DC Theater Arts

Tag: Synetic Theater Company

  • DCTA 2023 Staff Favorites: Outstanding Professional Performances

    DCTA 2023 Staff Favorites: Outstanding Professional Performances

    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)

    SEE ALSO:
    DCTA 2023 Staff Favorites: Outstanding Professional Productions
    DCTA 2023 Staff Favorites: Outstanding Creative Components (Professional)

  • Review: ‘My Father’s Dragon’ at Synetic Theater

    Review: ‘My Father’s Dragon’ at Synetic Theater

    Synetic Theater produces another visually captivating and emotion-filled journey in their newest show, My Father’s Dragon. The story, adapted by Ryan Sellers, is based on the children’s book of the same title, written by Ruth Stiles Gannett.

    Elmer Elevator and Cat (Scott Whalen and Sharisse Taylor and the dragon in My Father’s Dragon at Synetic Theater. Photo by Johnny Shryock.
    Elmer Elevator and Cat (Scott Whalen and Sharisse Taylor and the dragon in My Father’s Dragon at Synetic Theater. Photo by Johnny Shryock.

    It’s the tale of a young boy, Elmer Elevator, who runs away to an island with a clever cat leading the way. They are on a mission to rescue a baby dragon and come across many wild animals that impede their mission. But working together the pair discover that friendship, confidence, and a little imagination can help accomplish even the most impossible goals.

    The production is entirely wordless, and Director Tori Tolentino uses a combination of pantomime, dance, and movement, which is beautifully executed by the small, five-member cast.

    The set, designed by Phil Charlwood, along with intricate lighting design by Ian Claar, creates a dark, jungle scene with trees and vines, varying levels, and the illusion of water.

    Scott Whalen plays Elmer, and Sharisse Taylor is his Cat companion. The two make a lovely duo, immediately capturing the audiences’ affection and sympathies, with the sincerity and innocence of their performances.  

    The show begins with Taylor’s Cat discovering a dragon egg on the Wild Island. Cat feels an instant connection to the beating heart of the baby inside the shell, but the egg hatches and the newborn is captured by the animals in the jungle.

    Later, in a bustling city, Elmer is trying to earn his keep as a street performer when he meets Cat, who entices him to join her on a journey back to the island. Equipped with a backpack full of simple items, like a scarf, a magnifying glass, and a toothbrush, they take a boat trip to the mysterious land.

    As Elmer and the Cat search the dragon, they come across different animals, and creatively using the contents of Elmer’s backpack, they distract or subdue the creatures and continue on their way.

    Cat (Sharisse Taylor) and the Lion in My Father’s Dragon at Synetic Theater. Photo by Johnny Shryock.
    Cat (Sharisse Taylor) and the Lion in My Father’s Dragon at Synetic Theater. Photo by Johnny Shryock.

    As Cat, Taylor’s body-language and mannerisms are gorgeously fluid and unmistakably feline. And the ensemble (Justin Bell, Katherine Cardenas, and Nutsa Tediashvili) is equally impressive, portraying the dragon, monkeys, a boar, and other animals with the help of costumes, designed by Sadie Albert, and puppets, designed by Matthew McGee.

    McGee’s puppets are reason enough to see the production. The stunning designs are life-sized and jointed with texture to best replicate the physicality of the animals they represent. A wild cat is illustrated using a giant mask with large, blinking eyes that glow. And an enormous rhinoceros requires multiple actors to manipulate the horned head and lumbering body.

    As is often the case for Synetic Theater, the soundtrack of the production stands out on its own. Sound Designer and Resident Composer, Konstantine Lortkipanidze, matches the music to the tone of the adventure, adding tension and wonder to every scene, even with each animal having their own music, accentuating their personalities.

    My Father’s Dragon is filled with nonstop excitement and a fun highlight is Elmer being taunted by the monkeys, who are trying to steal his backpack. The music and motion are wild, and the cast is the perfect picture of monkey chaos in expression, posture, and energy.

    Director Tolentino’s movement works harmoniously with Lortkipanidze’s compositions in the scene and throughout the production, resulting in a truly magical experience.

    Synetic Theater advertises My Father’s Dragon for children five and up, but the raw talent of the performers and creative team make the entirety of the production something for the whole family to gape at and enjoy.

    Running Time: 90 minutes, with no intermission.

    My Father’s Dragon plays through January 6th, 2019, at Synetic Theater, 1800 S. Bell Street, Arlington, VA. For tickets, call the box office at (866) 811-4111, or go online.

    Managing Director, Linda Holder; Founding Artistic Director, Paata Tsikurishvili; Co-Founding Associate Artistic Director, Irina Tsikurishvili;  Stage Manager, Tess Wagner; Production Manager, Phill Giggey Sr.; Technical Director, Phil Charlwood; Assistant Stage Manager, Erica Feidelseit; Assistant Costume Designer, Nicole Smith; Audio Engineer, Thomas Sowers

  • 2016 ‘Page-to-Stage’ Schedule for September 3-5, 2016 at The Kennedy Center

    2016 ‘Page-to-Stage’ Schedule for September 3-5, 2016 at The Kennedy Center

    The 15th Annual Page-to-Stage New Play Festival Schedule

    Saturday, September 3 to Monday, September 5, 2016

    PERFORMANCE CALENDAR-UPDATED 8/19/16

    page-to-stage-festival_s210x140 (1)

    SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

    11 AM–12:20 PM

    ISRAELI LOUNGE

    Ally Theatre Company: Clover, written by Laura Rocklyn and Ty Hallmark, directed by Ty Hallmark.

    Gilded Age–era Washington socialite Clover Adams strives to remain calm while coping with her beloved father’s death and the possible philandering of her husband. As the story unravels, he discovers darker forces that brew through her family line finally catch Clover in their grasp. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    11 AM–11:40 AM 

    MILLENNIUM STAGE NORTH

    City Kids Theatre: Cashall Alley Kids Kick It Old School, written by Ray Ficca and Raya Kenney, directed by Ray Ficca.

    The kids of Cashell Alley procrastinated on a group project for Ms. Henry’s history class. At the 11th hour a spring thunderstorm knocks out the power (and internet access) in their Georgetown neighborhood and they have to do some real-time history gathering so they don’t fail or miss their championship wiffle ball game! Followed by post-performance discussion. Family. All ages.

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    11:30 AM-1 PM

    AFRICAN ROOM

    Unexpected Stage Company: What Difference Does It Make? Written by Deb Margolin, directed by Christopher Goodrich.

    Written by OBIE Award winner and founding member of Split Britches Theater Company Deb Margolin, What Difference Does It Make? is a tragicomic human cartoon located in a telephonocracy—a land where the telephone company’s Board of Directors has created its constitution and rules the world. The main characters, Myrtle and Arnold Schmidt, are struggling to reconcile different views on the importance of their own status as fictional characters, and hence the very meaning of their lives. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. Adults only.

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    11:30 AM-12:45 PM

    RUSSIAN LOUNGE

    Initiative Student Theatre: Question. No Answer, written by Maggie Hirst, Derek Martin, and Hunter Mass, directed by Bonnie Newton, Maggie Hirst and Gabi Wright.

    Initiative Student Theatre presents three disquieting one-act plays guaranteed to make you question your ideas about everything from sexual assault on college campuses to coming out and maybe even sexually confident grandmas. Variety. Adults only.

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    12 PM-1 PM

    SOUTH ATRIUM FOYER

    Seventh Street Playhouse: A Musical Medley, written by Anthony E. Gallo & Composed by John Ward, Beatrix Whitehall, Margaret Bagley, Grant Bagley, and directed by Beatrix Whitehall.

    A medley of musical pieces from four musicals: Lincoln and God, Vandergrift!, Peggy, and David: The Bluegrass Musical. Followed by post-performance discussion. Musical. All ages.

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    12 PM–1:50 PM

    TERRACE GALLERY

    First Draft at the Rose Theater Company: Ginnungagap, written by Keith Bridges, directed by Leslie Kobylinski.

     This exhilarating new play is based on Norse Mythology’s term for the “primordial void,” “the yawning gap” described as the bottomless beginning of the abyss that was all there was prior to the beginning of the cosmos and into which the cosmos will collapse again. The play follows one man’s devastating loss and his struggle to discover the truth about the power of love and human connection. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    12:30 PM-1:45 PM

    ROOF TERRACE RESTAURANT

    Strand Theater Company: Exit Pluto, written by Amy Bernstein, directed by Elena Kostakis.

    Betty believes that by running her bakery like a fortress constantly under siege, she will stave off what she fears most and understands least: change. But change is a hungry beast, knocking at the door, and not even the fortress can withstand the pounding. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. All ages.

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    1 PM-2 PM

    MILLENNIUM STAGE SOUTH

    The Highwood Theatre: The Students’ Arts Collaborative, Developed by students from The Highwood Theatre and Loiederman Middle School for the Creative and Performing Arts.

    Students from The Highwood Theatre and Loiederman Middle School for the Creative and Performing Arts present a collection of short scenes, monologues, songs, and previews of the upcoming season. Followed by post-performance discussion. Variety. All ages.

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    2 PM–4 PM

    FAMILY THEATER

    Pallas Theatre Collective: Crazy Mary Lincoln, written by Jan Tranen & Jay Schwandt, directed by Tracey Elaine Chessum

    A new musical exploring the First Family following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Mary and Robert Todd grapple with grieving Lincoln and a very new dilemma—does a president belong to the family, or does he belong to the ages? Followed by post-performance discussion. Musical. All ages.

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    2:30 PM–3:35 PM

    AFRICAN ROOM

    The Indian Ocean Theatre Company: A Theist, written and directed by John Sowalsky.

    A full-length absurdist comedy which questions the existence of God. The perfect antidote for those who found The God Delusion too strident and God’s Not Dead too trite. There are no easy answers, only cheap laughs. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. All ages.

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    2:30 PM-3:45 PM

    ROOF TERRACE RESTAURANT

    Strand Theater Company: Net Worth, written and directed by Bari Hochwald.

    Net Worth takes the audience on a journey of humor, money management and self-reflection as they attend a workshop on personal finances sponsored by the Lions Club of

    Cleveland, OH. Moving quickly back and forth between teaching in the present and reliving the memories that each subject evokes, our character finds the strength to declare independence from her “Liabilities” and understand the values of her “Assets.” Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. Ages 13 and up.

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    2:30 PM–4:30 PM

    ISRAELI LOUNGE

    Catholic University of America MFA Playwrights: Short pieces by CUA MFA Program Students, written and directed by Rebecca Dzida and Garret Milton.

    Myth, Faith, and Folklore: Catholic University’s playwrights tackle subjects from millennials to virgin birth. Variety. Ages 13 and up.

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    2:45 PM-4:15 PM

    SOUTH ATRIUM FOYER

    The Essential Theatre: The Bloodless Jungle, written by Peter Lawson Jones, directed by S. Robert Morgan.

    An up-and-coming local politician, Ethan St. John is a sitting President’s handpicked, Skull & Bones Society–style choice to receive national support in a run for Congress. His success would solidify the President’s and his party’s power on the House floor. Will the diligence and dedication that endeared St. John and his wife to his local constituents be enough to sustain him? Will the political machine and unrelenting glare of the media crush his dream? This play offers a compelling lesson for every politician and citizen about the limits of friendship when political stakes are elevated. Considering the heightened rancor that characterizes politics today, the story can be torn from the headlines of any news publication. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    3 PM-4:15 PM

    RUSSIAN LOUNGE

    The Kennedy Center’s VSA and Accessibility Program: VSA Playwright Discovery Competition 2016. Written by Lukia Artemakis, Ella Brett-Turner, Sophia DuRose and Kaitlyn O’Malley; Emma Filosa, Elijah Gaines, and Jaleel Lindsay; Andrew Projansky, and Brad Weatherford, directed by Lori Hudson Wolter, Gregg Wiggans, and Kevin Thorne II.

     Seven award-winning short plays from high school students across the county written on the theme of living with a disability. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    3:30 PM-4 PM

    MILLENNIUM STAGE NORTH

    Words Beats & Life: Flattops and F-words, written by Star Johnson, directed by Desiree Springer.

     A love letter to the mothers of Hip Hop, Flattops and F words is a Hip Hop musical that takes us through a day in the life of three young black women in D.C. who meet at a fundraiser for a jailed local activist who is awaiting trial for shooting and killing a police officer. And it’s all set to funky, pulsing, ’90s Hip Hop beats. The show tackles hard questions about women’s place in the Black Lives Matter movement, teeny weeny afros, colorism, and the lack of intersectionality in white feminism (the f word). The action is set to music played by an onstage DJ. Followed by post-performance discussion. Musical. Ages 13 and up.

