As 2023 drew to a close, we asked DCTA writers to think back on the shows that left an indelible impression on them. Here are the shows that stuck in our writer’s minds as outstanding overall productions.
2023 DC Theater Arts Staff Favorites for Outstanding Community Production
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Prince William Little Theatre As You Dig It, Lumina Studio Theatre Avenue Q, Reston Community Players
Ashley Williams as Gary Coleman and Bennett Atwater as Princeton in ‘Avenue Q.’ Photo by Heather Regan Photography.
Beauty and the Beast, Hope Theater Big Fish, City of Fairfax Theatre Company By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, Rooftop Productions Cabaret, Reston Community Players
Charlie Ross Comedy and Magic, at Capital Fringe Festival Cinderella, Upper Room Theatre Ministry Dead Man’s Cell Phone, NOVA Nightsky Theatre Don’t Dress for Dinner, Providence Players of Fairfax Head Over Heels, Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre
Scene from ‘Head Over Heels.’ Photo by Alison Harbaugh, Sugar Farm Productions.
He Creeps, 3rd Eye Productions John Proctor Is the Villain, presented by Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society at Georgetown University Larry, the Big Time Broadway Producer, Triune Entertainment Making the Go-Go Band: a new musical, presented by Georgetown University’s Department of Performing Arts Theater and Performance Studies Program in partnership with Black Theatre Ensemble
Eric Kumho Chun, Lucia McLaughlin, Ian Timoteo Franza, Noah Vinogrado, Kyando Baylor, and Cameren Evans in ‘Making the Go-Go Band.’ Photo by Shannon Finney.
Oliver, Prince William Little Theatre and Manassas Symphony Orchestra Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem, Kentlands Community Players Shut Up, Martha!, at Capital Fringe Festival Silent Sky, Providence Players of Fairfax Sister Act, Little Theatre of Alexandria
Deloris and her backup dancers audition. Tina (Jenni Philp), Deloris (Ashley Williams, and Michelle (Odette Guiterrez del Arroyo) in ‘Sister Act.’ Photo by Matthew Randall.
Something Rotten!, 2nd Star Productions Something Rotten!, Montgomery County Summer Dinner Theatre Stick Fly, Rockville Little Theatre The Book of Will, Colonia Players of Annapolis The Nacirema Society, Little Theatre of Alexandria Titanic, Good Shepherd Productions Young Frankenstein, Little Theatre of Alexandria
As 2023 drew to a close, we asked DCTA writers to think back on the shows that left an indelible impression on them. In this category, Outstanding Performances (Community), we recognize individual and ensemble performances that stood out to our writers.
Note: DC Theater Arts does not publish a “best of” list. If you got on a stage this year, we think you are the best. Since our writers all see different shows, and no DCTA writer sees all the shows produced in our region, this list only represents the subjective opinions and recollections of our writers.
Individual Performances
Eitan Amster as Brother Jeremiah in Something Rotten! at Montgomery County Summer Dinner Theatre
Melisande Short-Colomb in Here I Am presented by the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University
Cor Estoll as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem at Kentlands Community Players
Cor Estoll as Sherlock Holmes, Avery Morstan as Dr. Watson, and Pauline Griller-Mitchell as Holmes’ housekeeper Mrs. Hudson in ‘Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem.’ Publicity photo by Markham Luke.
Adam Goldsmith as Plankton in The SpongeBob Musical at Silhouette Stages
Pauline Griller-Mitchell as Mrs. Hudson in Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem at Kentlands Community Players
Meredith Iodice as Mary Bennet in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly at Montgomery Playhouse
Colleen Isaiah as Clown 2 in The 39 Steps at UpStage Artists
Neva Keuroglian Sullivan as Bea in Something Rotten! at 2nd Star Productions
Maura Lacy as Sandra in Big Fish at City of Fairfax Theatre Company
Noah Mutterperl as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein at Little Theatre of Alexandria
Meg Nemeth as Agatha Trunchbull in Matilda at 2nd Star Productions
Meg Nemeth as Agatha Trunchbull in ‘Matilda the Musical.’ Photo by Nate Jackson Photography.
