Step into a rom-com as it’s being written in D.C. I Love You: Ready or Not.
The site-specific, immersive play invites the audience on a walking tour of the Folger Shakespeare Library while following the unfolding love life of a young man (or woman, depending on the performance) named Hunter. An unwilling participant in the drama, Hunter meets a series of stereotypical rom-com love interests, from a frustrated woman trying to unlock her ex-boyfriend’s bike to a busy businesswoman and a ukulele-strumming dreamer. Will the reluctant Hunter find the one?
With a rotating cast and a changing environment, no two performances of D.C. I Love You: Ready or Not will be quite the same. Each scene unfolds in a different location in or around the historic Shakespeare Library, which is open to the public during the performance. Expect couples to unknowingly stroll through the scene, locals to look askance, and tourists to snap photos as you follow your tour guide through each episode of the journey.
The creativity and community effort behind this show give it heart, but the writing itself falls flat compared to the Folger’s usual artistic standards.
When Hunter breaks the fourth wall in the opening scene, it draws the audience in as characters in the story; but the role of the audience in that story remains unclear and awkward throughout.
As each love interest gets progressively more exaggerated and ridiculous, the corny dialogue feels out of place against the near-majesty of the surrounding library.
An unexpected twist in the final scene somewhat redeems the weakness of the rest of the script for some humor and dramatic payoff in the end.
Besides a few quirky, sweet moments throughout and a compelling monologue from Hunter in the reading room scene, the best part of this walking anti-rom-com journey is touring the beautiful and historic Folger Shakespeare Library and getting a chance to stop in for a drink at the Quill and Crumb Café.
Still, the creativity and innovation behind the play are impressive. Love stories lived and written by those in the DC community form the heart of the show’s storyline. At community workshops in 2024, aspiring rom-com writers shared their favorite District-based love stories at community writing workshops at the Folger and the DC Public Library branches in Mount Pleasant and Anacostia. Those stories became DC, I Love You: First Dates in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood and DC, I Love You: Ready or Not at the Folger Shakespeare Library.
Both are the first two parts of the DC Amplified Project, a three-part series that aims to uplift and document the stories of Washingtonians.
“The DC Amplified Project is part of the Folger’s commitment to building authentic engagement with our DC community, in the community,” said Folger’s Director of Performance and Programming Karen Ann Daniels. “DC is an incredible city that holds so many institutions, but an institution is made up of people, and those people have lives and within those lives, captivating stories to share.”
DC, I Love You: Ready or Not plays June 21 and 22, 2025, beginning at the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Haskell Center, 301 East Capitol St SE, Washington, DC. Tickets are $30, or $50 for two. There are six different time slots each day, beginning at 1 pm, with limited capacity for each event. Participants should wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes because the show involves walking, and some scenes will take place outside. To reserve tickets or for more information, go online or call the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077.
CAST
Dominique Gray: Hunter
Dylan Arredondo: Hunter
Ixchel: Elizabeth/Maggie/Holly/Amelia
Laura Zee: Hunter
Lenny Mendez: Anne
Miss Kitty: Anne
Pauline Lamb: Elizabeth/Maggie/Holly/Amelia
Sedona Salb: Anne
Yesenia Iglesia: Elizabeth/Maggie/Holly/Amelia
CREATIVE TEAM
Katie Harroff: Creator, Writer, Director
Nadia Guevara: Assistant Director, Co-Producer
Megan Wave: Stage Manager
Laura Zee: Co-Producer
Thomas Sowers: Sound
Anaïs Daniels-Condon: Production Assistant
SEE ALSO:
‘DC, I Love You,’ Folger’s true rom-com series, kicks off in Mount Pleasant (review by Julian Oquendo, May 30, 2025)
Folger’s ‘DC, I Love You’ to enact real love stories in Mount Pleasant and Capitol Hill (news story, May 12, 2025)
