Round House Theatre opens its 2025/26 season with the regional premiere of The Inheritance, Parts One and Two, a groundbreaking work by Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew López. Directed by acclaimed DC-area actor and director Tom Story, this epic two-part production, inspired by E.M. Forster’s Howards End, will run from August 27-October 19 and will be presented in two parts as intended by the playwright. Round House will offer limited performances where audiences can experience both parts in a single day. For more information and tickets, please visit www.roundhousetheatre.org.
The Inheritance, which premiered in London in 2018, reimagines E.M. Forster’s classic novel through a contemporary lens, tracing the lives of three generations of gay men in New York City in 2015 as they grapple with themes of love and legacy, and the enduring shadow of the AIDS crisis amid a turbulent and changing America. Both deeply moving and sharply funny, the play poses powerful questions: What do we owe those who came before us, and what will we leave behind?
Round House’s production of The Inheritance is made possible by an extraordinary gift from The Roy Cockrum Foundation, which enables theaters to reach beyond their normal scope of activities and undertake ambitious and creative productions.
“The Inheritance is one of the most ambitious, emotionally resonant, and awarded plays of its generation. It’s a story that honors the past while urgently speaking to this very moment,” says director Tom Story. “I am proud to direct this stunning work with this incredible cast at Round House. I invite audiences to join us for this sprawling, hilarious, and heartbreaking play. I am honored to be able to create a space where audiences can laugh and grieve together as we reflect on the legacies we inherit, the ones we choose to leave behind, and what it means to be a gay man.”
The cast includes 13 actors, many are well known to DC audiences and some making their Round House debuts; Jonathan Atkinson, Jordi Bertran Ramirez, Ben Bogen, John Floyd, Robert Gant, David Gow, Jamar Jones, Adam Poss, Hunter Ringsmith, Nancy Robinette, Robert Sella, Cole Sitilides, and Dylan Toms. Understudies for this production are Eric Hissom, Elizabeth Pierotti, Drew Sharpe, Theodore Sherron III, and Anthony De Souza.
The cast is joined by a brilliant creative team, which includes Scenic Designer Lee Savage, Costume Designer Frank Labovitz, Lighting Designer Colin K. Bills, Sound Designer Daniela Hart / Uptown Works, Projection Designer Kelly Colburn, Fight Director Casey Kaleba, Movement & Intimacy Choreographer Britta Peterson, Dramaturg Otis Ramsey-Zoe, Composer Paul Englishby, Casting Director Sarah Cooney, Associate Director Ashley Mapley-Brittle, and Production Stage Manager Che Wernsman.
Tickets may be purchased by calling 240.644.1100 or ordering online at RoundHouseTheatre.org. Round House Theatre is located at 4545 East-West Highway, one block from Wisconsin Avenue and the Bethesda station on Metro’s Red Line.
ARTIST INFORMATION
Matthew López (Playwright) is a Tony-winning, Emmy-nominated playwright and filmmaker. His play The Inheritance is the most honored American play in a generation, sweeping the “Best Play” awards in both London and New York, including the Tony Award, Olivier Award, Drama Desk Award, and Evening Standard Award. With Amber Ruffin, Matthew co-wrote the book for the musical adaptation of Some Like it Hot (Drama Desk Award, Tony nomination). His other plays include The Whipping Man, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Somewhere, Reverberation, The Sentinels, and Zoey’s Perfect Wedding. Matthew wrote and directed the film Red, White, and Royal Blue (based on the bestselling novel), for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award.
Tom Story (Director) is an actor, director and teacher living in Washington, DC. He has appeared in over 80 plays in Washington, DC; New York; and around the country. He has directed at Studio Theatre, Round House Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Group, Imagination Stage, Adventure Theatre MTC, Solas Nua, and American University. Tom has been nominated for eight Helen Hayes Awards, and is a Fox Foundation Fellow, a Cabinet member of Studio Theatre, and a graduate of Duke University and The Juilliard School. He studied acting with Michael Kahn and directing with Joy Zinoman.