Taylor Peppers as Arthur de Bourgh in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley at Montgomery Playhouse
Anthony Pohl as George in Stop Kiss at Reston Community Players
Faheem Abdus Salaam as Al in He Creeps at 3rd Eye Productions
Matt Scarborough as Ernst Ludwig in Cabaret at Reston Community Players
Andy Shaw as Amos in Big Fish at City of Fairfax Theatre Company
Liz Weber as Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret at Reston Community Players
Matt Wetzel as SpongeBob in The SpongeBob Musical at Silhouette Stages
Ensemble Performances
Avenue Q at Reston Community Players Cinderella at Upper Room Theatre Ministry Ordinary Days at NOVA Nightsky Theater Overture at American University Department of Performing Arts
The cast of ‘Overture 2023′ in performance. Photo by Elena Zimmerman.
Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem at Kentlands Community Players Titanic at Good Shepherd Players
As 2023 drew to a close, we asked DCTA writers to think back on the shows that left an indelible impression on them. In this category, Outstanding Creative Components (Community), we recognize:
Designers (including set, sound, lighting, and costume)
Directors (including choreographers and music directors)
A round of applause to everyone who works hard to make our theater community a great place!
As You Dig It at Lumina Studio Theatre Sophie Cameron and Meg Lebow, direction
David Minton, adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It
Big Fish at City of Fairfax Theatre Company
Paul Pesnell, sound design
Cabaret at Reston Community Players
Duane Monahan and Catherine Oh, choreography
Claire O’Brien Jeffrey as Sally Bowles with the Kit Kat Girls in ‘Cabaret.’ Photo by Heather Regan Photography.
Cinderella at Upper Room Theatre Ministry
Rob Tessier, direction
Chris Zavadowski, music direction
Marianna Constable, choreography
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley at Montgomery Playhouse
Jennifer Georgia, direction, set design, costume design
Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem at Kentlands Community Players
Vanessa Markowitz, direction
Stephenie Yee, costume design
Something Rotten! at Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre
Matt Basset, direction
Lucia LaNave, music direction
Stefan Sittig, choreography
Scene from ‘Something Rotten! at Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre. Photo by Juliana Quirino.
Stick Fly at Rockville Little Theatre
Maggie Modig, set design
Titanic at Good Shepherd Players
Colin Taylor, music direction, and the 27-member orchestra
Twelfth Night at Port Tobacco Players
Chris Magee, set design
Much of the work of theater designers is done before a show opens. Sets are conceived and built, costumes sewn with care. Even directors, whose vision for a production determines its look and feel, largely step aside once the curtain rises. But the work of designers, choreographers, playwrights, and directors takes a play from blank canvas to a whole new world, inducing wows and sighs when done right.
Today we celebrate some of the designers, choreographers, directors, and playwrights who caught our writers’ attention this year. As always, this list is subjective and there is sure to be fabulous work that didn’t make our list. Share your favorites in the comments and join us in a big high five to all the artists who created art this year. You truly make our community a better place.
Designers and Directors
(Includes set, sound, lighting, projection, and costume designers and choreographers and music directors)
Agreste (Drylands) at Spooky Action Theater
Colin K. Bills, lighting design
Danilo Gambini, direction
Danielle Preston, costume design
Giorgos Tsappas, scenic design
Aria Velz, sound design
Angel Number Nine at Rorschach Theatre
Nadir Bey, set design
Kylos Brannon, video design
Ashlynne Ludwig, costume design
Marianne Meadows, lighting design
Ian Vespermann, sound design
Angels in America at Arena Stage
Maruti Evans, set design
János Szász, direction
Arms and the Man at Washington Stage Guild Cheryl Yancey, costume design
As You Like It at Shakespeare Theatre Company
Carmen Alatorre, costume design
The cast of ‘As You Like It.’ Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography..
