When Shakespeare penned “All the world’s a stage,” he couldn’t have imagined Washington, DC’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood doubling as one. From May 24 through June 1, 2025, audiences meander along Mount Pleasant Street NW — sipping a drink at the Raven Grill one moment, joining a trivia night at the local pub the next — as five short, site-specific plays unfold around them. Each vignette, drawn from true community stories gathered in late-2024 workshops, becomes a tiny rom-com first date: the meet-cute, the misstep, the spark of possibility. Rather than offering social commentary, DC, I Love You: First Dates invites us to pause and “romanticize our lives” against the vibrant backdrop of everyday DC locales.
In an audience of mostly locals, many of us surprised to be part of a tour group, donned in earplugged audio system, and with a flag-carrying guide leading the way, we are engaged to explore a part of the city that, frankly, I should have already known plenty about. As we pop from vignette to scene, the full story comes across through learning about the history of the bar where the first dates happen.
This also puts the audience in an unusual spot, where suddenly we are also the object of passersby’s curiosity. To enjoy the reaction of a stranger realizing that they’re about to walk through the middle of a play is as amusing as it is just the right amount of socially awkward.
The Genesis of “Dates”
Katherine Harroff, Folger Shakespeare Library’s Director of Engagement and creator of the “I Love You” series, knew she wanted more than just love stories — she yearned for the thrill of beginnings. “Although I’ve created several iterations of the ‘I Love You’ series centered on community stories, I’d never focused entirely on first dates,” she explains. In community workshops held at Folger branches and DCPL sites across Mount Pleasant and Anacostia, Harroff introduced writing prompts — one about first dates in particular resonated deeply. “It turned out to be an exciting, open-ended theme that allowed me to incorporate a wide range of workshop stories and showcase a large, diverse cast of characters,” she says. Those authentic anecdotes — joyful, awkward, hopeful — now form the backbone of these five playful scenes.
Why Community-Centered Performance?
“DC’s communities deserve just as much of a platform for storytelling as our political stage, which often overshadows everyday experiences,” Harroff reflects. By staging narratives where they happened — cafés, corner stores, neighborhood hotspots — the production layers intimacy atop authenticity. “Performing in the community adds another layer of intimacy — placing real stories in the places they’d naturally occur and inviting audiences to witness that connection,” she notes. In doing so, Harroff deepens ties not only between performers and their roots but between neighbor and neighbor.
A Broadening Audience
Since its debut under the umbrella of the DC Amplified Project — a three-part initiative gathering Washingtonians’ stories — the “I Love You” series has seen audience composition evolve. “When you center storytelling around the community, you attract a broader, more diverse audience who see themselves reflected in the work,” Harroff observes. Word-of-mouth has been particularly impactful: folks who might never have crossed the Folger threshold now find front-row seats just blocks from home. The result is a self-sustaining celebration of local life, uniting long-time residents, newcomers, young couples, and teetotalers alike.
Folger’s Mission in Action
At its core, Folger Shakespeare Library champions the idea that Shakespeare’s mirror to society can — and should — reflect every voice. “Community Engagement is all about building bridges — creating pathways for those who may be outside our usual reach and may not even know about our incredible collection,” Harroff says. The DC, I Love You events embody that mission: sharing Shakespeare’s spirit of empathy through the lens of modern love, offering accessible art experiences woven into the fabric of daily life.
What’s Next? DC, I Love You: Ready or Not
After the flirtatious first glances of First Dates in Mount Pleasant, the series flirts with the unexpected at the Folger itself. From June 14 to 22, DC, I Love You: Ready or Not transports audiences into a rom-com fantasy, where a character finds herself inside a movie — and maybe, so do we. As Harroff hints, deeper dives into DC’s love lives are on the horizon, with plans for future installments in Anacostia and beyond (see The Washington Post’s report.)
Embrace the whimsy of real DC stories and discover why, in this city of monuments, the everyday still holds the greatest dramas of all.
- DC, I Love You: First Dates (sold out)
May 24 – June 1, 2025 | Mount Pleasant neighborhood | Tickets: $30, or $50 for two (21+) - DC, I Love You: Ready or Not
June 14 – June 22, 2025 | Folger Shakespeare Library | Tickets: $30, or $50 for two
There are six different time slots, beginning at 1pm with limited capacity for each event. To reserve tickets or for more information, go online or call the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077.
SEE ALSO:
True rom-com series ‘DC, I Love You: Ready or Not’ opens its heart at Folgerr (review by Moira Gleason, June 15, 2025)
Folger’s ‘DC, I Love You’ to enact real love stories in Mount Pleasant and Capitol Hill (news story, May 12, 2025)