ABOUT THE CAST (ALPHABETICAL)
Jonathan Atkinson (Jason #2) está muy emocionado de hacer su debut con Round House Theatre en The Inheritance. DC credits include At The Wedding at Studio Theatre; Daphne’s Dive at Signature Theatre; The Mortification of Fovea Munson at The Kennedy Center; Evita and The Crucible at Olney Theatre Center; and Ragtime and A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre. Jonathan is co-host of ¡UY QUE HORROR! A Latinx Horror Movie Podcast.
Jordi Bertrán Ramírez (Adam/Leo) is grateful to be a part of Round House Theatre’s production of The Inheritance. Select regional credits include Cabaret (Virginia Theater Festival), and The Winter’s Tale (The Old Globe). Jordi graduated from Yale last year with a double major in History of Science, Medicine, & Public Health, and in Theater Studies, where his credits include Angels in America: Millennium Approaches (Prior); The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (Billy); Spring Awakening (Melchior); Cabaret (Emcee); and Sanctuary City (B). For his accomplishments in theatrical performance at Yale, Jordi was awarded the Louis Sudler Prize for Excellence in the Performing and Creative Arts.
Ben Bogen (Charles Wilcox/Toby’s Agent) is honored to be making his DC theatre debut in The Inheritance. Broadway credits: Frozen (U/S Weselton, Olaf). Off Broadway credits: Jersey Boys (New World Stages), Only Human (Theatre St Clements). Broadway national tours: Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli alternate), Wicked, and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. Regional credits include Rent (ACT of CT); The Flamingo Kid (Hartford Stage); Sousatzka (The Elgin Theatre in Toronto); and Damn Yankees (Pittsburgh CLO). Television credits: Pose series finale. Ben is also a proud choreographer/movement creator, having recently choreographed Spring Awakening at Clear Space Theatre Company and associate directed/choreographed Jersey Boys at Sierra REP. Training: BFA, University of Michigan.
Anthony De Souza (Understudy, Jason #2 and Charles/Agent) is excited to be making their Round House Theatre debut with The Inheritance. Previous DC credits: José in Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! at Maryland Ensemble Theatre; Ignatius in Green Machine in the Capital Fringe Festival. Workshops/Readings: Walter Mercado presents: a queer Puerto Rican (not just) Christmxs Spectacular! at Avant Bard Theatre; and House of Desires at We Happy Few. Anthony is also a director, with previous credits including Ride the Cyclone and Ordinary Days at CenterStage Theatre Company (Catholic University). Anthony is a graduate of the Catholic University of America with a B.M. in Musical Theatre.
John Floyd (Jason #1) is thrilled to be making his Round House Theatre debut! DC theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet, Our Verse In Time to Come, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth, and Timon of Athens at Folger Theatre; A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre; and One in Two at Mosaic Theatre Company. Regional credits include What Will Happen to All That Beauty? at Contemporary American Theatre Festival.
Robert Gant (Henry Wilcox) is thrilled to be making his Round House Theatre debut. He is best known for playing Ben Bruckner on Showtime’s groundbreaking series Queer as Folk. Theatre credits include Working for the L.A. Reprise. Recurring television roles include 13 Reasons Why, The Fosters, Good Trouble, Supergirl, Popular, Why Women Kill, the BBC’s Personal Affairs, The Tomorrow People, and Caroline in the City. Other television credits include Friends, Station 19, Hawaii Five 0, All Rise, NCIS:LA, Criminal Minds, Castle, Bones, Hot in Cleveland, NCIS, Nip/Tuck, The Closer, Mike & Molly, and Shameless. Film work includes Save Me, Milada, To Catch a Killer, Summer of Dreams, Kiss Me Deadly, The Contract, and Love Is All You Need. As a producer and writer, Robert develops projects centered on LGBTQ+ stories. A longtime social justice advocate, he holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown Law.