Ben Butler at Washington Stage Guild
Megan Holden, scenic design
Chinese Lady at Everyman Theatre
Emma Deane, lighting design
Meghan Raham, scenic design
Evita at Shakespeare Theatre Company (in association with the American Repertory Theater)
Sammi Cannold, direction
Bradley King, lighting design
Emily Maltby and Valeria Solomonoff, choreography
Jason Sherwood, scenic design
Alejo Vietti, costume design
Fela! at Olney Theatre Center (co-production with Round House Theatre)
Matt Rowe, sound design
Ghost/Writer at Rep Stage
Andrew R. Cohen, scenic design
Hubba Hubba at Baltimore Theatre Project
Alex and Olmsted, puppets
Incendiary at Woolly Mammoth Theatre
Andrew Boyce, scenic design
Ink at Round House Theatre (co-production with Olney Theatre Center)
Tony Cisek, scenic design
Minjoo Kim, lighting design
Jason Loewith, direction
Matthew M. Nielson, sound design and composer
Debra Kim Sivigny, costume design
Mike Tutaj, projections design
Chris Genebach (Ray Mills), Ryan Rilette (Frank Nicklin), Maboud Ebrahimzadeh (Brian McConnell), Cody Nickell (Larry Lamb), Michael Glenn (Bernard Shrimsley), Sophia Early (Diana), Zion Jang (Beverley Goodway), and Kate Eastwood Norris (Joyce Hopkirk) in ‘Ink.’ Photo by Margot Schulman Photography.
Fiddler on the Roof at Olney Theatre Center
Max Doolittle, lighting design
Fitting In at Arts on the Horizon
Emily Erickson (original music composition) and navi (music production)
Fun Home at Studio Theatre
David Muse, direction
Harvey at Everyman Theatre
Daniel Ettinger and Emily Lotz, set design
Here There Are Blueberries at Shakespeare Theatre Company
David Lander and David Bengali, lighting and projection design
How the Light Gets In at 1st Stage
Kathryn Kawecki, set design
Helen Garcia-Alton, lighting design
On the set of ‘How the Light Gets In’ (from left): Joel Ashur as Tommy Z, Tonya Beckman as Ellen, Jacob Yeh as Haruki Sakamoto, and Madeleine Regina as Kat Lane. Photo by Cameron Whitman Photography.
King Lear at Shakespeare Theatre Company
Simon Godwin, direction
Kinky Boots at Olney Theatre Center
Jeanne Vallee, choreography
Milagros Ponce de León, set design
Last Match at 1st Stage
Jessica Alexandra Cancino, set design
Monarch at Creative Cauldron
Daniel Primo, projection design
My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion at Woolly Mammoth Theatre
Misha Kachman, set design
Venus Gulbranson, lighting design
Kelly Colburn, projection design
Michael Kiley, sound design
Holly Twyford as Mama and Suli Holum as Daughter in ‘My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion.’ Photo by Misha Kachman.
Never in Our Image – ACT III – Gun Transformation Opera presented by CulturalDC at Source Theatre
Stephanie Mercedes, creation and direction
Orlando at Constellation Theatre
Sarah Beth Hall, scenic design
Kitt Crescenzo, costume design
Venus Gulbranson, lighting design
Out of the Vinyard at Joe’s Movement Emporium
Luis Garcia, projection design
Pacific Overtures at Signature Theatre
Ethan Heard, direction
POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive at Arena Stage
Margot Bordelon, direction
SHOUT SISTER SHOUT! at Ford’s Theatre
Sheilah V. Walker, music direction
Snow Maiden at Synetic Theater
Irina Tsikurishvili, direction
Sonnets for an Old Century at Spooky Action Theater
Elizabeth Dinkova, direction
Strong Wind at Scena Theatre Roger Doyle and Andrew Bellware, music
Andrew Bellware, sound design
Swept Away at Arena Stage
Rachel Hauck, set design
Michael Mayer, direction
The Cake at Prologue Theatre in association with NextStop Theatre
Jason Tamborini, set design
Aria Velz, direction
‘The Cake’ set. Design by Jason Tamborini. Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
The Honey Trap at Solas Nua
Matt Torney, direction
