2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations in Washington, DC, and the first time that the U.S. capital has hosted WorldPride. Here’s a peek at what’s on DC-area stages during World Pride (May 17-June 8), as our local theater community celebrates queer joy and artistry in all its forms.
Stage Plays
* = Partner, Theatre Washington’s Gay for #DCTheatre Festival
Hedwig and the Angry Inch* (Signature Theatre, Arlington, VA). Queer anthem cult classic celebrates surviving against all odds. Runs April 15-June 22. Pride Nights June 6 and June 20. Tickets here.
Head Over Heels* (Constellation Theatre Company, Washington, DC). Renaissance romance, Greek comedy, fantasy, and gender-bending blend in jukebox musical featuring the music of The Go-Go’s. Runs May 1-June 1. Pride Nights May 22 and May 30. Tickets here.
Paradise Blue* (Studio Theatre, Washington, DC). Immersive, music-filled drama about resilience, self-preservation, and community. Runs May 1-June 22. Tickets here.
Falsettos* (The Keegan Theatre, Washington, DC). Tony-winning contemporary musical about family, relationships, bar mitzvahs, baseball and AIDS. Runs May 10-June 15. Tickets here.
Twelfth Night* (Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, DC). A playful interpretation of a beloved Shakespeare comedy that brings gender fluidity, mistaken identities, and what it means to move between worlds into a joyful discovery of love. Runs May 13-June 22. Tickets here.
Pondering About My Memories/Reflexión sobre el Recuerdo (Teatro de la Luna, Washington, DC). A poetic exploration of queerness, cheesiness, love and foolishness reflecting on the past, the present, the uncertainties of the future, and the unbearable question of the meaning of our existence. Runs May 16-25. Tickets here.
We Are Gathered* (Arena Stage, Washington, DC). A new queer love story from the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Moonlight, Tarell Alvin McCraney. Runs May 16-June 15. Tickets here. At select performances beginning May 22, couples are invited to exchange (or renew) their marriage vows on stage as part of Love Takes Center Stage, an immersive experience open to couples 18+ by application. Details and application here.
Senior Class* (Olney Theatre Center, Olney, MD). The class and gender divides of George Bernard Shaw’s original reemerge in surprising ways as two Broadway-obsessed students decide to stage their own original musical version of Shaw’s Pygmalion. Runs May 16-June 22. WorldPride Mixer May 29. Tickets here.
Frankenstein* (Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, DC). Emily Burns reimagines Mary Shelley’s gothic science fiction masterpiece as a chilling exploration of the horror within humanity and what it means to create a new life. Runs May 27-June 29. Pride Night June 8. Tickets here.
Andy Warhol in Iran* (Mosaic Theater Company, Washington, DC). When a fascinating University student takes Warhol hostage to publicize his group’s demands, a life or death struggle ensues over revolution, responsibility and the arts. Runs May 29-June 29. Equality Chamber of Commerce Night June 12. Tickets here.
The Berlin Diaries* (Theater J, Washington, DC). Award-winning playwright Andrea Stolowitz opens the pages of her great-grandfather’s journal to discover a previously unknown genealogy and searches for clues that propel her forward and backward in time, pursuing a family history formerly lost to war. Runs June 4-22. Tickets here.
Festivals
WorldPride 2025 International Choral Festival (Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington). 50 concerts. 25 venues. 30 choruses. 16 days. Runs May 22-June 8. Full schedule and tickets here.
WorldPride Arts Hub (Theater Alliance, Washington, DC). Featuring dynamic and inclusive events including vibrant performances, participatory community gatherings, and visual art installations — all designed to celebrate and uplift the richness of queer identity and culture. Runs May 29-June 6. Full schedule and tickets here. Performances include:
- Gender Play, or What You Will by Will Wilhelm and Erin Murray, presented by Theater Alliance and Shakespeare Theatre Company
- Noche de Jotería: A Queer Latine Variety Show, presented by Latinx History Project
- A Concert Reading of FINN, presented by Monumental Theatre Company
- Visual Arts Gallery: Quilts from ACLU Freedom to Be Monument
WoCo Fest 2025: Uplift (Boulanger Initiative and Strathmore, North Bethesda, MD). A two-day festival showcasing an eclectic lineup of LGBTQ+ and allied artists and ensembles, celebrating the voices of women and gender-marginalized composers in thrilling new ways. Runs May 30-31. Details and tickets here.
