, Domitri Neos, and Michelle Rago
Readings of five 10-minute plays. Followed by post-performance discussion. [South Atrium Foyer] [Mature themes].
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3 p.m.
[African Lounge]
Blind Pug Arts Collective
Love Godfrey / Love George
By John Stoltenberg
Directed by Michael Poandl
A love story between two men–Godfrey, who is black, and George, who is white, the play is set in New York City in 1970, a time not yet altered by Stonewall and the liberation movement that followed. It begins in the characters’ bedroom as a sexy, playful romantic comedy. Midway through, the story takes a tragic turn–and George and Godfrey’s love is tested and challenged beyond their imagining. Followed by post-performance discussion. [Cursing, sexuality, violence, mature themes].
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3:30 p.m.
[Terrace Gallery]
Forum Theater
BLISS
By Steve Yockey
Directed by Michael Dove
Scott and Jeremy are a perfect couple. They have great friends, great jobs, and a great new place to live. In fact, things have never been better. Which is usually when the past comes back to crack open the world. And for these two men it arrives in a flood of bad memories, guilt, and an ocean of teddy bears. It’s stunning what people will choose to believe in order to be “happy.” Followed by post-performance discussion. [Cursing, sexuality].
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5 p.m.
[Israeli Lounge]
Nu Sass Productions
Q&A
On Bank Robberies
Written and directed by Keegan Cassady
Two short plays by a new local playwright, these brilliant new patter plays take turns you would certainly not expect. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Cursing].
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5:30 p.m.
[Theater Lab]
Mosaic Theater Company of DC
After The War
By Motti Lerner
Directed by Ari Roth
This new play from the author of The Admission tells the story of a middle-aged Israeli ex-patriot returning to Tel Aviv after the 2006 war on Lebanon following an 18-year absence. Trying to make amends for the fallout caused from sharp political differences within the family, the play explores whether healing can be achieved in a wounded family, even as new reports of calamity in Lebanon exacerbate efforts as father, brother and son do battle. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. [Cursing, mature themes].
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[North Atrium Foyer]
BSU Theater (Bowie State University)
April 4th, 1986
By Bob Bartlett
Directed by Psalmayene 24
Hundreds of Bowie State students learn of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. while jailed in Annapolis for peaceful protests against the policies of Maryland Governor Spiro T. Agnew. Drama. [Mild cursing, mature themes].
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6 p.m.
[Millennium Stage South]
Synetic Theater Company
Alice in Wonderland
By Lloyd Rose
Directed by Paata Tsikurishvili
Demonstration of Synetic Technique followed by a few scenes from the upcoming production of Alice in Wonderland. Post-performance Q&A. Followed by post-performance discussion. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
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[African Lounge]
Doorway Arts Theater Company
The Colony
By Allyson Currin
Directed by Matt Ripa
The writers retreat from HELL #saveyourselves! Comedy. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Cursing, sexuality].
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All of the Above
Bigger Than All of Us
By Ann Timmons
Marguerite is “stuck.” She turns to Carmen, a successful “empowerment expert,” but comes away from her motivational seminar more disaffected than ever. Meanwhile, Marguerite’s niece Jean, a budding reporter, exposes Frances, Marguerite’s long-time nemesis, as a corrupt and conniving politician. Throw in Carmen’s estranged working-class mother and Frances’s clueless assistant, and the result is a seriously funny comic drama that explores life in a fictitious DC suburb. With oversized egos, high stakes, and even more honest revelation, Bigger Than All of Us explores the space where definitions of “success,” matters of justice, and finding your place in the world can collide. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Mild cursing].
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6:30 p.m.
[Israeli Lounge]
Nu Sass Productions
The Rosaline Adventures, or Exit Pursued by a Zombie
By Pamela Leahigh
Directed by Angela Pirko
Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Shakespeare in a story that follows the lives of those left behind after Romeo and Juliet take the long nap–or so we think they do. Followed by post-performance discussion. Adventure. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Cursing, violence].
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7 p.m.
[Family Theater]
Naked Theater Company
the fear of missing out
By Rachael Murray
For this group of friends and lovers, relationships get complicated. And no one wants to miss out. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. [Cursing, sexuality, drug and alcohol abuse, violence].
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8 p.m.
[Terrace Gallery]
Georgetown University
Pandemopium
By Connor Rohan
Directed by Maya E. Roth
A small opium poppy farm straddles the base of a mountain in Afghanistan’s rural Kandahar Province. Under threat of destruction by a rootin’-tootin’ Afghan Lieutenant, landowner Ashraf Amini’s poppies can only be saved with the resurrection of a dead Talib and opium trafficker. With the Taliban demanding a harvest, Ashraf has no choice but to transform a seemingly impossible problem. Fast-paced, complex, and thrilling, this startling play dramatizes the impossible situation of an opium farmer squeezed between the Afghan Army and the Taliban. Winner of the Donn B. Murphy One-Acts Award, Pandemopium fuses drama and comedy, poetry and politics. Developed in Georgetown’s Hope Playwriting Seminar taught by Christine Evens. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama/Comedy. [Cursing, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, mature themes].
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8:15 p.m.
[Israeli Lounge]
Nu Sass Productions
22 Boom
By Miranda Rose Hall
Directed by Renana Fox
A series of pieces written on demand for patrons when the playwright was in residence at Baltimore’s Center Stage. Similar to Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, this collection of plays travels through the gamut of theatrical experiences. Followed by post-performance discussion. Recommended for ages 13 and up. [Cursing, sexuality].
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8:30 p.m.
[Millennium Stage North]
First Draft
Iddy & O
By Richard C. Washer
Directed by Leslie Kobylinski
A comedy set in a world where Greek mythology meets burlesque. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
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[Russian Lounge]
Venus Theater Company
Rock the Line
By Kathleen Warnock
Directed by Deborah Randall
Rock the Line is a character-driven play about a group of friends united by their love of rock ‘n’ roll legend Patti Roxx. Set in front of the club where she’ll be performing, the play shows their interactions, power plays, loves, and losses during the eight hours before Patti’s show. [Cursing, sexuality, drug and alcohol abuse].
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[North Atrium Foyer]
The Welders
The Welders: The Best Of
Join us for a preview of upcoming Welders Original plays and Greatest Hits from Welders 2.0. Drama. Recommended for ages 16 and up. [Cursing, violence].
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9 p.m.
[African Lounge]
Constellation Theatre
Le Rougarou du Bayou
Written and directed by Matthew Aldwin McGee
Children are disappearing up and down the bayou. The folks in a small fishing town are on edge. The man who might have answers (or might be the one responsible) is nowhere to be found. His left-behind son, Wiley, is caught in the middle of the chaos and the spreading rumors. Can his father really be the villain? Are our heroes as perfect as we think they are? Or does the legendary shape-shifting swamp creature known as the Hairy Man really exist? Based on the Southern folktale of Wiley and the Hairy Man, this coming-of-age musical looks at our fears of losing loved ones, questions what it means to be a hero, and shines light on how to not become the monsters we dread. It’s a foot-stomping romp through the mystical swamp of the bayou! Musical. Recommended for ages 8 and up. [Mature themes].