The Jungle at Shakespeare Theatre Company (co-production with Woolly Mammoth Theatre)
Miriam Buether, set design
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, direction
Catherine Kodicek, costume design
Jon Clark, lighting design
Paul Arditti, sound design
John Pfumojena, composer
Tristan Shepherd and Duncan McLean, video design
The Mortification of Fovea Munson at The Kennedy Center
Justin Huertas, music and lyrics
Steven Tran, arrangements and orchestrations
The School for Lies at Constellation Theatre
Frank Labovitz, costume design
Sarah Reed, scenic design
Brittany Shemuga, lighting design
Ría Simpkins (Eliante), Dylan Arredondo (Philinte), Gwen Grastorf (Arsinoë), Matthew Pauli (Dubois), Natalie Cutcher (Célimène), Drew Kopas (Frank), Jamil Joseph (Clitander), Ryan Sellers (Acaste), and Jacob Yeh (Oronte) in ‘The School for Lies.’ Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
The Tell-Tale Heart at Synetic Theatre
Erik Teague, costume design
Paata Tsikurishvili, direction
The Winter’s Tale at Folger Shakespeare Theatre
Tamilla Woodard, direction
Playwrights
(Sorry, Shakespeare, this category is only for recently written plays and plays making their regional or national debut in the DC region)
Bob Bartlett, Love and Vinyl, self-produced at KA-CHUNK!! Records
Dane Figueroa Edidi, Ghost/Writer at Rep Stage
Morgan Gould, Jennifer, Who Is Leaving at Round House Theatre
Chisa Hutchinson, Redeemed at the Contemporary American Theatre Festival
Joan Kane, Almost 13 at the Capital Fringe Festival
E. M. Lewis, How the Light Gets In at 1st Stage,
John Logan, Swept Away at Arena Stage
Patrick Lord and Megan Thrift, Fitting In at Arts on the Horizon
Donja R. Love, one in two at Mosaic Theater
Dominique Morriseau, Confederates at Mosaic Theater
Leo McGann, The Honey Trap at Solas Nua
Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, The Jungle at Shakespeare Theatre Company (with Woolly Mammoth Theatre)
Asa Ogawa, The Nosebleed at Woolly Mammoth Theatre
Psalmayene 24, Monumental Travesties at Mosaic Theater
The talented performances listed below were an emotional balm to DMV audiences as we navigated life’s stressors in 2023. Be it Michael Kevin Darnall’s heart-wrenching portrayal of Louis in Angels in America (Arena Stage), the comic delight of Louis E. Davis as an in-your-face performance artist in Monumental Travesties (Mosaic Theater), or the delightful whimsy of the Happenstance Theater troupe, DC’s performers escorted audiences through the full range of human emotions, helping us explore the most pressing issues of mankind.
Nancy Robinette, no stranger to awards and accolades, made our list for three separate performances this year, while Quinn Titcomb, likely the youngest performer on the list, caught our reviewer’s attention for her “subtle but piercing” performance as Young Alison in Studio Theatre’s production of Fun Home. DC stalwart Kimberly Gilbert appears twice on our list, taking over as the Ghost of Christmas Present in Ford’s Theatre’s A Christmas Carol and originating the role of Jennifer in Round House Theatre’s Jennifer Who Is Leaving.
From all of us here at DCTA, we send a heartfelt thank you to every performer in the DMV. You make our lives sparkle. And we could all use that extra bit of spark these days.
Cheers,
Nicole Hertvik
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, DC Theater Arts
Individual Performances
Melody A. Betts as Funmilayo in Fela! at Olney Theatre Center (co-production with Round House Theatre)
Ro Bodie as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in The Mountaintop at Round House Theatre
Renea S. Brown (Camae) and Ro Boddie (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) in ‘The Mountaintop.’ Photo by Margot Schulman Photography.