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    4 PM–6 PM

    TERRACE GALLERY

    Brave Soul Collective: TENFOLD: An Evening of Brave Soul Performances, written by Thembi Duncan, Stanley Z. Freeman, Josette Marina Murray, Jared Shamberger, Alan Sharpe, and Monte J. Wolfe, directed by Thembi Duncan, Josette Marina Murray, Jared Shamberger, Alan Sharpe, and Monte J. Wolfe.

    In honor of Brave Soul Collective’s 10-year anniversary as a vital arts, education, and outreach organization dedicated to HIV/AIDS outreach & prevention as well as issues affecting the lives of Black LGBTQ people through the performing and healing arts, this “theatrical mixed bag” of monologues and short scenes focuses on a host of hot button issues, including: HIV/AIDS prevention, homophobia, mental health, relationships, sex, gender identity and racism—all within the scope of life “and…the unknown.” Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Adults only.

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    4:30 PM–6:30 PM

    SOUTH OPERA TIER LOUNGE

    The Washington Rogues: Pillowtalk, and other parts of speech, written by Natalie Piegari, directed by Ryan S. Taylor.

    Romance in the 21st century is like a game of sexy Tetris. Pillowtalk, and other parts of speech is a series of interconnected comic vignettes following a group of contemporary young people through relationships across the spectrum of gender and sexuality. A comedy about new love, lost love, and love reignited, told in the language created between two people. And sometimes more. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. Adults only.

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    5:30 PM–7:30 PM.

    AFRICAN ROOM

    Unknown Penguin: Anatomy of an Infidelity, written and directed by Patrick Flynn. 

    Famed British broadcaster and science historian James Burke presents the audience with a test in perception. Ryan Hollander commits an infidelity of unknown severity against his wife Cindy Malatesta with a coworker during a party. We never meet the couple in question or know for certain what happened. Instead we follow two couples who know Ryan and Cindy: Julia and Frank, an unmarried but cohabitating D.C. power-couple and Becca and Amelia, a married “average” couple (Becca’s an assistant, Amelia’s a teacher). The couples all react to the infidelity differently but with a level of moral certainty that is then tested when their significant other does not automatically reinforce their views. Their relationships and views of morality are tested as the characters intertwine and interact. Presented in a Thornton Wilder-meets-BBC documentary style. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    6 PM-6:50 PM

    ROOF TERRACE RESTAURANT

    FRESHH Inc. Theatre Company: Name Calling, written by Goldie Patrick, directed by Candis Jones.

    What do most girls want to be when they grow up? A lawyer? A teacher? A Goddess?! Name Calling dissects the marginalization of women in their common daily encounters. From grocery shopping to going to work to intimate relationships with lovers, the main character is haunted by the advances, harassment, and stereotypes that plague her. No one seems to know her real name, not even her closest friends. Until the day she can take no more of the rest of the world telling her who she must be, and she must decide how to fight to rename herself. The way she decides to fight surprises everyone, including herself. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Adults only.

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    6 PM-7:10 PM

    MILLENNIUM STAGE SOUTH

    Pinky Swear Productions: Over Her Dead Body, written by John Bavoso, directed by Ryan Maxwell.

    Sing a song of murder, forget the lady’s name. Toss her in the water, try not to take the blame. Play a lilting melody on bones and flaxen hair. But they’re awake and coming back for you so gentlemen, beware. Over Her Dead Body: A Bluegrass Benediction comes to you fresh from winning the audience awards for Best Musical and Best Overall Show (out of more than 100 shows) at the 2016 Capital Fringe Festival. Musical. Ages 13 and up.

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    6 PM-7:50 PM

    RUSSIAN LOUNGE

    Tonic Theater Company: Dahlia, written by P. Seth Bauer, directed by Kelsey Phelps.

    Based on actual events: Young Josh struggles with the evidence, published by his Uncle Steve, that his Grandfather George Hodel is the murderer in the unsolved Black Dahlia murder case. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Adults only.

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    6:30 PM-7:05 PM

    SOUTH ATRIUM FOYER

    Bucharest Inside the Beltway: Andy Is Missing, written by Star Johnson, directed by Tim Abrams.

    After surviving a traumatic incident, Andy becomes an agoraphobic who hasn’t left her home in two years. One day, without telling anyone she steps out of her front door and starts walking and keeps walking, discovering more about herself and what’s become of the world every step of the way. Followed by post-performance discussion. Musical. All ages.

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    7:10 PM–8:10 PM

    ISRAELI LOUNGE

    Rapid Lemon Productions Inc.: The 12th Annual Variations Project, written by D.C. Cathro, Audrey Cefaly, Shelby Chapman, Kevin Costa, Joe Dennison, Kevin Kostic, Michal Roxie Johnson, Justin Lawson Isett, Kimberley Lynne, and Nancy Murray, directed by Lance Bankerd.

    The Variations Project—the mid-Atlantic region’s original 10-minute play festival—returns for 2016 with Variations on Blame. Followed by post-performance discussion. Variety. Ages 13 and up.

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    7:30 PM-8:50 PM

    MILLENNIUM STAGE NORTH

    Playwrights Group of Baltimore: USA 2017, written and directed by members of the Playwrights Group of Baltimore.

    How will the events of 2016 change us? What will our nation look and feel like next year? We don’t know either, but it’s fun to imagine! The Playwrights Group of Baltimore presents a set of 10-minute play prognostications designed to provoke and delight. Followed by post-performance discussion. Variety. Ages 13 and up.

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    7:30 PM-9 PM

    SOUTH ATRIUM FOYER

    Bucharest Inside the Beltway: Colombo Calling – a play from Sri Lanka, written by Cristina Bejan, directed by Alex Mihali.

    Having recently received a Ph.D. from Cambridge, Karthi returns to Colombo for the first time in 22 years. Facing discrimination and racism even as a visitor, Karthi learns what it means to be Tamil in 2006 Sri Lanka. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    8 PM-10 PM

    FAMILY THEATER

    Safe Streets Arts Foundation: Holocaust Images and the Poetry, Art and Music of American Prisoners, written by 30 American prisoners, directed by Argentilhia Boechat.

    Multimedia presentation showing Holocaust period Jewish family films and Nazi propaganda films while the poetry, art, and music of American prisoners is presented live. Followed by post-performance discussion. Variety. Adults only.

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    8 PM-10 PM

    TERRACE GALLERY

    African-American Collective Theater: More Than a Mouthful, written and directed by Alan Sharpe.

    African-American Collective Theater returns, racy as ever, with this tease of its 25th Anniversary Season—another sexy sampler of subversively silly, slyly salacious and even sporadically serious, short plays chronicling life in the black gay community. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Adults only.

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    8:30 PM–10 PM

    ROOF TERRACE RESTAURANT

    Pinky Swear Productions: Mighty Storms, Strange Seas, and the Metro, written by Natalie Piegari, Joan Cummins, and Brittany Alyse Willis.

    Samples of three works-in-progress from Pinky Swear Productions’ resident playwrights: Three stories where the everyday rubs up against the supernatural, the sublime, and the surreal. In Safe As Houses, by Natalie Piegari, a violent storm brings more than just wind and rain as a patchwork family struggles to survive disasters…natural and otherwise. In Abarat, by Joan Cummins—adapted from the novel by Clive Barker—a young woman must journey through a group of fantastical islands peopled by monsters friend and foe. In Use All Available Doors, by Brittany Alyse Willis, every strange and wonderful Metro story happens at once on a single dreamlike trip down the Red Line. Followed by post-performance discussion. Musical. All ages.

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    8:30 PM–10 PM

    SOUTH OPERA TIER LOUNGE

    Scena Theatre: Illegal Helpers, written by Maxxi Obexer, directed by Robert McNamara.

    A documentary play that deals with the plight of the “illegal helpers” who seek to provide aid and shelter to the migrants—even though it is against the law. A powerful look at a contemporary tragedy that threatens to engulf Western Europe. A sharp look at those who help— and those who callously sit by doing nothing. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. All ages.

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    SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

    6 PM-6:45 PM

    MILLENNIUM STAGE NORTH

    Synetic Theater: Dante’s Inferno, written and directed by Paata Tsikurishvili.

    A physical theater interpretation of Dante’s Inferno through a combination of physical warm-up and excerpts of Synetic’s choreography. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

    11 AM-11:25 AM

    MILLENNIUM STAGE SOUTH

    Arts on the Horizon: Adventures with Mr. Bear, written and directed by Ryan Sellers.

    The wonder and magic of a child’s imagination are brought to life in this charming nonverbal production. One cozy winter afternoon, a young girl and her favorite stuffed animal, Mr. Bear, play a game of hide-and-seek which evolves into a series of exciting adventures. Together, they embark on a journey of endless possibilities—all from the comfort of her playroom! Cuddle up with your favorite stuffed animal friend and join us for a sneak peek at this work in progress. Best for ages 2–5. Followed by post-performance discussion. Family-friendly. All ages.

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    11 AM-12:15 PM

    AFRICAN ROOM

    Nu Sass Productions: The Veils, written by Hope Villaneuva, directed by Clare Schaffer.

    Splitting time between the present wedding planning between Mel and her family, and Mel’s time in Afghanistan, The Veils explores the experiences of a soldier coming to terms with being a part of two very different worlds and a woman who isn’t sure who she is or what she wants anymore. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    11:30 AM–12:30 PM

    FAMILY THEATER

    Crash of Rhinos: The Lost Chapter of Peter Pan, written by Paul Reisman, directed by Matthew McGhee.

     After returning from Neverland with her brothers and her newly adopted Lost Boy siblings, Wendy doesn’t see Peter Pan again until she’s grown up with a child of her own. But where was Peter Pan during all those years? What had he been doing and why did he wait until that particular moment to return? Followed by post-performance discussion. Adventure. All ages.

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    11:30 AM –2:30 PM

    ISRAELI LOUNGE

    University of Maryland – Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies: Goldfish, written by Shupin Yang, directed by Olivia Brann.

    Goldfish explores the theme of love and family setting in a one-child household in contemporary China. The play features on the family relationship of Xiao-Zhong, a young governor who follows his mother’s will, even for marriage with Ya-Ting. Two days before the wedding, Xiao-Zhong decides to contact his cousin Yi, whom his mother has forbid him to see. Yi, who has been studying abroad, pays him an unexpected visit and asks him to validate his forged college certificate. Xiao-Zhong helps Li-Yi while Ya-Ting warns him to stay away from Yi. However, an anonymous post about Yi’s illegal act puts Yi in the danger of being prosecuted. Will Xiao-Zhong go against his mother and wife to help his cousin? Will he succeed in fixing the relationship with his “brother”? Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    12 PM-2 PM

    ROOF TERRACE RESTAURANT

    Venus Theatre Company: Juliana, written by Vanda, directed by Deborah Randall.

    The Juliana Project, based in New York City, is a group of actors and one writer who monthly perform Vanda’s novel, Juliana at The Duplex nightclub. It is about LGBT life in 1940s New York City. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    12:30 PM-2:30 PM

    TERRACE GALLERY

    Baltimore Playwrights Festival: Selections from various productions, by Siegmund Fuchs, David Zax, Robert Bowie, Sharon Goldner, Seth Freeman, and Andrea Markowitz; directed by John Wilson, Barry Feinstein, Miriam Bazensky, and Ryan Haase.

    The Baltimore Playwrights Festival has brought its audiences intriguing original plays by Maryland and D.C. authors for 35 years. This time you’ll see scenes from six plays ranging from a hilarious and poignant gay support group in the closet (literally and metaphorically) to a riveting story of war correspondent abducted by the Taliban, from a biting satire toying with the notion that Anne Frank is indeed alive and well, to a corrupt businessman’s farcical legal team, and from a young man arrested for offending the community with a word (and what a word) on a sign to the 1960s answer to All in the Family. Variety. Ages 13 and up.

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    12:50 PM-2:05 PM

    AFRICAN ROOM

    Nu Sass Productions: Oedipus Regina, written and directed by Angela Kay Pirko.

    The story has been told and retold, yet once again the Muses gather to try and claim the tale each for their own. Love, death, sorrow, and sacrifice; the damnation of a family as you’ve never heard it before. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    12:30 PM-2:20 PM

    RUSSIAN LOUNGE

    All of the Above: A Very Present Presence, written and directed by Ann Timmons.