David Gow (Eric Glass) is making his Round House Theatre debut! Previous NY credits include Banya at Theaterlab, What I First Desired at Soho Playhouse, Chokehold at 14th St Y, Sweat at Capital Rep, and Bleach at Wilson’s Lounge. Regional credits include Rust on Bone at Denver Center; Hamlet, Measure for Measure, The Waverly Gallery, The Winter’s Tale, Mothers and Sons, and Dear Jack, Dear Louise,at Shakespeare & Company; Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike and Sense & Sensibility at 4th Wall Theater; Pirira and The Giant Void in my Soul at Luna Stages; and The Foreigner at A.D. Players. Film/TV credits include The Girls on the Bus on HBO; The Good Fight and Madam Secretary on CBS; and The Savant, The Intruder, and Chrissy Judy on Apple TV.
Eric Hissom (Understudy, Morgan/Walter) Round House credits include The Tempest, The Great Leap, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. DC credits include Arcadia at the Folger (Helen Hayes award); Death on the Nile at Arena Stage; The Diary of Anne Frank at Olney Theatre Center; Born Yesterday at Ford’s Theatre; The Vibrator Play at Woolly Mammoth; Body of an American at Theatre J; The Effect at Studio, and many others. Regional credits include work at Seattle Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep, Asolo Rep, and many others. He did the national tour of The Thirty-Nine Steps, and has done a bit of TV and film, including the feature Out of Time.
Jamar Jones (Tristan) makes his Round House Theatre debut with The Inheritance. DC credits include Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies and Yogurt at Woolly Mammoth. Regional credits include Blues for an Alabama Sky at Seattle Rep; Fat Ham, Much Ado about Nothing, Emma, The Legend of Georgia McBride, A Wrinkle in Time, Hamlet, and The Christmas Case of Hezekiah Jones at PlayMakers Repertory Company; Black Like Me at Chautauqua Theater Company; Toni Stone at Playhouse on Park; Fires in the Mirror (2022 RTCC Award- Best Lead Performance/Play) and Passing Strange at Firehouse Theater; An Octoroon (2019 RTCC Award- Best Actor/Play) and Topdog/Underdog at TheatreLab; and Fences at Virginia Rep. Television credits includes Law & Order. UNC at Chapel Hill- M.F.A (Acting).
Elizabeth Pierotti (Understudy, Margaret) is pleased to be supporting this production at Round House Theatre. DC credits include Ulysses on Bottles at Mosaic Theater Company; The Apple Family Plays, The Steward of Christendom and Silence, Cunning, and Exile at Studio Theatre; The Women and The Time of Your Life at Arena Stage; The Grapes of Wrath and Inherit the Wind at Ford’s Theatre; Never Swim Alone at Woolly Mammoth Theatre; Well, The How and the Why, and The Glass Menagerie at 1st Stage; The Well of Horniness and The Art of Dining at Source Theatre; Medea at Songs of the Goat; and The Supper at Scena Theatre.
Adam Poss (Toby Darling) is thrilled to make his Round House debut in The Inheritance. DC credits include The History Boys (Studio Theatre). Broadway credits include Peter Morgan’s Patriots (Ethel Barrymore Theatre). Select regional credits include Lady Macbeth in Robert O’Hara’s all-male Macbeth (Denver Center); Oedipus in Oedipus el Rey and the world premiere of Maduri Shekar’s Queen (Victory Gardens); Angelo in Measure for Measure (Chicago Shakespeare); the world premieres of Christopher Shinn’s Teddy Ferrara and 2666 (The Goodman Theatre); Dracula in the world premiere of Dracula and Birthday Candles (Cincinnati Playhouse); the world premieres of Rajiv Joseph’s The North Pool (Theatreworks Silicon Valley) and his The Lake Effect (Silk Road Rising). Select television credits include Chicago Med/Fire/PD, Empire, Shameless, Paper Girls, and The Big Leap.