Zach Brewster-Geisz as David Malter in The Chosen at 1st Stage
Lise Bruneau as Sonia in The Honey Trap at Solas Nua
Tamieka Chavis as Miz Adeline in The Hula Hoopin’ Queen at Imagination Stage
Andrew Cownden as Jaques in As You Like It at STC
Michael Kevin Darnell as Louis in Angels in America Part I: Millennium Approaches at Arena Stage
Louis E. Davis as Chance in Monumental Travesties at Mosaic Theater Company
Maboud Ebrahimzadeh as Brian McConnell in Ink at Round House Theatre
Adrian Blake Enscoe as Little Brother in Swept Away at Arena Stage
Jordan Friend as Nate in A Delicate Ship at 4615 Theatre Company
John Gallagher Jr. as Mate in Swept Away at Arena Stage
Edward Gero as Roy Cohn in Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches at Arena Stage
Kimberly Gilbert as the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre
Tori Gomez as Medea in Mojada at 1st Stage
Nicole Halmos as Della in The Cake at Prologue Theatre in association with NextStop Theatre Company
Nicole Halmos as Della in ‘The Cake.’ Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
Doug Harris as Trevor Barlow in Redeemed at Contemporary American Theatre Festival
Ixchel Hernandez as Nina in In the Heights at NextStop Theatre Company
Bruni Herring as Abuela Claudia in In the Heights at NextStop Theatre Company
Shinah Hey as Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg in Ride the Cyclone at Arena Stage
DeJeaneatte Horne as Felix in The Brothers Paranormal at Olney Theatre Center
Francis Jue as Duch in Cambodian Rock Band at Arena Stage
Stephen Kime as Cosmo Disney in Pitchfork Disney at Red Rat Productions
Fletcher Lowe as Pup in Monsters of the American Cinema at Prologue Theatre
Bryonha Marie as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd at Signature Theatre Company
Ethan Miller as Sergei in The Last Match at 1st Stage
Maryam Najafzada in Snow Maiden in Snow Maiden at Synetic Theater Company
Joe Ngo as Chum in Cambodian Rock Band at Arena Stage
Cody Nickell as Larry Lamb in Ink at Round House Theatre
Patrick Page as Lear in King Lear at Shakespeare Theatre Company
Patrick Page (King Lear) in ‘King Lear.’ Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
Shereen Pimentel as Eva in Evita at Shakespeare Theatre Company (in association with the American Repertory Theater)
Christopher Michael Richardson as Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd at Signature Theatre
Nancy Robinette as Nan in Jennifer Who Is Leaving at Round House Theatre
Nancy Robinette as Bubbe in The Chameleon at Theater J
Theodore Sapp as Shepard Mallory in Ben Butler at Washington Stage Guild
Danielle Scott as Dorra in The Body of a Woman at ExPats Theatre
Awa Sal Secka as Sarah in Ragtime at Signature Theatre
Bobby Smith as Bruce Bechdel in Fun Home at Studio Theatre
Deidra LaWan Starnes as Dorothy in Dorothy’s Dictionary at Washington Stage Guild
Alexander Kim as Zan and Deidre LaWan Starnes as Dorothy in ‘Dorothy’s Dictionary.’ Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
Quinn Titcomb as Small Alison in Fun Home at Studio Theatre
Drew Kopas as Tim in The Last Match at 1st Stage
Vato Tsikurishvili as The Boy in Snow Maiden at Synetic Theatre Company
Holly Twyford as Mama in My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Nick Westrate as Prior Walter in Angels in America Part I: Millennium Approaches at Arena Stage
Ensemble and Collaboration
Adrift by Happenstance Theatre featuring Gwen Grastorf, Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon
Angels in America Part I: Millennium Approaches at Arena Stage featuring John Austin, Frank Britton, Michael Kevin Darnall, Veronica del Cerro, Edward Gero, Brandon Haagenson, Billie Krishawn, Susan Rome, Justin Weaks, Nick Westrate and Deborah Ann Woll
Cambodian Rock Band at Arena Stage featuring Joe Ngo, Abraham Kim, Brooke Ishibashi, Jane Lui, and Tim Liu
Confederates at Mosaic Theatre featuring Joel Ashur, Stori Ayers, Tamieka Chavis, Caro Dubberly, Nikkole Salter, and Deidre Staples
Ride the Cyclone at Arena Stage featuring Kyle Dalsimer, Gabrielle Dominique, Marc Geller, Shinah Hey, Ashlyn Maddox, Nick Martinez, Eli Mayer, Katie Mariko Murray, Ashley D. Nguyen, Matthew Boyd Snyder
Nick Martinez (Noel Gruber), Shinah Hey (Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg), Matthew Boyd Snyder (Ricky Potts), and Gabrielle Dominique (Constance Blackwood) in ‘Ride the Cyclone.’ Photo by Margot Schulman.