    When daily pressures become too much for Alice, she flees her home and almost-grown children to enjoy the solitude of the family farmhouse retreat. Her plan to have time to sort things out is thwarted, however, by a surprise visitation from a “spirit guide” who used to be her Great Aunt Nell. With Nell, Alice takes a journey through memory and history, and learns that her problems spring from sources deeper than she imagined. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. Ages 13 and up.

    ___

    1 PM-1:30 PM

    ISRAELI LOUNGE

    University of Maryland – Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies: B.W.A. (Black Woman’s Anonymous), written and directed by Whitney Geohagan and April Monu.

    This piece explores what it means to be an African American woman in the 21st century, addressing the deep-seated issues these women face. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

    1 PM-2 PM

    ATRIUM 

    Monumental Theater Company: Wendy, written by Gretchen Midgley and John Henderson, directed by Walter Ware III.

    Many years after the Peter Pan story has come to a close, a grown Wendy Darling finds her daughter, Jane, on the brink of growing up herself. It takes reliving the magical events of her past for Wendy to rediscover the bittersweet wonders of childhood, growing up, and imagination, and to realize it is her daughter’s turn to live the same adventure. Journey second to the right and straight on till morning with Wendy. Musical. All ages.

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    1 PM-4 PM

    MILLENNIUM STAGE NORTH

    Faction of Fools: Classics Made Foolish – The Threequel, adapted and directed by Paul Reisman.

    D.C.’s award-winning Fools are back in the factory exploring a physical take on scenes from beloved classics replete with their celebrated brand of comedy and high-flying spectacularity. The audience will get a window into this unique process, including the live-workshopping of a scene and a question-and-answer session. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. All ages.

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    1:30 PM-3:30 PM

    THEATER LAB

    Rorschach Theatre: Forgotten Kingdoms, written by Randy Baker, directed by Shirley Sertosky.

    On a small island in Indonesia, a wooden house balances on stilts over a churning sea. In this house, Reverend David Holiday tries to convert a skeptical young local whose fate has become improbably intertwined with his own. At stake this night is the life of the young man’s father, the future of this island’s ancient culture, and the happiness of an American family caught between worlds. As the night turns into morning, the fate of David’s haunted young son becomes the biggest question of all. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    2 PM-3:40 PM

    SOUTH ATRIUM FOYER

    Bowie State University – BSU Theatre: Red Solo, written by Jeremy Keith Hunter, directed by Charles H. Franklin IV.

    The recipe is simple: strength, intelligence, bravery. For Heath, a young artist discovering himself, this requires adherence to strict standards instilled in him by his alpha father: hard work, womanizing, and absolute control. Torn between expectation, promise, and fame, Heath must come to terms with the man he is and the one he wants to be. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Adults only.

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    2:10 PM-4 PM

    ROOF TERRACE RESTAURANT

    Venus Theatre Company: The Ravens, written by Alana Valentine, directed by Deborah Randall.

    The Ravens is a riveting drama about Kira, a trying-to-be-ex–sex worker in Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia. When she receives a large victim’s compensation payout, her friend Mark, who once saved Kira’s life and feels that he is “owed” by Kira, moves back into her life and her flat. But a chance meeting with Nina, a young social work student working at the local chocolate shop, seems like it might give Kira the courage and support she needs to finally get the violent Mark out of her life. An encounter with one of Nina’s old age clients at a nursing home focuses Kira’s determination but can she get out alone or can she take her friend Nancy, who is working at the Honey Spot strip club and brothel but living in a dominating lesbian relationship? As an evocative radio play, The Ravens won the 2015 BBC International Radio Writing Award from the BBC World Service. As a stage play, it is a visceral, provocative work of fierce insight and compassion for womens’ struggle out of violence. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    2:30 PM-4:30 PM

    SOUTH OPERA TIER LOUNGE

    GPC PRODUCTIONS: Shoah Business, written by Jennie Berman Eng, directed by Bridget Grace Sheaff.

    NYU Screenwriting student Ivy is tasked with writing a Holocaust screenplay. As she investigates a Mercedes Benz Holocaust labor camp for women, and begins to write about it, she soon discovers writing historical fiction is a great responsibility and carries hefty emotional weight. When she is offered a production deal, Ivy must decide if the requested edits that come along with the deal are worth compromising a true story. Drama. Adults only.

    ___

    3 PM-4 PM

    MILLENNIUM STAGE SOUTH

    FRESHH Inc. Theatre Company: Just how black?, written by Gianina Lockley, directed by Goldie Patrick.

    This one-woman show revisits conversations that challenge, accept, and reject the notion that blackness can be defined or (inter)nationally agreed upon. Just how black? uses multimedia to examine the intersections of race, class, ethnicity, and gender, and its impact on our identity. Followed by post-performance discussion. Musical. Ages 13 and up.

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    3 PM-4:30 PM

    ISRAELI LOUNGE

    Doorway Arts: A Minute in Presidential History, written by Lindsay Adams, John Bavoso, Patricia Connelly, Rich Espey, Chema Pineda Fernandez, Rich Espey, Patrick Gallagher Landes, Annalisa Dias Mandoly, Warren Perry, and Lauren Jane Redmond, and directed by Matt Ripa.

    Enjoy this theatrical hall of presidents as local playwrights tackle each president one minute at a time. Comedy. Ages 13 and up.

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    3:30 PM-5 PM

    AFRICAN ROOM

    Playwrights Collaborative: Collaborative Shorts 2016, written and directed by members of Playwrights Collaborative.

    Short plays dealing with current issues. Variety. Ages 13 and up.

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    4 PM-4:45PM

    TERRACE GALLERY

    Naked Theatre Company: ClickB@it, directed by Rachel Murray and Kevin Place.

    An ensemble-driven, vignette-style show inspired by internet “click bait” and “viral” phenomena, ClickB@it will examine how these elements shape media, permeate social development, and exacerbate news headline ‘numbness’—all delivered with a fun, pop-y, sketch sensibility. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. Adults only.

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    4 PM-6 PM

    RUSSIAN LOUNGE

    ABG Playwrights and Thelma Theatre: Around the Snake Turn, by Patricia Connelly.

    Baaba, a woman living in a small African village, questions its religious traditions after her son is accused of rape and she is expected to turn over her daughter to become a sexual slave to the high priest to atone for her son’s alleged crime. As Baaba fights to save her children from their fate, she finds herself caught in a struggle between a changing world and one that’s holding on to its old ways to preserve its cultural past. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    5 PM-6 PM

    SOUTH ATRIUM FOYER

    American Ensemble Theater: Character Building, by Booker T. Washington; adapted and directed by Martin Blank.

    A one-man musical for middle, high school, and adult audiences adapted from Dr. Washington’s inspirational talks given to his students at Tuskegee University. Musical. All ages.

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    5 PM-7:10 PM

    ROOF TERRACE RESTAURANT

    Arcturus Theatre Company: Indian Summer, by Gregory S. Moss, directed by Ross Heath.

    When a young man stays with his bereaved step-grandfather for a few months, he becomes entangled in a love triangle with two of the other young residents of the Rhode Island oceanside town in this comic tragedy… or is it a tragic comedy? Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    6 PM-7 PM

    ISRAELI LOUNGE

    The Law Theater Project, in collaboration with the Rainbow Theatre Project: The IMHO Series 1 Trilogy, featuring Justice Disordered, written by Dr. Samantha M. McDermitt, directed by Christopher Janson.

    Have you ever wondered what goes on, behind the closed doors of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Conference Room, where no records are kept and cases are decided which affect all our lives? Come with us now to Justice Disordered, an accurate, and highly charged tour by First Class “fly-on-the-wall” and watch a very tight case discussed and decided by the nine Justices! Forget legalese! They speak from their “guts,” and their views often “crash” into their fellows’. Justice Disordered is Supreme Court drama at its best in one act, focused on very current, cutting-edge, gender discrimination issues. No law school required! Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    6 PM-7:15 PM

    FAMILY THEATER

    Istijmam presented by Center Stage: Et’teffah/The Apples, written by Abdelkader Allolua, directed by Jamil Benhamamouch.

    Istijmam, a collaborative of theater makers from Oran, Algeria, moves outward from the manifestos of Brecht and Grotowski to repopulate the halga, Algeria’s town square, and renew populist traditions of improvisation and physical interaction. A U.S. premiere, Et’teffah/The Apples foregrounds the repression and sectarian schisms that consumed Algeria during the Dark Decade of the 1990s. This gritty, intimate production, full of dark humor and barbed observation, bears witness to Algeria’s shadowed past and confronts the complex destiny of the present day. Drama. Ages 13 and up. Presented in collaboration with the U.S. State Department Center Stage program.

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    6 PM-7:45 PM

    AFRICAN ROOM

    The Welders: Girl in the Red Corner, written by Stephen Spotswood, directed by Amber Paige McGinnis.

    When Halo signs up for mixed martial arts lessons, she thinks it might make a good hobby. Her trainer thinks she’s a lightweight. Her mother and sister think it’s just plain weird. Very quickly she learns that life inside the cage and outside the cage are disturbingly similar. And that the only way to survive either is to fight. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

    ___

    6:30 PM-8:10 PM

    SOUTH OPERA TIER LOUNGE

    1st Stage: Eat It Too, written by Jennifer Barclay, directed by Johanna Gruenhut.

    Brett, a thriving Hollywood actress, returns to her hometown to wreak the most horrific kind of revenge. A dark comedy where the American dream meets the American nightmare. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    6:30 PM-8:30 PM

    TERRACE GALLERY

    Georgetown University Program in Theater and Performance Studies: Appalachian Nightingale, written by Olivia Duff, directed by Anita Maynard-Losh.

    Set in the contemporary mountains of eastern Kentucky, Appalachian Nightingale re-stages the Philomena myth (two sisters, one man, a broken song) in a world that sounds like a tough banjo. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Adults only.

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    6:30 PM-8:30 PM 

    THEATER LAB

    Mosaic Theater Company of DC: Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies, written by Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm, directed by Serge Seiden.

    This irreverent world premiere comedy set in Achievement Heights, Maryland follows Marquis, a book-smart prep schooler and Tru, a street-savvy drop-out from inner-city Baltimore. Their worlds overlap in a holding cell where both are being detained. Tru observes that Marquis seems to have lost his “blackness” and pens a how-to manual entitled Being Black for Dummies, assuming the role of professor, courtship counselor, and Hip Hop advisor. Marquis returns to school ready to make his mark as he and Tru continue to butt heads, debate, and ultimately prove that Nietzsche and 2pac were basically saying the same thing. Followed by post-performance discussion. Comedy. Adults only.

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    7 PM-8:10 PM

    SOUTH ATRIUM FOYER

    NextStop Theatre: Still Alive, written by Jonathan Coulton and Ricky Drummond, directed by Ricky Drummond.

    A new musical featuring the music of Jonathan Coulton. The show follows scientist Jon as he fights to survive zombie and robot apocalypses. Musical. Adults only.

    ___

    7:30 PM-8:45 PM

    RUSSIAN LOUNGE

    LiveArtDC: Clara Bow Project, written by Alia Faith Williams, directed by Heather Whitpan, 7:30–8:45 p.m.

    The rise and fall of the original “It Girl” of the 1920s, Clara Bow. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

    ___

    7:45 PM-9:30 PM

    AFRICAN ROOM

    The Welders: A Welders 2.0 Showcase of New Work, written by The Welders, directed by KenYatta Rogers.

    Meet the second generation of The Welders, a D.C.-based Playwrights’ collective. The Welders are committed to passing on the organization to future generations of D.C. playwrights. This showcase, following the full-length presentation of Stephen Spotswood’s Girl in the Red Corner (slated for production fall 2016), will give audiences a chance to get to know the other six playwrights of Welders 2.0 through original ten-minute plays and excerpts. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

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    8 PM–9:15 PM

    ATRIUM

    Forum Theatre: Selections from Forum (Re)Acts.

     (Re)Acts is a community-minded event used to develop immediate artistic responses to current events and pressing topics and to create safe space for progressive conversations. This collection will include pieces from Forum’s last three (Re)Acts performances—(Re)Acts: #BlackLivesMatter; (Re)Acts: #RefugeeCrisis; and (Re)Acts: #Orlando. With these topics still overwhelming both our international and domestic conversations, Forum will revive a mix of pieces that feel just as raw, relevant, and worthy of exploration as they did in their original performance.

    ___

    8 PM-9:30 PM

    MILLENNIUM STAGE SOUTH

    Tonic Theater Company: Strings, written by Carole Bugge, directed by Stevie Zimmerman.