Improv Pride (Washington Improv Theater, Washington, DC). Celebrating DC’s local LGBTQ+ improv talent. Runs May 30-June 1. Full schedule and tickets here. Events include:
- Ask Me Anything with Brent Minor, founder of Team DC, an association representing the DC area’s LGBTQ sports clubs
- The Cookout: Black Pride Edition, featuring Malik and Rasheed, House of Whitney, and Queerfolk
- Danielle She/Her, a one-woman sketch show by WIT teaching artist Danielle Steger
- Free LBGTQ+ inclusive Improv for All workshops!
Pride Plays (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Washington, DC). A festival celebrating the rich tapestry of LGBTQIA+ experiences through the power of live theater. Runs June 3-June 6. Full schedule and tickets here. Plays include:
- The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer, a newly updated definitive edition of the 1985 classic
- Pony, a new work by Sylvan Oswald
- Novios, a new work by Arturo Luíz Soria
- The Hotel/Makeda: A Baltimore Cycle Play, a new work by Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi
- Mother Mary, a new work by KJ Moran Velz
- Fear & Wonder, a new work by Jason Tseng
Short-Run/Single-Performance/Special Events
Lesbo Solo: My Gay History Play (As You Are DC, Washington, DC). Legendary playwright Terry Baum tells us her convoluted and liberating coming-out-story as she both witnesses and creates gay history from the 60s to the present. Runs May 18-24. Four performances only! Tickets here.
Circus of the Self: A Show About Queer Joy, Juggling & Identity* (Spooky Action Theater, Washington, DC). Trans performer Lucy Eden’s one-woman autobiographical busking show interweaves circus, humor, poetry, and personal narrative. Runs May 29-June 6. Ten performances only! Tickets here.
Unmasked: Freedom in Full Color (Alliance for New Music-Theatre, Washington, DC). Vocal artist and composer Deacon, with collaborator Aran, presents his own rules for fully-realized living through poetry and song. Three performances only: at the Arts Club of Washington (June 3) and at Dupont Underground (June 6-7). Details and tickets here.
La Golondrina (Mexican Cultural Institute, Washington, DC). The fate of a strict singing teacher and her student become forever intertwined as they reveal details of their past, a past deeply marked by the Pulse nightclub shooting. Two nights only, June 6-7. Tickets here.
Queer Black Broadway Walking Tours (Off the Mall Tours and Rainbow History Project, Washington, DC). Walking tour of U Street Corridor, known as DC’s Black Broadway, ending at Thurst Lounge, DC’s first queer black-owned bar. Three dates only: May 25, May 31, and June 7. Details and tickets here.
Opera On Tap DC Metro Celebrates WorldPride 2025! (Wonderland Ballroom, Washington, DC). A fabulous night of music from LGBTQ+ composers, librettists, and poets, or that features an LGBTQ+ story or prominent figure. One night only, May 22. FREE! Donations welcome. Register here.
Out/Spoken: Stories That Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride. (Howard Theatre, Washington, DC). 15th anniversary of Story District’s annual LGBTQ+ storytelling festival. One night only, May 24. Tickets here.
—and Find OUT! (Undercroft Theatre, Washington, DC). African American Collective Theater’s 33rd anniversary festival of new LGBTQ+ short plays celebrating DC Black Pride Weekend, written by Alan Sharp and performed Reader’s Theater style. One day only, May 25. Tickets here.
Queer Dramaturgy: Gender in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, DC). Explore questions of self-discovery and gender play in Twelfth Night in this workshop with Professor Alexa Alice Joubin. One night only, May 30. FREE! Register here.
Lisa Stephen Friday in Concert: Celebrating Pride (The Keegan Theatre, Washington, DC). Acclaimed actor, musician, and writer Lisa Stephen Friday takes the Keegan Theatre stage to celebrate Pride with a healthy dose of Trans Pride, Trans Joy, and Trans Resilience! With Carmen Castillo. One night only, June 5. Tickets here.
Essex Hemphill: Take Care of Your Blessings (The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC). Essex Hemphill was a prominent Washington, DC, poet, performer, editor, and activist whose work engaged themes of race, gender, sexuality, love, and community during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Explore his work and influence on visual and performing artists in this special exhibit. Runs May 17-August 31. Includes Notes on Essex poetry performance June 14. Register here.
* = Partner, Theatre Washington’s Gay for #DCTheatre Festival
And while DC’s WorldPride 2025 officially concludes June 8, continue celebrating Pride on stage for the remainder of June with The Rocky Horror Show: Pride Edition, running June 13-29 at Baltimore’s Iron Crow Theatre. Tickets here.