The Cake at Prologue Theatre featuring Tara Forseth, Nicole Halmos, Sam Lunay, and Sabrina Lynne Sawyer
The Chameleon at Theatre J featuring Sarah Corey, Eric Hissom, Arielle Moore, RJ Pavel, Nancy Robinette, Ryan Sellers, Dina Thomas and Emma Wallach
The Nosebleed at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company featuring Drae Campbell, Ashil Lee, Cody Nickell, Aya Ogawa, Kaili Y. Turner, and Saori Tsukada
Bars and Measures at Mosaic Theater Company: Joel Ashur as Eric and Louis E. Davis as Bilal
Jennifer Who Is Leaving at Round House Theatre featuring Kimberly Gilbert as Jennifer and Nancy Robinette as Nan
Kimberly Gilbert (Jennifer) and Nancy Robinette (Nan) in ‘Jennifer Who Is Leaving.’ Photo by Margot Schulman.
one in two at Mosaic Theater Company featuring Michael Kevin Darnall, Ryan Jamaal Swain, and Justin Weaks
POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive at Arena Stage: Felicia Curry as Margaret and Sarah-Anne Martinez as Dusty
SHOUT SISTER SHOUT! at Ford’s Theatre: Carrie Compere as Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Kelli Blackwell as Mahalia Jackson
This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing at Theater Alliance: full cast (Ezinne Elele as Beatrix, Natalia Fyfe as Albienne, Anna Shafer as Carmen, DeJeanette Horne as the Father and others, Lolita Marie as the Mother and others)
While “normal” still feels a long way off when it comes to producing theater post-COVID, 2023 was the year that DMV theater artists were finally able to get back to work at something approaching pre-COVID levels. Of the 300+ professional DMV productions that DCTA reviewed in 2023, the following resonated most deeply with our writers. These shows exemplify the wide range of work being done in the region — work that, in our estimation, makes the DMV one of the best places to see theater in America.
Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches (Arena Stage) and The Jungle (STC/Woolly Mammoth co-production) were the most popular shows overall with DCTA writers in 2023. Both productions were holistically excellent, pairing top-notch creative teams with set design that invited audiences into the productions in boundary-smashing ways, be it through the 28,000 pounds of sand that made up the set in Angels in America or the ripped-out seats that turned STC’s Sidney Harman Hall into a refugee shelter in The Jungle.
When it comes to opera, DCTA writer Gregory Ford notes that DC stages continued to expand the notion of what and who opera is for. Strathmore’s production of Parable of the Sower (by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon) and the Washington National Opera’s Blue (by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson) were among several new operas that “welcomed stories of African heritage into the opera canon.”
As for more intimate work, DCTA writers were big fans of The Honey Trap at Solas Nua and Monumental Travesties at Mosaic Theater Company, among others. Here at DCTA, we love to see a local hero go big and playwright Psalmayene 24 was on a roll this year with work produced at several regional theaters. But it was Monumental Travesties, the play he wrote as the Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at Mosaic Theater, that packed the biggest emotional punch for our writers.
In 2023, the region continued to be a launch pad for productions with Broadway aspirations. The Kennedy Center production of Spamalot has already transferred, and all eyes are now on the much-buzzed-about Swept Away (the sailors’ yarn now playing at Arena Stage — get yer tickets while ye can, maties!), which hopes to do the same.
DC stages were also home to stellar revivals of American theater classics this year. Ragtime at Signature Theatre (still playing if you want to catch it) has been hailed by critics across town as a singular revival while Fun Home (yes, yes, it was first performed in 2009 but I think it’s safe to call it a classic at this point) at Studio Theatre hit in all the right ways.
Synetic Theater, represented here by three outstanding productions — Cyrano de Bergerac, Snow Maiden, and The Tell-Tale Heart — got unwelcome news from its landlord that it must vacate its Crystal City space next year.
And on another somber note, 2023 was the year we said goodbye to a few of our favorite local theaters. Rep Stage folded after 30 years as the in-house theater at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. DCTA writer Jared Strange notes that Rep Stage’s final production, Falsettos, was “an excellent production and a great way to bring the company full circle.” DCTA also bids a wistful farewell to 4615 Theatre Company, a company that came of age alongside many of DCTA’s writers and one that we always delighted in covering. 4615’s final production, A Delicate Ship, made our list of staff faves and we wish all best to the departing 4615 crew on their next adventures.
