Signature Theatre announces the cast and creative team for the queer cult classic musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, with text by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask. The production will be directed by Signature Theatre Associate Artistic Director Ethan Heard (Signature’s Soft Power, The Bridges of Madison County), with choreography by Ashleigh King (Signature’s HAIR, Ragtime) and music direction by Marika Countouris (Signature’s Private Jones, Passing Strange). Hedwig and the Angry Inch will star Sawyer Smith (Drury Lane’s The Little Mermaid, Steppenwolf’s Amadeus) as Hedwig and Vanessa (V) Sterling (Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, Arden Theatre Company’s Into the Woods) as Yitzhak. Performances run April 15 – June 22, 2025 in Signature’s ARK Theatre. Tickets start at $40 and are available at SigTheatre.org.
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch is all about rage and joy, grit and glitter,” said Signature’s Associate Artistic Director Ethan Heard. “In this horrifying time, when LGBTQIA+ folks are being wrongfully targeted and villainized, Hedwig fights back, resisting and insisting on queer liberation. Celebrating the artistry of trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming performers and creatives, our 2025 production — almost 30 years after the original and happily coinciding with WorldPride in DC — explodes the binarchy and revels in gender f*ckery, queer pride, and self-love!”
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch first made its DC area premiere at Signature Theatre in the Garage back in 2002,” said Signature’s Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. “This year, we are thrilled to mark the occasion of WorldPride in DC with a brand-new production in our intimate ARK Theatre, directed by Signature’s Associate Artistic Director Ethan Heard. Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell’s radical punk-rock anthem to queer survival and self-acceptance is a generation-defining work, and I welcome audiences to come hear Hedwig’s story again as only Signature can tell it.”
In Signature’s remarkably intimate ARK Theatre, this radical rock musical explodes with glam, grit, glitter, and heart. With killer heels and a fabulous wig, Hedwig tours the country, trailing the ex-lover who stole her songs and made it big. Tonight, Hedwig will tell her story on her own terms, in an unforgettable show about growing up in Communist East Germany, the botched sex change operation that allowed her to come to the United States, and life beyond the binary. Hilarious and heartbreaking, with an electrifying score, this queer anthem cult classic celebrates surviving against all odds.
The creative team for Hedwig and the Angry Inch includes Scenic Design by Richie Ouellette (Signature’s Which Way to the Stage, Olney Theatre Center’s Mary Stuart), Costume Design by Erik Teague (Signature’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Ragtime), Lighting Design by K Rudolph (HERE Arts Center’s The Hang, Rattlestick’s Spiritus), Sound Design by Eric Norris (Signature’s In the Heights, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), and Wig and Makeup Design by Ali Pohanka (Signature’s Which Way to the Stage, National Tour of Frozen). Zach Campion is the Dialect Coach, and Alex Kuhn is the Illustrator. Casting is by Jorge Acevedo. New York Casting is by Geoff Josselson, CSA. Julia Singer is the Stage Manager, Jessica Hagy is the Production Assistant, Ashlynne Ludwig is the Associate Costume Designer, and Sage Green is the Assistant Lighting Designer. The Angry Inch Band includes Sam Carolla on Drums, Marika Countouris on Keys, Alec Green on Guitar, and Joanna Smith on Bass. Christian Montgomery (Round House Theatre’s Spring Awakening) and Deema Turkomani (Monumental’s American Psycho) are understudies.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch runs April 15 – June 22, 2025 in Signature Theatre’s ARK Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA 22206. Tickets start at $40 and are available online or by calling the box office at 703 820 9771.
Closed captions will be available for every show via the GalaPro app.
Pride Nights: June 6 and June 20, 2025
Post-show Discussions: May 20 and June 4, 2025
ASL Interpreted: May 30, 2025
Masks Required: April 27 (2PM), May 20 and June 12, 2025
ABOUT SIGNATURE THEATRE
Signature Theatre is a Tony Award-winning regional theater that broadens and brightens the region’s cultural landscape with its bold productions of challenging new and established works and engaging education and outreach programs. Founded in 1989 by Eric Schaeffer and Donna Migliaccio, and currently under the leadership of Managing Director Maggie Boland and Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, musical theater is Signature’s “signature,” and the Theatre is renowned for its definitive Sondheim productions, inventive adaptations of overlooked or forgotten works, and investment in fresh new projects. Signature combines Broadway-caliber productions with intimate playing spaces and aims to be a leading force in U.S. musical theater.
Since its inception, the Theatre has produced 61 world premiere works — including 20 new musical commissions. Signature opens its doors to more than 100,000 people annually from the Washington, DC region and beyond and reaches more than 10,000 students every year through its innovative education programs, including the award-winning initiative Signature in the Schools. Signature has won 142 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region’s professional theater and has been honored with 527 nominations.