    Loosely riffing on a real-life train ride in which American physicists Burt Ovrut and Paul Steinhardt and English physicist Neil Turok tweaked the Big Bang theory, changing it forever. En route from Cambridge to London, the fictional trio discusses science, explores old jealousies and infidelities, and is visited by famous dead scientists Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, and Max Planck. Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Ages 13 and up.

    ___

    8:30 PM-9:30 PM

    ROOF TERRACE RESTAURANT

    Factory 449: Made You Ugly, written by Elan Zafir, directed by Rick Hammerly.

    One man’s relationship with love, failure, and the fight to connect. The story of a father’s exploration of sex, death, science fair projects, and the holocaust…fast cars, bedtime stories, Neil Sedaka, losing everything you love, and the unpaved road back to that little boy you call “son.” Followed by post-performance discussion. Drama. Adults only.

    ___

    Admission Tickets

    TICKET INFORMATION

    Page-to-Stage is FREE and open to the public.

    No Tickets Required.

    Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating is limited and subject to availability. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the start of each performance.

    carparkingsign

    There is NO FREE PARKING for free events.

    images (13)

    Here are the theatres represented:

    1st Stage

    ABG Playwrights and Thelma Theatre

    African-American Collective Theater

    All of the Above

    Ally Theatre Company

    American Ensemble Theatre

    Arcturus Theater Company

    Arts on the Horizon

    Baltimore Playwrights Festival

    Bowie State University

    Brave Soul Collective

    Bucharest Inside the Beltway

    Catholic University of America MFA Playwrights

    City Kids Theatre

    Crash of Rhinos

    Doorway Arts Theatre Company

    The Essential Theatre

    Faction of Fools

    Factory 449

    First Draft at The Rose Theatre Company

    Forum Theatre

    FRESHH Inc. Theatre Company

    Georgetown University

    GPC Productions

    The Highwood Theatre

    The Indian Ocean Theatre Company

    Initiative Student Theatre

    Istijmam presented by Center Stage

    The Kennedy Center’s VSA and Accessibility Program

    The Law Theater Project, Inc. and Rainbow Theatre Project

    LiveArtDC

    Monumental Theatre Company

    Mosaic Theater Company of DC

    Naked Theatre Company

    NextStop Theatre

    Nu Sass Productions

    Pallas Theatre Collective

    Pinky Swear Productions

    Playwrights Collaborative

    Playwrights Group of Baltimore,

    Rapid Lemon Productions, Inc.

    Rorschach Theatre,

    Safe Streets Arts Foundation

    Scena Theatre

    Seventh Street Playhouse

    Strand Theater Company

    Synetic Theater Company

    Tonic Theater Company

    University of Maryland

    Unexpected Stage Company

    Unknown Penguin

    Venus Theatre Company

    The Washington Rogues

    The Welders

    Words Beats & Life

  • In The Moment: Paata Tsikurishvili and Nathan Weinberger on ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at Synetic Theater

    In The Moment: Paata Tsikurishvili and Nathan Weinberger on ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at Synetic Theater

    Synetic Theater’s terrific “silent” production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing had me wondering about the many technical design element decisions made long before an audience stepped into the Crystal City theater space.

    Ben Cunis and Tsikurishvili. Photo by Johnny Shryock.
    Ben Cunis (Benedick) and Irina Tsikurishvili (Beatrice). Photo by Koko Lanham.

    How did the folks at Synetic go from words on a printed page (or perhaps these days, pixels viewed on a screen) to such a physical, athletic, joyful, fun, sometimes understandably deeply dark, and oh so nuanced “silent” production?

    It is clear to me that early, and unknown to me, technical decisions were critical to such a critically and audience acclaimed production.

    So with my curiosity stoked, I asked Paata Tsikurishvili, Synetic’s Founding Artistic Director, and Nathan Weinberger, co-adaptor, of Much Ado About Nothing, to chat about some of the early technical design issues for Synetic’s production.

    David Siegel: What were the special challenges in adapting and producing Much Ado About Nothing, a play so full of language about trickery and comedy?

    Paata and Nathan: That was our very first question: How do we translate the soul of the play–the verbal banter–into physicality? That led us to the root question of, “What really IS banter and verbal back-and-forth in the first place?” It’s competition; it’s a game. This is part of why we set the play in a casino–a place of competition and games (friendly and not-so-friendly), and this opened up a whole new channel of how to stage Benedick and Beatrice’s own banter and competition.

    Please build on your director’s notes regarding locating the play in 1950s Las Vegas. Were other time periods and locales considered and then discarded? 

    Paata Tsikurishvili.
    Paata Tsikurishvili. Photo courtesy of Synetic Theater.

    There were a number of times and places considered. The British Raj, Colonial America–these were all dramaturgically sound, but we ultimately decided on the 50’s Vegas because of the movement opportunities it afforded us, which I described above–opportunities that allowed us to cover the most bases, to give you something really eye-catching and unforgettable as well as doing the most justice to the original text.

    How did Synetic decide what scenes and relationships from Much Ado About Nothing’s written text to emphasize in its two act, silent production?

    The process for deciding what scenes to include–where to consolidate, where to make cuts, where to put the dramatic (or comedic) emphasis, and so on–this process is the same as in any other staging of Shakespeare. I think there’s a misconception out there that what we do is somehow completely foreign to the plays–to even the spirit of the plays. But these stories, like energy, never really go away; they simply change form and modality–specifically, in our case, by being recommunicated in a non-traditional manner, just as Prokofiev re-communicated Romeo and Juliet with ballet and Verdi re-communicated Othello with music, and on and on.

    What was the the artistic collaboration work between the adapter, director, choreographer, and the music composer?

    This was one of those cases–though they seem to be getting more and more frequent for us!–where the whole team was on the same page, excited, on-board, and working together to achieve the same goal from Day One. Once the concept was suggested and settled on, I think we pretty much all had the same vision for it. From there, one idea simply built on another, enhancing the original concept more and more—so I would say the teamwork between all of us (dramaturgy/adaptation, choreography, composing) on this one played like a symphony. It was just fun, pure and simple. Hopefully, our audiences see and feel that way with our final product.

    At what point in the process did the music composition begin for Much Ado?  

    There were a lot of copyright questions floating around during rehearsal–“Can we use this? Should we start writing letters to estates?”–but in the end, I think we used everything–or our own versions of everything–that we wanted. But the process of choosing and working with the music–that began before the first day of rehearsal and continued throughout, evolving with the production, often directly influencing the production’s evolution and growth. It really can’t be any other way, since (especially for our silent productions), the music is the show’s “second script”, so to speak–as important and influential as any text (or movement tracks) written down for the actors to memorize.

    For the artistic collaboration between the choreography/movement design ideas and the music composition -does one come before the other?

    Nathan Weinberger. Photo courtesy of Synetic Theater.
    Nathan Weinberger. Photo courtesy of Synetic Theater.

    They evolve together, and start on the same day. Sometimes, the choreography influences the music, and sometimes it’s the other way around. But however it may happen on a given day, it’s an entirely collaborative and complimentary process.

    How long was the rehearsal process for Much Ado?  Was this time similar for the previous ten Shakespeare adaptations?

    The rehearsal time for this was around three months, about the same as for all of our Silent Shakespeares. It’s a long process, but it’s how it has to be, to achieve the necessary precision and detail to make all this work.

    The Synetic production of Much Adohas a rich mosaic of actors.  Beyond physical movement abilities – what other attributes did you seek?

    Very simple: Comedic skills. Clowning ability. And I’m very pleased to say that I think I got very lucky on this one, in that I think I found those skills to spare in this remarkable cast: As with Twelfth Night, I’m hearing comparisons of my actors to Chaplin, to Keaton and that’s immensely gratifying.

    asss

    Much Ado About Nothing plays through March 22, 2015 at Synetic Theater – 1800 South Bell Street, in Arlington, Virginia. For tickets, purchase them at the door, call the Box Office at (866) 811-4111, or buy them online.

    LINKS
    Review of Much Ado About Nothing on DCMetroTheaterArts


  • THE BEST OF 2013: ‘Favorite Musical Direction and Choreography′ by The Staff of DCMetroTheaterArts

    Here are the choices for our Favorite Music Direction and Choreography of 2013 by the staff of DCMetroTheaterArts. Congrats to our honorees and to every Musical Director and Choreographer who worked on our local stages in 2013.

    Please leave your list of designers and their work you would like to personally honor in the COMMENT BOX.

    BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION of 2013 

    (1) Jay Alger for Anything Goes at The Kennedy Center.

    (2) Mitch Bassman for A Tribute to the Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein & Andrew Lloyd Webber at Reston Community Players.

    (3) Arielle Bayer for Seussical The Musical at Damascus Theatre Company.

    Jenny Cartney.
    Jenny Cartney.

    (4) Howard Breitbart for A Broadway Christmas Carol at MetroStage.

    (5) Jenny Cartney for The King and I  at The Olney Theatre Center.

    (6) Jenny Cartney for The Wiz at Montgomery College Summer 2013 Dinner Theatre.

    Dr. Jay Crowder.
    Dr. Jay Crowder.

    (7) Dr. Jay Crowder for Lucky Stiff at Montgomery College.

    (8) Carmel Dean for If/Then at The National Theatre.

    (9) John DeMain for Show Boat at Washington National Opera.

    John-Michael d’Haviland.
    John-Michael d’Haviland.

    (10) John-Michael d’Haviland for Avenue Q at Dominion Stage.

    (11) John-Michael d’Haviland for Cabaret at The Keegan Theatre.

    (12) John-Michael d’Haviland & Elisa Rosman for Caroline, or Change at Elden Street Players (now NextStop Theatre Company).

    (13) John-Michael d’Haviland for The Rocky Horror Show at American University.

    (14) Kyle English for Sweet Charity at The Catholic University of America.

    (15) Tom Fuller for I Do! I Do! at The American Century Theater.

    (16) Tom Fuller for Tomfoolery at Elden Street Players.

    (17) Lauren-Nicole Gabel for Scrooge! The Musical at Sandy Spring Theatre Group.

    George Fulginiti-Shakar.
    George Fulginiti-Shakar.

    (18) George Fulginiti-Shakar for The Rocky Horror Show at The Studio Theatre.

    (19) Mayumi B. Griffie for Ragtime at Kensington Arts Theatre.

     (20) Tiffany Underwood Holmes for Songs From A New World at Drama Learning Center.

    Jon Kalbfleisch.
    Jon Kalbfleisch.

    (21) Jon Kalbfleisch for Company at Signature Theatre.

    (22) Jon Kalbfleisch for Gypsy at Signature Theatre.

    (23) Douglas Lawler for Company at Vagabond Players.

     (24) Bryan Lilley for Pippin at The Theatre Lab’s Musical Theatre Institute for Teens.

    (25) Cedric Lyles for In the Heights at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    Gabriel Mangiante.
    Gabriel Mangiante.

    (26) Gabriel Mangiante for Spin at Signature Theatre.

    (27) Gabriel Mangiante for Miss Saigon at Signature Theatre.

     (28) Bobby McCoy for RENT School Edition at McLean High School Theatre Company.

    Dustin Merrell.
    Dustin Merrell.

    (29) Dustin Merrell for Dear Edwina at Red Branch Theatre Company.

    Paul Nasto.
    Paul Nasto.

    (30) Paul Nasto for A Chorus Line at The Arlington Players.

    (31) Jake Null for The Full Monty at The Keegan Theatre.

    (32) Ross Scott Rawlings for A Chorus Line at Olney Theatre Center.

    (33) Josephine Riggs for In the Heights at Act Two @ Levine.

    (34) Josephine Riggs for Next to Normal at Act Two @ Levine.

    David Rohde. Photo by Stuart Hill Photography.
    David Rohde. Photo by Stuart Hill Photography.

    (35) David Rohde for Next to Normal at McLean Community Players.

    (36) David Rohde for Parade at Kensington Arts Theatre.

    (37) Tim Rosser for She Loves Me at Infinity Theatre Company.

    (38) Jack Sossman for Richard Campbell’s Frankenstein at Landless Theatre Company.

    Michael Tan.
    Michael Tan.

    (39) Michael Tan for Into the Woods at Spotlighters Theatre.

    (40) Michael Tan for The Producers at Silhouette Stages.

    (41) Sally Tarr for Gypsy at Cockpit in Court.

    (42) Tom Teasley for Gilgamesh at Constellation Theatre Company.

    (43) Stanley Thurston for Abduction from the Seraglio at The In Series.

    Chris Tomasino.
    Chris Tomasino.

    (44) Christopher A. Tomasino for Avenue Q at The Little Theatre of Alexandria.