Nancy Robinette (Margaret) is always gleeful when reunited with Round House, having performed here in Jennifer Who Is Leaving; Uncle Vanya; A Doll’s House, Part 2; Escape from Happiness; Better Living; Love and Anger; and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Recent performances elsewhere include roles in Death on the Nile and The Heiress at Arena, Uncle Vanya at Berkeley Rep and Shakespeare Theatre, Problems Between Sisters at Studio Theatre, Steel Magnolias at Gulfshore Playhouse and at Everyman, Trip to Bountiful at Ford’s Theatre, Nicole Clark is Having a Baby at the Humana Festival, Mother Courage at Scena, and Prayer for the French Republic at Manhattan Theatre Club for which she received an Outer Critic’s Circle nomination. For her 40+ years in DC area theater, she received a Helen Hayes Tribute. She dedicates this performance to the memory of her brother, John, for whom she and her siblings created an AIDS quilt depicting his favorite things, and who insisted on buying her an elegant dress from Neiman Marcus when she was first nominated for a Helen Hayes Award.
Hunter Ringsmith (Jasper/Paul Wilcox/Young Man 7) is so thrilled to be making his Round House debut with this production. DC area credits include King Lear at Shakespeare Theatre; Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center; Desperate Measures at Constellation Theatre; Major Barbara at Washington Stage Guild; and Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Folger Theatre. Off-Broadway credits include The Tempest at the Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park. Regionally, he’s been in Clarkston at Bridge Street Theatre; Bad Jews, Ghost, Sister Act, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, and First Date at Lake Dillon Theatre Co; and has worked with Pennsylvania, New Swan, Colorado, Arkansas and Great River Shakespeare Fests and The Dallas Theatre Center. Film work includes Netflix’s Rustin. MFA: University of California Irvine. BFA: Southern Methodist University.
Robert Sella (Morgan/Walter Poole) is proud to make his Round House debut with The Inheritance. DC credits include Design for Living, Don Carlos, and Mourning Becomes Electra (Helen Hayes Award) at the Shakespeare Theatre; the first national tour of Angels in America and Bruinhaha! at the Kennedy Center. Broadway appearances include Flying Over Sunset, Sylvia, My Fair Lady, Cabaret, Sideman, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Robert played opposite Dame Maggie Smith in The Lady from Dubuque on the West End. Favorite off-Broadway and regional projects include Amadeus and Private Lives (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); The Mystery of Irma Vep (Red Bull/Lucille Lortel) and Stuff Happens (Public). Film and television include Manchester by the Sea, Sleepy Hollow, and New Amsterdam. Robert is a graduate of UCLA and Juilliard.
Drew Sharpe (Understudy, Young Henry & Young Walter) is a DC-based actor, musician, and songwriter making his Round House Theatre debut. His recent theatre credits include Wipeout at Studio Theatre; Hand to God, Apropos of Nothing, and Merrily We Roll Along at The Keegan Theatre; Reefer Madness at NextStop Theatre Company; The Tempest, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), and Our Town with The Classic Theatre of Maryland; and Amelia Earhart with The REV on Tour.
Theodore Sherron III (Understudy, Tristan/Jason #1) is thrilled to be making his Round House Theatre debut with The Inheritance! DC credits include The America Play at Perisphere Theatre. Touring credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare Beyond. Regional credits include Akeelah and the Bee at Baltimore Center Stage; Romeo and Juliet, Complete Works of William Shakespeare, and Macbeth at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company; and R&J at Strand Theatre Co.
Cole Sitilides (Young Henry) is delighted to be making his Round House Theatre debut in The Inheritance. Previous DC credits include Richard III at Shakespeare Theatre Company; Brighton Beach Memoirs at Theater J; and A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre. Regional credits include The C Word with Los Angeles Theatre Initiative. He is a recent graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television.