Without further ado, here are the DCTA 2023 Staff Favorites for Oustanding Professional Productions.
Cheers,
Nicole Hertvik
DCTA Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Billie Krishawn (The Angel) in ‘Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches.’ Photo by Margot Schulman.
2023 DC Theater Arts Staff Favorites for Outstanding Professional Production
42nd Street, Riverside Performing Arts Center Adrift: A Medieval Wayward Folly, Happenstance Theater Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches, Arena Stage A Delicate Ship, 4615 Theatre Company Angel Number Nine, Rorschach Theatre Arms and the Man, Washington Stage Guild Bars and Measures, Mosaic Theater Company Blue, Kennedy Center
Far left: Baritone Joshua Conyers as The Reverend; seated at table, left to right: Kenneth Kellogg (The Father), Aaron Crouch (The Son), and Briana Hunter (The Mother) in Washington National Opera’s ‘Blue.’ Photo by Scott Suchman.
Chuck and Eva, IN Series Cyrano de Bergerac, Synetic Theatre Dorothy’s Dictionary, Washington Stage Guild Escape to Margaritaville, Toby’s Dinner Theatre Falsettos, Rep Stage
Jake Loewenthal (behind) as Marvin and Davon Williams (lying) as Whizzer in ‘Falsettos.’ Photo by Katie Simmons-Barth.
Fat Ham, Studio Theatre Fela!, Olney Theatre Center in a co-production with Round House Theatre Fever Dream, Contemporary American Theatre Festival Fitting In, Arts on the Horizon Fun Home, Studio Theatre
Thani Brant as Joan and Maya Jacobson as Medium Alison in ‘Fun Home.’ Photo by Teresa Castracane.
Hula Hoopin’ Queen, Imagination Stage Hurricane Diane, Avant Bard Theatre I and You, Compass Rose Theater I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky, IN Series Incendiary, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Ink, Round House Theatre in a co-production with Olney Theatre Center Kill the Ripper, We Happy Few Productions King Lear, Shakespeare Theatre Company Kinky Boots, Olney Theatre Center La Salpêtrière, Taffety Punk Theatre Company La valentía (Valor), GALA Hispanic Theatre Last Match, 1st Stage Love and Vinyl, Independent Production by Bob Bartlett Macbeth in Stride, Shakespeare Theatre Company Monty Python’s Spamalot, Kennedy Center, Monumental Travesties, Mosaic Theater Company
Louis E. Davis as Chance, Jonathan Feuer as Adam, and Renee Elizabeth Wilson as Brenda in ‘Monumental Travesties.’ Photo by Chris Banks.
My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion, Woolly Mammoth Theatre one in two, Mosaic Theater Company Pacific Overtures, Signature Theatre Pitchfork Disney, Red Rat Theater Parable of the Sower, IN Series POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, Arena Stage Ragtime the Musical, Riverside Center for the Performing Arts Ragtime the Musical, Signature Theatre
Nurney, Ariel Friendly, Keenan McCarter, Nkrumah Gatling, Jordyn Taylor, Theodore Sapp, and Kara-Tameika Watkins in ‘Ragtime.’ Photo by Daniel Rader.
Redeemed, The Contemporary American Theatre Festival Ride the Cyclone, Arena Stage Scorched, ExPats Theatre Snow Maiden, Synetic Theatre Spamalot, Kennedy Center
Michael Urie, Rob McClure, Michael Fatica, and Kaylee Olson in ‘Spamalot.’ Photo by Jeremy Daniel.
Swept Away, Arena Stage Sylvia, Compass Rose Theater
The Ordering of Moses, IN Series The Bluest Eye, Theater Alliance The Chameleon, Theater J The Confederates, Mosaic Theater Company The Honey Trap, Solas Nua The Jungle, Shakespeare Theatre Company in a co-production with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company The School for Lies, Constellation Theatre The Tell-Tale Heart, Synetic Theatre
Alex Mills as Edgar and Irakli Kavsadze as the Old Man in ‘The Tell-Tale Heart.’ Photo by Jorge Amaya.
The Tempest, Classic Theatre of Maryland The Winter’s Tale, Folger Theatre Urinetown, Workhouse Arts Center