    (46) Madalaine Vander-Linden for Little Shop of Horrors at Providence Players of Fairfax.

     (47) Adam Wachter for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    (46) Stuart Weich for Crazy for You at Rockville Musical Theatre.

    Christopher Youstra.
    Christopher Youstra.

    (48) Christopher Youstra for Les Misérables at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    ______

    BEST CHOREOGRAPHY of 2013

    (1) Victoria Bertocci for Synetic Synetic Theater’s Teens’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

    (2) Marielle Burt, Lily Spinelli, and Amy Weinstock for RENT School Edition at McLean High School Theatre Company.

    Michael J. Bobbitt.
    Michael J. Bobbitt.

    (3) Michael J. Bobbitt for The Rocky Horror Show at Studio Theatre.

    (4) Michael J. Bobbitt for Three Little Birds at Adventure Theatre MTC.

    (5) Sally Boyett D’Angelo for Sweet Charity at The Catholic University of America.

    Karma Camp.
    Karma Camp.

    (6) Karma Camp for Gypsy at Signature Theatre.

    (7) Karma Camp for Miss Saigon at Signature Theatre.

    Tina DeSimone. Photo by Kirstine Christiansen.
    Tina DeSimone. Photo by Kirstine Christiansen.

    (8) Tina DeSimone for The Producers at Silhouette Stages.

    (9) Rachel Leigh Dolan for Cabaret at The Keegan Theatre.

    Craig Cipollini.
    Craig Cipollini.

    (10) Craig Cipollini for One Night in New York! at the 2013 Capital Fringe Festival.

     (11) Angelisa Gillyard for Abduction from the Seraglio at The In Series.

    (12) Michele Lynch for Show Boat at Washington National Opera.

    Kathleen Marshall. Photo via Newscom.
    Kathleen Marshall. Photo via Newscom.

    (13) Kathleen Marshall for Anything Goes at The Kennedy Center.

    (14) Duane Monahan for Crazy for You at Rockville Musical Theatre.

    (15) Darnell Morris and Eben K. Logan for Ragtime at Kensington Arts Theatre.

    (16) Lawrence B. Munsey for Hot Nostalgia at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    Stephen Nachamie.
    Stephen Nachamie.

    (17) Stephen Nachamie for A Chorus Line at Olney Theatre Center.

     (18) Zac Norton for In the Heights at Act Two @ Levine.

    (19) Andrew Rasmussen for She Loves Me at Infinity Theatre Company.

    Josh Rhodes.
    Josh Rhodes.

    (20) Josh Rhodes for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    (21) Stefan Sittig for A Chorus Line at The Arlington Players.

    Christen Svingos.
    Christen Svingos.

    (22) Christen Svingos for In the Heights at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    Irina Tsikurishvili.
    Irina Tsikurishvili.

    (23) Irina Tsikurishvili for The Tempest at Synetic Theater.

    (24) Irina Tsikurishvili for The Portrait of Dorian Gray at Synetic Theater.

    Tara Jeanne Vallee.
    Tara Jeanne Vallee.

    (25) Tara Jeanne Vallee for The King and I  at The Olney Theatre Center.

     (26) Ryan Patrick Welsh for Pippin at at The Theatre Lab’s Musical Theatre Institute for Teens. 

    LINKS

    DCMetroTheaterArts Staff’s 2013 Special Awards.

    THE BEST OF 2013: ‘Favorite Musicals of 2013′ by The Staff of DCMetroTheaterArts.

    THE BEST OF 2013: ‘Favorite Plays of 2013′ by The Staff of DCMetroTheaterArts.

    THE BEST OF 2013: ‘Favorite Performances by An Actor and Actress in a Musical′ by The Staff of DCMetroTheaterArts.

    THE BEST OF 2013: ‘Favorite Performances by An Actor and Actress in a Play′ by The Staff of DCMetroTheaterArts.

    THE BEST OF 2013: ‘Favorite Supporting Actor and Actress in a Musical′ by The Staff of DCMetroTheaterArts.

     THE BEST OF 2013: ‘Favorite Supporting Actor and Actress in a Play′ by The Staff of DCMetroTheaterArts.

    THE BEST OF 2013: ‘Favorite Director in a Musical and Play by The Staff of DCMetroTheaterArts.

    THE BEST OF 2013: ‘Favorite Musical Direction and Choreography′ by The Staff of DCMetroTheaterArts.








  • The Best of 2012: Part 10: Designers, Cabarets & Concerts, Dance & University Shows

    Here are DCMetroTheaterArts writers’ choices for their favorites designs of production in the the DC Metro Area in 2012. I always felt that Designers never received enough ‘ink’ or credit or respect in reviews and were usually ‘clumped together’ in one sentence. I am very proud to say that the writers of DCMTA give designers ‘equal coverage’ in their reviews. We are also sharing with you our choices for our favorite concerts, cabarets, dance performances and university productions of 2012. Thanks to everyone who were honored by our writers. You can read all of our lists of 2012 honorees here. 

     BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PRODUCTION

    The cast of ‘Hairspray.’ Photo by Kirstine Christiansen. Costumes by Lawrence B. Munsey.

    Judith Bowden for My Fair Lady at Arena Stage.

    Maggie Cason for The Comedy of Errors at Annapolis Shakespeare Company.

    Candice Donnelly for Into the Woods at CENTERSTAGE.

    Kathleen Geldard for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe at Imagination Stage.

    Frank Labovitz for Dreamgirls at Signature Theatre.

    Brandon R. McWilliams for Peter Pan: The Boy who Hated Mothers at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Judy Whelihan (Costume Design) for Equus at Taking Flight Theatre Company.

    Howard Vincent Kurtz for Into the Woods at George Mason University.

    Lawrence B. Munsey for Hairspray at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore.

    Kendra Rai for Metamorphoses at Constellation Theatre Company.

    Denise Umland for A Commedia Christmas Carol at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

    David Van Tieghem for The Normal Heart at Arena Stage.

    Jessica Welch and Meghan O’Beirne for A Christmas Carol at Arts Collective@HCC

    BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PRODUCTION

    Maugrim the Wolf (Dylan Keane – center) and the White Witch’s minions taunt Aslan in ‘The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe.’ Photo by Scott Suchman. Lighting Design by Colin K. Bills.

    Colin K. Bills for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe at Imagination Stage.

     Paule Constable for Les Misérables at The National Theatre.

    Andrew Dorman for Suicide, Incorporated at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Mary Louise Geiger for Invisible Man at The Studio Theatre.

    Denis Giblin for Frost/Nixon at Greenbelt Arts Center.

    Catherine Girardi for Seussical at Imagination Stage.

    Andrew F. Griffin for A Commedia Christmas Carol at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

    Andrew F. Griffin for Astro Boy and the God of Comics at The Studio Theatre’s 2nd Stage.

    Andrew F. Griffin Home of the Soldier at Synetic Theater.

    A.J. Gubin for Metamorphoses at Constellation Theatre Company.

    Chris Lee for Dreamgirls at Signature Theatre.

    Eric Lund for Bell, Book, and Candle at Colonial Players.

    Donald Edmund Thomas for Don Giovanni at Washington National Opera.

    David Weiner for The Normal Heart at Arena Stage.

    Carrie Wood for Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at No Rules Theatre Company.

    BEST SET DESIGN IN A PRODUCTION 

    Rendering of the set of ‘Altar Boyz’ at 1st Stage by Steve Royal.

    Terry Cobb for A Christmas Carol at Arts Collective @HCC.

    Daniel Conway for Dying City at Signature Theatre.

    Ryan Haase for Arsenic & Old Lace at StillPointe Theatre Initiative.

    Robbie Hayes for A Maze at Rorschach Theatre.

    Riccardo Hernandez for Pullman Porter Blues at Arena Stage.

     Matt Kinley for Les Misérables, at The National Theatre.

    JD Madsen for The Temperamentals at Rep Stage.

    James Noone for Bus Stop at CENTERSTAGE.

    David Rockwell for The Normal Heart at Arena Stage.

    Steven Royal Almost, Maine at 1st Stage.

    Steven Royal for Altar Boyz at 1st Stage.

    Ethan Sinnott for A Commedia Christmas Carol at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

    Ethan Sinnott for Hamlecchino: Clown Prince of Denmark at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

    Luciana Stecconi  for Astro Boy and The God of Comics at The Studio Theatre’s 2nd Stage.

    Eric Van Wyk for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe at Imagination Stage.

    Matt Wolfe for BOOM at Artists’ Initiative.

    BEST SOUND DESIGN IN A PRODUCTION

    James Long about to be Power-Bombed by Chad Deity (Shawn T. Andrew). Photo by Stan Barouh. And can you hear the bodies slamming? Sound Design by Christopher Baine.

    Christopher Baine for The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

    Jonathan Boulden for Cymbeline at Annapolis Shakespeare Company.

     Mick Potter for Les Misérables at The National Theatre.

    Evan Rogers for Astro Boy and The God of Comics at The Studio Theatre’s 2nd Stage.

    Matt Rowe for Dreamgirls at Signature Theatre.

    Thomas Sowers for A Commedia Christmas Carol at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

    Veronika Vorel for Time Stands Still at Everyman Theatre.

    BEST CABARETS OR CONCERTS OF 2012

    Marvin Hamlisch. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.

    30th Anniversary Christmas Revels at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium.

     A Chanticleer Christmas by Chanticleer Singers at Center for the Arts at George Mason University.

    An Evening with Smokey Robinson at The Kennedy Center.

    Joshua Bell and Academy of St. Martin in the Fields at The Music Center at Strathmore

    Carolyn Cole: Born to Take the BELTway at Signature Theatre.

    Cole Porter: You’re the Top! at Creative Cauldron.

    Crosby, Stills & Nash at Wolf Trap.

    Natascia Diaz: What I See at Signature Theatre.

    Linda Eder in Songbirds at The Music Center at Strathmore.

    Experience Hendrix 2012 Tribute Tour at The Music Center at Strathmore.

    Eileen Ivers at Wolf Trap.

    Hamlisch Goes Gershwin with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap.

    Holiday Follies at Signature Theatre.

    The Holiday Guys at Signature Theatre.

    Diana Krall at Wolf Trap.

    Judy Kuhn at Barbara Cook Spotlight Series at The Kennedy Center.

    Linda Lavin at Barbara Cook Spotlight Series at The Kennedy Center.

    Emily Skinner at Barbara Cook Spotlight Series at The Kennedy Center.

    Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Mannheim Steamrollers at Strathmore.

    Matthew Scott and Kirsten Scott at Signature Theatre.

    Voices of Light – The Passion of Joan of Arc at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at The Music Center at Strathmore.

    BEST DANCE PERFORMANCES OF 2012

    The Party Scene in Moscow Ballet’s ‘Great Russian Nutcracker.’ Photo courtesy of the Moscow Ballet.

    Bad Boys of Dance at Montgomery College.

    Ballet West’s The Nutcracker at The Kennedy Center.

    Collision Course – a.k.a. Pillow Talk at George Washington University.

    Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company at George Washington University.

    Flamenco: Territorio DeMente at Gala Hispanic Theatre.

    Lar Lubovitch Dance Company at The Kennedy Center.

    Mark Morris Dance Company at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts.

    Paul Taylor Dance Company at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at U of MD.

    The Moscow Ballet’s The Great Russian Nutcracker at The Music Center at Strathmore and Center for the Arts at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts.

    BEST OPERA PRODUCTIONS OF 2012

    Cast members of Die Zauberflöte. Photo by Cory Weaver.

    Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) at U of MD’s Maryland Opera Studio.

    Don Giovanni at Washington National Opera.

    La Boheme at Lyric Opera House.

    Miss Havisham’s Fire at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

     BEST UNIVERSITY PRODUCTIONS OF 2012 

    (l to r) Charlie Brown (Conor Scanlan), Linus (Kevin Mori), Lucy (Awa Sal Secka), Snoopy (Jonathan Miot), Schroeder (Michael Mainwaring), and Sally (Mili Diaz). Photo by R. Scott Hengen.

    The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at American University.

    Almost, Maine at George Washington University.

    Far Away at Georgetown University

    Fiddler on the Roof at Montgomery College.

    Finian’s Rainbow at Catholic University.

    Glengarry Glen Ross at American University.

    Guys and Dolls at American University.

    In the Red and Brown Water at University of Maryland.

    Sweeney Todd at George Washington University.

    Venus at Howard University.

    You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown at Montgomery College.