Dylan Toms (Young Walter/Tucker) is so excited to be making his Round House Theatre debut with The Inheritance. DC credits include Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, She Loves Me, and Assassins at Signature Theatre; Finn and The Mortification of Fovea Munson at Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences; Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man (Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Ensemble) at Olney Theatre Center; The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (Helen Hayes Nomination, Outstanding Lead Performer), Charlotte’s Web, Junie B. Jones: The Musical, and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at Adventure Theatre MTC; Finn: A Concert Reading with Monumental Theatre Co. and Theatre Alliance. Regional credits include Waitress at Mill Mountain Theatre and Cabaret at Showtimers Theatre.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
The Inheritance
Written by Matthew Lopez
Directed by Tom Story
Dates: August 27–October 19, 2025
ABOUT THE PLAY
Round House Theatre proudly presents The Inheritance, the most awarded play of our generation, performed in a breathtaking two-part theatrical event. Winner of the Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk, Critics’ Circle, Evening Standard, and Drama League Awards for Best Play, Matthew López’s epic masterpiece instantly became a modern classic. Hailed as “a vast, heartfelt, and hugely ambitious” (The Guardian) work, The Inheritance follows a group of young gay men in New York as they wrestle with love, legacy, and the shadow of the AIDS crisis. Deeply moving and bitingly funny, this unforgettable production asks: What do we owe those who came before us, and what will we leave behind? Presented in repertory, Parts One and Two create an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experience. “The best American play of the century so far” (The Telegraph), The Inheritance is more than a play — it’s an event that will stay with you forever.
DATES AND TIMES
The Inheritance runs from August 27–October 19, 2025 at Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 7:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 pm.
Both performances may be viewed on the same day (Part 1 followed by Part 2) on September 27 and October 11.
TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased by calling 240.644.1100, ordering online at RoundHouseTheatre.org or visiting the box office. Available ticket discounts include:
- Free Play: free tickets for students ages 13 through college: Round House Theatre’s Free Play initiative ties into our greater strategy to develop theater audiences of tomorrow by providing rich, meaningful arts experiences. For more information, visit RoundHouseTheatre.org/FreePlay or email Education@RoundHouseTheatre.org.
- On the House community ticket access program: Round House’s next step to remove barriers that can make it difficult for some members of our community to experience our work is On the House, which provides complimentary group tickets to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and community-serving organizations with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. For more information, visit RoundHouseTheatre.org/On-Stage/On-The-House or email Community@RoundHouseTheatre.org.
- Pay-What-You-Can performances: PWYC tickets go on sale online or by phone only (no walk-up sales) beginning three weeks before the first performance of each show. The patron decides the admission price. Limit of two tickets per order. PWYC tickets are are subject to availability.
- Blue Star Theatre Program: Active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their immediate family qualify for a $10 discount off the single ticket price. Learn more at RoundHouseTheatre.org/On-Stage/Tickets.
- 2-For-1 Tuesday: For all Tuesday performances of The Inheritance, all seats are buy one, get one free. 2-for-1 Tuesday tickets are available online or by phone (240.644.1100) with promo code TWOFORONE. Discounts may not be combined. Not valid on previously purchased tickets.
- Group Sales: Groups of 10 or more can save 10% off the single ticket price and are exempt from single ticket fees. These tickets must be reserved and purchased in advance by calling 240.644.1100 or emailing GroupSales@RoundHouseTheatre.org
ABOUT ROUND HOUSE THEATRE
Round House Theatre is one of the leading professional theaters in the Washington, D.C. area, producing a season of new plays, modern classics, and musicals for more than 50,000 patrons each year at its theater in Bethesda. Round House has been nominated for 235 Helen Hayes Awards and has won 54, including four Outstanding Resident Play Awards and the Charles MacArthur Award for Original New Play in 2016. Round House’s lifelong learning and education programs serve more than 5,000 students each year at its Education Center in Silver Spring, in schools throughout Montgomery County, and at its Bethesda theater. Cornerstone programs include Free Play, which provides free tickets for students age 13-college, the Teen Performance Company, which culminates in the student-produced Sarah Metzger Memorial Play, Summer Camp for students in grades K-12, and a full slate of classes for adults and youth.
ABOUT THE ROY COCKRUM FOUNDATION
Founded in 2014 by Roy Cockrum and Benita Hofstetter Koman with winnings from Mr. Cockrum’s Powerball lottery jackpot, the Foundation’s mission is to award grants to support world-class performing arts projects in not-for-profit professional theaters throughout America. Since 2014, the Foundation has awarded 51 grants to 42 American theaters. Inspiration for its mission derives from a Camus quote: “Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future.” ― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays.