    LINKS

    The Best of 2012: Part 1: Dance Memories, 10 Favorites of 2012 by Carolyn Kelemen. The Best of 2012: Part 2: The Best Musicals of 2012. The Best of 2012: Part 3: The Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Musical. The Best of 2012: Part 4: Best Performance by Supporting Actor and Actress in a Musical. The Best of 2012: Part 5: Best Director, Best Musical Direction, and Best Choreography of a Musical. The Best of 2012: Part 6: Best Ensemble of a Play and Best Ensemble of a Musical. The Best of 2012: Part 7: Best Play, Best Actor, and Best Actress in a Play. The Best of 2012: Part 8: Best Director of a Play and Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Play. Part 9: Solo Performances, Children’s/Young Adult Theatre Shows, Directors, & Performances’ Part 10: Designers, Cabarets & Concerts, Dance & University Shows

  • The Best of 2012: Part 9: ‘Solo Performances, Children’s/Young Adult, Directors, Performances & Special Award

     BEST SOLO PERFORMANCES

    Joe Brack in ‘My Princess Pride.’ Photo by Paul Gillis.

    Joe Brack in My Princess Bride at DC Capital Fringe Festival.

    Alex Brightman in How I Paid for College at The Hub Theatre.

    Mike Daisey in The Agony and The Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

    Kathryn Kelley in The Belle of Amherst at Bay Theatre Company.

    Jason Lott in Wonderful Life at Theater Alliance and The Hub Theatre.

    Susan McCully in Inexcusable Fantasies at Strand Theater Company.

    Paul Morella in A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas at Olney Theatre Center.

    Amy Jo Shapiro in Golda’s Balcony at Vagabond Players.

    BEST CHILDREN’S/ YOUNG ADULT ACTORS’ THEATRE PRODUCTION

    The orchestra of Young Artists of America’s ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ conducted by Kristofer Sanz. Photo by Tracy Meadows.

    A Christmas Chaos at Elden Street Players’ Theatre for Young Audiences.

    Big, The Musical-TYA at Adventure Theatre-MTC.     

    Dancing in the Wings at Hylton Performing Arts Center.

    If You Give a Moose a Muffin at Adventure Theatre-MTC.

    Legally Blonde at Act Two @ Levine.

    Parade at The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts.

    Platero y Yo at Gala Hispanic Theatre.

    Rumple Who?at Bay Theatre Company.

    Seussical at Imagination Stage.

    Seussical Jr. at Musical Theater Center.

    The Arkansaw Bear at The Montgomery Playhouse.

     The Commedia Puss in Boots at Maryland Ensemble Theatre.

    The Hobbit at Encore Stage and Studio.

    The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe at Imagination Stage.

    The Magical Lamp of Aladdin at Elden Street Players’ Theatre for Young Audiences.

    The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, at The Kennedy Center.

    The Nutcracker at The Puppet Co.

    The Phantom of the Opera at Young Artists of America.

    The Pirates of Penzance at Encore Stage and Studio.

    The Three Prince Charmings at Elden Street Players’ Theatre for Young Audiences.

    Urinetown: The Musical at Arts Collective@ HCC.

    Urinetown: The Musical at Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts.

    BEST ACTOR IN A CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT ACTORS’ THEATRE PRODUCTION OF 2012

    Michael Russotto (Moose) in ‘If You Give a Moose a Muffin’ at Adventure Theatre-MTC. Photo by Bruce Douglas.

    Matthew A. Anderson as Horton in Seussical at Imagination Stage.

    Matt Calvert  as Bobby Strong in Urinetown: The Musical at The Theatre Lab School for the Dramatic Arts.

    Ray Converse as The Greatest Dancing Bear at Arkansaw Bear at The Montgomery Playhouse.

    Nathan Cooney as Rumplestiltskin in Rumple Who? at Bay Theatre Company.

    Simon Diesenhaus as Jojo in Seussical at Imagination Stage.

    Parker Drown as Alexander in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at Adventure Theatre-MTC.

    Alex Greenberg as Jekyll /Hyde in Jekyll and Hyde at Act Two @ Levine.

    Lukasz Hall as Prince Charming Smile in The Three Prince Charmings at Elden Street Players.

     Ed Higgins as Cladwell in Urinetown: The Musical at Arts Collective @HCC.

    Casey Klein as Jekyll /Hyde in Jekyll and Hyde at Act Two @ Levine.

    Ben Lurye as Paul in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at Adventure Theatre-MTC.

    Greg Maheu as Big Josh in Big, The Musical-TYA at Adventure Theatre.

    Eitan Mazia as The Phantom of the Opera in The Phantom of the Opera at Young Artists of America.

    Ryan Mercer as Homer P. Figg in The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, at The Kennedy Center.

    Dustin Merrell as Bobby Strong in Urinetown: The Musical at Arts Collective @HCC.

    Ethan Millstone as Cat in the Hat in Seussical Jr. at Musical Theater Center.

    Michael Russotto as Moose in If you Give a Moose a Muffin at Adventure Theatre-MTC.

    Manuel Ayala Sapelli as Leo Frank in Parade at The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts.

    Chris Sizemore as Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance at Encore Stage and Studio.

    Ronnie Spata as Prince Charming Hair in The Three Prince Charmings at Elden Street Players.

    Ricky Vannelli as Officer Lockstock in Urinetown: The Musical at Theatre Lab. 

    BEST ACTRESS IN A CHILDREN’S/ YOUNG ADULT ACTORS’ THEATRE PRODUCTION

    Maggie Roos as Lucille Frank in ‘Parade’ at The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts. Photo courtesy of The Theatre Lab.

    Asjah Benson as Lil Sassy in Dancing in the Wings at Hylton Performing Arts Center.

    Maya Bowman as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde at Act Two @ Levine.

    Annie Coulson as Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical Jr. at Musical Theater Center.

    Erin Driscoll as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance at Encore Stage and Studio.

    Keri Eastridge as Little Sally in Urinetown: The Musical at ArtsCollective @HCC.

    Brett Hurt as The Miller’s Daughter in Rumple Who? at Bay Theatre Company.

    Caitlyn Joy as Columbine in The Commedia Puss in Boots at Maryland Ensemble Theatre.

    Katie Chase Martin as Hope Cladwell in Urinetown: The Musical at ArtsCollective @HCC.

    Julia Meadows as Lady Carlotta Giudicelli in The Phantom of the Opera at Young Artists of America.

    Anna Phillips-Brown as Hope Cladwell in Urinetown: The Musical at The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts.

    Maggie Roos as Lucille Frank in Parade at The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts.

    Kelly Semple as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde at Act Two @ Levine.

    Lara Taylor as Little Sally in Urinetown: The Musical at The Theatre Lab School for the Dramatic Arts.

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A CHILDREN’S/ YOUNG ADULT ACTORS’ THEATRE OF 2012 PRODUCTION PLAY

    Giovanni Strange (Scaramouch) and Caitlan Joy (Columbine) in ‘The Commedia Puss in Boots’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre. Photo by Julie Huber.

    Matt Calvert as Britt Craig in Parade at Theatre Lab School for the Performing Arts.

    James J. Johnson as Samuel Reed in The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg at The Kennedy Center.

    Aidan Quartana as Hugh Dorsey in Parade at Theatre Lab School for the Performing Arts.

    Giovanni Strange as Scaramouch in The Commedia Puss in Boots at Maryland Ensemble Theatre.

    Sean Watkinson as John Utterson in Jekyll and Hyde at Act Two @ Levine.

    Sean Willner as Bombur in The Hobbit at Encore Stage and Studio.

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT ACTORS’ THEATRE PRODUCTION OF 2012

    Matthew A. Anderson (Horton) and Kirstin Riegler (Mayzie LaBird) in ‘Seussical’ at Imagination Stage. Photo by Margot Schulman.

    Sandy Bainum as Alexander’s Mother in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at Adventure Theatre MTC.

    Jim Chance for Rumple Who? at Bay Theatre Company.

    Kayla Dixon as Brooke in Legally Blonde at Act Two @ Levine.

    Katie Gerard as Paulette in Legally Blonde at Act Two @ Levine.

    Caitlan Joy as Columbine in The Commedia Puss in Boots at Maryland Ensemble Theatre.

    Kelsey Painter as Soupy Sue in Urinetown: The Musical at Arts Collective @HCC.

     Kirstin Riegler as Mayzie LaBird in Seussical at Imagination Stage.

    Morgann Rose as the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe at Imagination Stage.

    Tiajuana Rountree as The Nasty Queen in Rumple Who? At Bay Theatre Company.

    Vanessa Strickland as Arlequin in The Commedia Puss in Boots at Maryland Ensemble Theatre.

    Meghan Wright as Sour Kangaroo in Seussical Jr. At Musical Theater Center.

    BEST DIRECTOR OF A CHILDREN’S/ YOUNG ADULT ACTORS’ THEATRE PRODUCTION OF 2012

    Janet Stanford, Director of ‘The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe’ and ‘Seussical’ at Imagination Stage. Photo courtesy of Imagination Stage.

    Michael J. Bobbitt for Big, The Musical-TYA at Adventure Theatre MTC.

    Jim Chance for Rumple Who? at Bay Theatre Company.

    Deb Gottesman and Buzz Mauro for Parade at Theatre Lab for the Performing Arts.

    Gail Humphries Mardirosian for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at Adventure Theatre-MTC.

    Susan Alison Keady for The Hobbit at Enscore Stage and Studio.

    Kevin Kuchar for Legally Blonde at Act Two @ Levine.

    Tyrell Lashley for Dancing in the Wings at Hylton Performing Arts.

    Jenny Male for Urinetown: The Musical at Arts Collective @ HCC.

    Darnel Morris for Seussical Jr. at Musical Theater Center.

    Serge Seiden for A Little House Christmas at Adventure Theatre MTC.

    Jeremy Skidmore for If You Give a Moose a Muffin at Adventure Theatre MTC.

    Janet Stanford for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe at Imagination Stage.

    Janet Stanford for Seussical at Imagination Stage.

    Delia Taylor for Urinetown: The Musical at The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts.

    2012 SPECIAL AWARD:

    TO LA-TI-DO 

    latido poster

    To hosts Regie Cabico & DonMike Mendoza, and accompanist: Jonathan Tuzman for bringing together local talent – singers and spoken word artists.

    LINKS 

    The Best of 2012: Part 1: Dance Memories, 10 Favorites of 2012 by Carolyn Kelemen.

    The Best of 2012: Part 2: The Best Musicals of 2012.

    The Best of 2012: Part 3: The Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 4: Best Performance by Supporting Actor and Actress in a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 5: Best Director, Best Musical Direction, and Best Choreography of a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 6: Best Ensemble of a Play and Best Ensemble of a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 7: Best Play, Best Actor, and Best Actress in a Play.

    The Best of 2012: Part 8: Best Director of a Play and Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Play.

  • The Best of 2012: Part 8: ‘Best Director of a Play and Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Play’

    Here are our choices for Best Director of a Play and Best Actor and Actress of a Play in 2012. Feel free to leave a comment and share your favorites of 2012 with our readers by leaving comment at the bottom of this article.

    BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

    Derek Goldman, Director of ‘Our Class’ at Theater J.

    Kasi Campbell for Yellowman at Rep Stage.

    Steven Cosson for Mr. Burns A Post-Electric Play at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

    Renana Fox for Boom at Artists’ Initiative.

    Steve Goldklang for Frost/Nixon at Vagabond Players.

    Derek Goldman for Our Class at Theater J.

    Johanna Gruenhut for Apples from the Desert at Theater J.

    Kirsten Kelly for Big Love at The Hub Theatre.

    Ricardo Khan for Fly at Ford’s Theatre.

    Donald Hicken for Heroes at Everyman Theatre.

    Michael Kahn for Strange Interlude at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

     Michael Lluberes for Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Jack Marshall for Marathon 33 at American Century Theater.

    Patrick Martyn for Circle Mirror Transformation at Fells Point Corner Theatre.

    Christopher McElroen for Invisible Man at The Studio Theatre.

    Ethan McSweeny for A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    Joshua Morgan for Suicide, Incorporated at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Lisa Peterson for Pullman Porter Blues at Arena Stage.

    Aaron Posner for The Taming of the Shrew at Folger Theatre.

    Natsu Onoda Power for Astro Boy and the God of Comics, Studio Theatre 2nd Stage.

    Deborah Randall for Devil Dog Six at Venus Theatre.

    Mark A. Rhea for August: Osage County at The Keegan Theatre.

    Michael Stebbins for Mary Rose at Rep Stage.

    Paata Tsikurishvili for Home of the Soldier at Synetic Theater.

    Paata Tsikurishvili for The Taming of the Shrew at Synetic Theater.

    Matthew R. Wilson for A Commedia Christmas Carol at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

    Matthew R. Wilson for Hamlecchino: Clown Prince of Denmark at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

    George C. Wolfe for The Normal Heart at Arena Stage.

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY IN 2012

    Michael Berresse as Mickey Marcus in ‘The Normal Heart.’ Photo by Scott Suchman.

    Andrew L. Baughman as Clown2 in The 39 Steps at Maryland Ensemble Theatre.

    Michael Berresse as Mickey Marcus in The Normal Heart at Arena Stage.

    Steve Custer as Burt Seldon in Flowers For Algernon at Elden Street Players.

    Cleavant Derricks as Sylvester in Pullman Porter Blues at Arena Stage.

    Philip Dickerson as Mystery Man in The Mystery Plays at Catholic University.

    Steven Epps as Truffaldino in The Servant of Two Masters at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    Adam Downs as Tootles/Smee in Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Adam Downs as Perry in Suicide, Incorporated at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Chris Genebach as Gibson in Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

    Adam Green as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    Christopher J. Hanke as Tommy Boatwright in The Normal Heart at Arena Stage.

    John Harrell as Launcelot in The Merchant of Venice at American Shakespeare Center.

    Jerry Herbilla, Ensemble Member, in Nightmerica at Theatre du Jour.

    Bill Largess as Mr. Morland in Mary Rose at Rep Stage.

    Larry Marshall as Monroe in Pullman Porter Blues at Arena Stage.

    Scott McKenzie as K.J. in The Aliens at The Studio Theatre.

    Eric Messner as Simon Baker in Mary Rose at Rep Stage.

    Brian Miskell as Evan in The Aliens at The Studio Theatre.

    Brian Miskell as Evanin You Can’t Take It With You at Everyman Theatre.

    Peter O’Conner as Jasper in The Aliens at The Studio Theatre.

    Steve Rosen as Matt in Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

    William Spilman as Young Horseman/Nugget in Equus at Taking Flight Theatre Company.

    Michael Sprouse as Tiny Tim in A Commedia Christmas Carol at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

    Robert Stanton as Charles Marsden in Strange Interlude at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    Baakari Wilder as Willie in Master Harold… and the boys at The Bay Theatre Company.

     BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

    E. Faye Butler (Sister Juba), with Lamar Lofton (Shorty), in ‘Pullman Porter Blues.’ Photo by Chris Bennion.

    Jessica Aimone as Thyona in Big Love at The Hub Theatre.

    Jessica Ruth Baker as Sister Agatha in Incorruptible at UMBC Dept. of Theatre.

    E. Faye Butler as Sister Juba in Pullman Porter Blues at Arena Stage.

    Toni Carmine as Charlotte in These Shining Lives at Silver Spring Stage.

    Carol Evans as Ouiser in Steel Magnolias at Cockpit in Court.

    Kristen Garaffo as Olympia in Big Love at The Hub Theatre.

    Laura C. Harris as Gena in Bachelorette at The Studio Theatre.

     Laura C Harris as Mandy in Time Stands Still at The Studio Theatre.

    Maya Jackson as Nibs/Bill Jukes/Tiger Lily, in Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Valerie Lash as Ellen in Mother May I? at Strand Theater Company.

    Jennifer Mendenhall as Victoria in Apples from the Desert at Theater J.

    Tracy Lynn Olivera as Becky in Bachelorette at The Studio Theatre.

    Erika Rose as Bart in Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

    Vanessa Strickland as Dr. McNuthin in Holly Down in Heaven at Forum Theatre.

    LINKS 

    The Best of 2012: Part 1: Dance Memories, 10 Favorites of 2012 by Carolyn Kelemen.

    The Best of 2012: Part 2: The Best Musicals of 2012.

    The Best of 2012: Part 3: The Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 4: Best Performance by Supporting Actor and Actress in a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 5: Best Director, Best Musical Direction, and Best Choreography of a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 6: Best Ensemble of a Play and Best Ensemble of a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 7: Best Play, Best Actor, and Best Actress in a Play.

     

  • The Best of 2012: Part 7: ‘Best Play’ and ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Best Actress in a Play’

    Here are the writers of DCMetroTheaterArts’ choices for Best Plays of 2012 and Best Performances by an Actor and Actress in a Play in 2012 in the DC Metro Area. Congrats to everyone on our list and to everyone who appeared on our stages in 2012.  Please share your favorites in the comment box below.

    BEST PLAY OF 2012

    The cast of ‘The Normal Heart’ at Arena Stage. Photo by Scott Suchman.

    A Commedia Christmas Carol at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

    A Girl Named Destiny at Venus Theatre.

    Astro Boy and The God of Comics at The Studio Theatre 2nd Stage.

    Bareback Ink at The Capital Fringe Festival.

    Big Love at The Hub Theatre.

    Equus at Taking Flight Theatre Company.

    Flowers For Algernon at Elden Street Players.

    Hamlecchino: Clown Prince of Denmark at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

    Heroes at Everyman Theatre.

    Holly Down in Heaven at Forum Theatre.

    Home of the Soldier at Synetic Theater.

    In a Forest Dark and Deep at the Contemporary American Theater Festival.

    Invisible Man at The Studio Theatre.

    Jekyll and Hyde at Synetic Theater.

    Laura at Cockpit in Court.

    Les Liasons Dangereuse at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    Mary Rose at Rep Stage.

    Master Harold…and the boys at Bay Theatre Company.

    Metamorphoses at Constellation Theatre Company.

    Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

    Our Class at Theater J.

    Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Pullman Porter Blues at Arena Stage.

    Pygmalion at Run Rabbit Run Theatre.

    Pygmalion at Washington Stage Guild.

    Reckless at Spooky Action Theater.

    Red at Arena Stage.

    Six Characters in Search of an Author at WSC Avant Bard.

    Sleuth at Olney Theater Center.

    Strange Interlude at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    SubUrbia at Shenandoah Conservatory.

    Suicide, Incorporated at No Rules Theatre Company.

    The Aliens at The Studio Theatre.

    The Complete Fictional – Utterly True – Final Strange Tale of Edgar Allan Poe at CENTERSTAGE.

    The 39 Steps at Maryland Ensemble Theatre.

    The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

    The Merchant of Venice at American Shakespeare Center.   

    The Normal Heart at Arena Stage.

    The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    The Taming of the Shrew at Folger Theatre.

    The Taming of the Shrew at Synetic Theater.

    Temperamentals at Rep Stage.

    The Whipping Man at Theater J.

    Time Stands Still at The Studio Theatre.

    To Kill A Mockingbird at Compass Rose Studio Theatre.

    Witness for the Prosecution at The Little Theatre of Alexandria.

    Yellowman at Rep Stage.

    You Can’t Take it With You at Everyman Theatre.

    Young Robin Hood at Round House Theatre.

     BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY

    Matthew R. Wilson (Hamlecchino). Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

    Shawn T. Andrew as Chad Deity in The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

    Matt Baughman as Charlie Gordon in Flowers For Algernon at Elden Street Players.

     Teagle F. Bougere as The Invisible Man in Invisible Man at The Studio Theatre.

    Patrick Breen as Ned Weeks in The Normal Heart at Arena Stage.

    Steven Carpenter as Henry Higgins in Pygmalion at Washington Stage Guild.

    Noah Chiet as Rudy Pazinsk in Over the Tavern at Olney Theatre Center.

    Joey Collins as Bobby in In a Forest Dark and Deep at the Contemporary American Theater Festival.

    Daniel Douek as Tito Merelli in Lend Me A Tenor at Heritage Players.

    Vince Eisenson as Richard III in Richard III at Chesapeake Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    Phil Erickson as Henry Higgins in Pygmalion at Run Rabbit Run Theatre.

    Edward Gero as Mark Rothko in Red at Arena Stage.

    James Keegan as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice at American Shakespeare Center.

    Luke McFarlane as Felix Turner in The Normal Heart at Arena Stage.

    Alex Mills as Jekyll/Hyde in Jekyll and Hyde at Synetic Theater.

    Bruce Randolph Nelson in as Poe in The Complete Fictional – Utterly True – Final Strange Tale of Edgar Allan Poe at CENTERSTAGE.

    Jon Hudson Odom as Eugene in Yellowman at Rep Stage.

    Nigel Reed as Andrew Makepeace Ladd III in Love Letters at Bay Theatre Company.

    Nigel Reed as Harry Hay in Tempermentals at Rep Stage.

    John Evans Reese as Peter Pan in Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Marc Rehr as the honorable judge William Toffett in Lethal Injection at Vagabond Players.

    Paul Reisman as Scrooge in A Commedia Christmas Carol at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

    Adam Ruben in Dr. Science’s Science Time Science-va-ganza at The Capital Fringe Festival.

    Russell Silber as Leonard Vole in Witness for the Prosecution at The Little Theatre of Alexandria.

    Alexander Strain as Rudi Gernrich in Temperamentals at Rep Stage.

    Brian Sutow, as Jason in Suicide, Incorporated at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Michael Tolaydo as Reuven in Apples from the Desert at Theater J.

    David Emerson Toney as Simon in The Whipping Man at Theater J.

    Vato Tsikurishvili as Son in Home of the Soldier at Synetic Theater.

    Michael Anthony Williams as Sam in Master Harold…and the Boys at Bay Theatre Company.

    Matthew R. Wilson as Hamlet/Arlecchino in Hamlecchino: Clown Prince of Denmark at Faction of Fools Theatre Company.

     BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY IN 2012

    Maya Jackson and Vanessa Strickland maneuvering a puppet doll that looks a lot like Broadway legend Carol Channing. Photo by Ryan Maxwell.

    Kelly Renee Armstrong as Alma in Yellowman at Rep Stage.

    Rena Cherry Brown as Violet Weston in August: Osage County at The Keegan Theatre.

    Helen Carey as Mary Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night at Arena Stage.

    Joan Crooks as Dr. Livingston in Agnes of God at Spotlighters Theatre.

    Johanna Day as Betty in In a Forest Dark and Deep at the Contemporary American Theater Festival.

    Sarah Douglas as Lydia in Big Love at The Hub Theatre.

    Francesca Fariday, as Nina Leeds in Strange Interlude at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    Shaina Higgins as Jill Mason in Equus at Taking Flight Theatre Company.

    Lisa Hodsoll as Captain Hook and Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Penny Hauffe as Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion at Run Rabbit Run Theatre.

    Maya Jackson as Holly Down in Heaven at Forum Theatre.

    Elizabeth Jernigan as Jean Louise in To Kill A Mockingbird at Compass Rose Studio Theatre.

    Natalie McManus as Lotty in Enchanted April at Silver Spring Stage.

    Dylan Moore as Regan in Bachelorette at The Studio Theatre.

    Julie Moulie as Marquise de Merteuil in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    Deb Randall as Jamie in Punk Rock Mom at Venus Theatre.

    Ashley San as Barbara in Boom at Artists’ Initiative.

    Amy Jo Shapiro as Golda Meir in Golda’s Balcony at Vagabond Players.

    Mundy Spears as Rachel in Reckless at Spooky Action Theater.

     Kathleen Turner as Molly Ivons in Red Hot Patriot: The Kick Ass Wit of Molly Ivins at  Arena Stage

    Holly Twyford as Sarah in Time Stands Still at The Studio Theatre.

    Patricia Wettig as Dr. Emma Brookner in The Normal Heart at Arena Stage.

     Rachel Zampelli as Kelly in Dying City at Signature Theatre.

    LINKS

    The Best of 2012: Part 1: Dance Memories, 10 Favorites of 2012 by Carolyn Kelemen.

    The Best of 2012: Part 2: The Best Musicals of 2012.

    The Best of 2012: Part 3: The Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 4: Best Performance by Supporting Actor and Actress in a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 5: Best Director, Best Musical Direction, and Best Choreography of a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 6: Best Ensemble of a Play and Best Ensemble of a Musical.

     

  • The Best of 2012: Part 6: ‘Best Ensemble of a Play’ and ‘Best Ensemble of a Musical’

    Here’s our favorite Ensembles from plays and musicals in 2012 on DC Metro Area stages. Congrats to everyone on these lists and to everyone who appeared on our local stages in 2012!

    BEST ENSEMBLE OF A PLAY OF 2012

    ‘A Commedia Christmas Carol’ at Faction of Fools: Left to Right: Joel David Santner, Toby Mulford, Tyler Herman, Sandra Mae Frank, Jessica Willoughby and Paul Reisman. Photo by Second Glance Photography.

    A Commedia Christmas Carol at Faction of Fools.

    A Trip to the Moon at Synetic Theater.

    August: Osage County at The Keegan Theatre.

    Hamlecchino at Faction of Fools.

    Heroes at Everyman Theatre.

    The Hot L Baltimore at Spotlighters Theatre.

    Invisible Man at The Studio Theatre.

    Love Loss & What I Wore at Fells Point Corner Theatre.

    Marathon 33 at American Century Theater.

    Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

    Master Harold…and the boys at Bay Theatre Company.

    Our Class at Theater J.

    Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Suicide, Incorporated at No Rules Theatre Company.

    Suite Surrender at 1st Stage.

    The Aliens at The Studio Theatre.

    The Foursome at Bay Theatre Company.

    The Government Inspector at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

    The Normal Heart at Arena Stage.

    The Taming of the Shrew at Synetic Theater.

    BEST ENSEMBLE OF A MUSICAL OF 2012

    The Cast of ‘The Brontes’: Dani Danger Stoller, Matthew Schleigh, Rich Nagel, Steve McWilliams, Debra Buonaccorsi, Jason Wilson, and Gillian Shelly. Photo courtesy of Steve Williams.

    A Little Night Music at The Arlington Players.

    Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Elden Street Players.

    Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Damascus Theatre Company.

    Dizzy Miss Lizzie’s Roadside Review‘s The Brontes at The Capital Fringe Festival.

    Dreamgirls at Signature Theatre.

    Finian’s Rainbow at Catholic University.

    Guys and Dolls at American University.

    Hairspray at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore.

    Into the Woods at George Mason University.

    Legally Blonde: The Musical at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    Mame at Spotlighters Theatre.

    Parade at Theatre Lab School for the Dramatic Arts.

    RENT at Silhouette Stages.

    Shovel in the Dirt: A Grave Digger’s Musical at Stillpointe TheatreInitiative.

    Spring Awakening at The Keegan Theatre.

    Sweeney Todd at George Washington University.

    Sunday in the Park with George at Kensington Arts Theatre.

    Urinetown: The Musical at Arts Collective@HCC.

    The Color Purple at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    The Music Man at Arena Stage.

    The Phantom of the Opera at Young Artists of America.

    Phantom at  Riverside Center Dinner Theater.

     LINKS

    The Best of 2012: Part 1: Dance Memories, 10 Favorites of 2012 by Carolyn Kelemen.

    The Best of 2012: Part 2: The Best Musicals of 2012.

    The Best of 2012: Part 3: The Best of 2012: Part 3: Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 4: Best Performance by Supporting Actor and Actress in a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 5: Best Director, Best Musical Direction, and Best Choreography of a Musical.

     

  • The Best of 2012: Part 5: ‘Best Director, Best Musical Direction, and Best Choreography of a Musical’

    For the next week we will be posting lists of our favorites of 2012 in several categories. These lists reflect the opinions of members of the writing staff of DCMetroTheaterArts. We were allowed to nominated shows and performances we reviewed and did not review – but attended. With over 1,200 productions to choose from, it was not an easy task.

    With the amount of riches on our local stages, it’s only reasonable that some of your favorites may not have made our lists – but that’s where you come in!  We invite you to leave comments and to share your own favorites of 2012 with our readers.

    Thank you for supporting the theater and arts community in the DC Metro Area, and thanks for reading DCMetroTheaterArts.

    Kudos to everyone in our theatre and arts community for your glorious work in 2012! We wish you and your loved ones a healthy and successful 2013 filled with sold-out houses! Congratulations on your wonderful performances in 2012!

    BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL OF 2012

    The cast of Catholic University’s ‘Finian’s Rainbow,’ directed by Parker Esse Photo by Ed Pfueller.

    Laurence Connor and James Powell for Les Miserables at The National Theatre.

    Peter Flynn for 1776 at Ford’s Theatre.

    Matthew Gardiner for Dreamgirls at Signature Theatre. 

    Michael V. Hartsfield for Ragtime at Laurel Mill Playhouse.

    Maurice Hines for Josephine Tonight! at MetroStage.

    Shawn Kettering for The King & I at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    Susan Kramer for RENT at Silhouette Stages.

    Jen Male for Avenue Q at Red Branch Theatre Company.

    Susan Marie Rhea and Mark A. Rhea for Spring Awakening at The Keegan Theatre.

    Meredith McMath for Once Upon a Christmas Carol at Run Rabbit Run Theatre.

    Mark Minnick for Legally Blonde: The Musical at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    Darnell Morris for Avenue Q at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre.

    Larry Munsey and Toby Orenstein for The Color Purple at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    Eric J. Potter for Next To Normal at Vagabond Players.

    Jack Sbarbori for James Joyce’s The Dead at Quotidian Theatre Company.

     Eric Schaeffer for Brother Russia at Signature Theatre.

    Eric Schaeffer for First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb at The Kennedy Center.

    Serge Seiden for Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at MetroStage.

    Bobby Smith for Cinderella at Olney Theatre Center.

    Molly Smith for The Music Man at Arena Stage.

    BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION (MUSICAL AND/OR PLAY)

    Musician Tom Teasley playing live during ‘The Conference of the Birds.’ Photo by Scott Suchman.

     Stacey Antoine for RENT at Silhouette Stages.

    David Alan Bunn for Josephine Tonight! at MetroStage.

    Jenny Cartney for Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at MetroStage.

    Diane El-Shafey for Once Upon a Christmas Carol at Run Rabbit Run Theatre.

    George Fulginiti-Shakar for Guys and Dolls at American University.

    Tom Fuller for Marathon 33 at American Century Theater.

    Lawrence Goldberg for Les Miserables at National Theatre.

    Lawrence Goldberg for The Music Man at Arena Stage.

    Valerie Higgs for James Joyce’s The Dead at Quotidian Theatre Company.

    Jon Kalbfleisch for Dreamgirls at Signature Theatre.

    Jon Kalbfleisch for First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb at The Kennedy Center.

    Gabriel Mangiante for Brother Russia at Signature Theatre.

    Walter McCoy for Altar Boyz at 1st Stage.

    Dustin Merrell for Avenue Q at Red Branch Theatre Company.

     Jake Null for Spring Awakening at The Keegan Theatre.

     Thomas Pedersen for Finian’s Rainbow at Catholic University.

    Ross Scott Rawlings for Legally Blonde: The Musical at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    David Rohde for Legally Blonde at Reston Community Players. 

    Elisa Rosman for Sweeney Todd at The Little Theatre of Alexandria.

    Kristofer Sanz for The Phantom of the Opera for Young Artists of America

    Michael Tan for Mame at Spotlighters Theatre.

     Tom Teasley for Metamorphoses at Constellation Theatre Company
    (Score and Performance).

    Tom Teasley for The Conference of the Birds at Folger Theatre Company.
    (Score and Performance).

    Jesse Terrill for A Commedia Christmas Carol at Faction of Fools (Score).

    Pamela Witt for A Christmas Carol at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    Christopher Youstra for Cinderella at The Olney Theatre Center.

    Christopher Youstra for The Color Purple at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia.

    Christopher Youstra for The Sound of Music at Olney Theatre Center.

    BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

    The cast of ‘The Music Man.’ Photo by Joan Marcus. Choreography by Parker Esse.

    Kathryn Dunn for Billy Elliot at Hipodrome Theatre.

    Kurt Boehm for Spring Awakening at The Keegan Theatre.

    Parker Esse for Finian’s Rainbow at Catholic University.

    Parker Esse for The Music Man at Arena Stage.

    Matthew Gardiner and Brianne Camp for Dreamgirls at Signature Theatre.

    Maurice Hines for Josephine Tonight! at MetroStage.

    Karl Kippola for Guys and Dolls at American University.

    Jeremy A. McShan for Altar Boyz at 1st Stage.

    Jeremy A. McShan for All Shook Up at Rockville Musical Theatre.

    Randy Skinner for Dames at Sea at Infinity Theatre Company.

    Randy Skinner for White Christmas at The Kennedy Center.

    Irina Tsikurishvili for Jekyll and Hyde at Synetic Theater.

    Irina Tsikurishvili for The Taming of the Shrew at Synetic Theater.

    LINKS

    The Best of 2012: Part 1: Dance Memories, 10 Favorites of 2012 by Carolyn Kelemen.

    The Best of 2012: Part 2: The Best Musicals of 2012.

    The Best of 2012: Part 3: The Best of 2012: Part 3: Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Musical.

    The Best of 2012: Part 4: Best Performance by Supporting Actor and Actress in a Musical.

  • ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ at Synetic Theater by Natalie McCabe


    There is a fine, fine line between loving and loathing, in the “interplay of joy and darkness,” as Director Paata Tsikurishvili, and Founding Artistic Director, and CEO of Synetic Theater so elegantly writes in the program’s ‘Director’s Note.’  This is illustrated well in the theater’s latest production The Taming of the Shrew – in their ‘Silent Shakespeare’ series – which had the Ambassador from the Republic of Georgia himself on his feet giving a standing ovation at the curtain. After all, as Tsikurishvili continues, “This is territory where Synetic excels -our process is adept at taking archetypes and translating it into a striking visual language.”

    Irina Tsikurishvili as Katherine, Ryan Sellers as Petruchio, and Alex Mills as Grumio. Photo by Johnny Shryock.

    Before the production began, Tsikurishvili attempted to pull an April Fool’s Day prank on the audience, saying that Synetic was moving to Los Angeles after this season for an offer of $20 million. However, it is Petruchio (a dashing, passionate Ryan Sellers) who truly takes home the prize in the form of Katherine (Synetic’s powerful and fiery choreographer, Irina Tsikurishvili) – and, of course, that $20 million check.

    Set in a “Hollywood-esque” Padua, the show opens to a dreary, yet slightly off-kilter dark set at the funeral of Katherine and sister Bianca’s mother. Their father, Baptista (a confidant Hector Reynoso), a famous fashion designer in Synetic’s production is hounded by paparazzi and his youngest daughter’s potential suitors (the clownish and physical actors Scott Brown (Lucentio), Vato Tsikurishvili  (Hortensio), and Philip Fletcher (Gremio). However, he decrees that before Bianca (a flirty Irina Kavsadze) can be wedded, Katherine, as the elder daughter, must marry first. This proves not only difficult but potentially hazardous to the health of anyone brave enough to step up to the plate. For example, during one of Katherine’s rages, she shoves a cell phone up an unmentionable area of Hortensio, proving that Synetic’s works are both beautiful and brutal, full of “joy and darkness,” in their innovative and honest reworkings of classical tales. Petruchio, here a struggling avant-garde painter, does just that, first by “taming” the shrewish Katherine and then finding raw fervor, both for his new wife and his painting, enflamed.

    Left to right: Vato Tsikurishvili as Hortensio, and Irina Kavsadze as Bianca. Photo by Johnny Shryock.

    You can easily see why Synetic has recently dominated the ‘ensemble’ category at The Helen Hayes Awards, because, again, this hard working and incredibly talented ensemble of Shrew – which also includes Alex Mills (Grumio), Renata Veberyte Loman (Widow), Dallas Tolentino (Tranio), Chris Galindo (Tailor), and Katherine Frattini (Model) – beautifully fleshes out the story, effortlessly weaving the tale through Irina Tsikurishvili’s high energy choreography, whether it involves dance, stage combat, mime, or other forms of movement.

    What this hard-working ensemble and group of designers accomplish in 90 minutes is visually stunning, jaw-dropping and simply breathtaking.

    Anastasia R. Simes, both the set and costume designer, certainly has her hands full with this production. Her over-the-top costumes – utilizing a rainbow of colors in some spots, intense dark shades in others – create the appropriate feel for a land that is both modern, media-driven Hollywood and Shakespearean Padua. The set floats around as easily as Simes’ costumes appear to, artfully showcasing the strong emotions at play in this off-kilter world. With a heart-thumping original score by Konstantine Lortkipanidze, sound design by Irakli Kavsadze and Paata Tsikurishvili, gorgeous lighting by Collin K. Bills, and eye-popping multi-media miracles supplied by Clint Herring and Riki K., Synetic has upped the ante with even more visual and technological wonders with Shrew.

    You have three more weeks to absorb this show’s intensity, which I highly recommend, for, dancing or not, spoken or silent, you have never seen the Bard’s work leap like this!

    Running Time: 90 minutes, with no intermission.

    Synetic Theater’s The Taming of the Shrew is playing now through April 22, 2012 at the Lansburgh Theatre – 450 7th Street NW, in Washington, DC. For tickets, call (800) 494 – 8497, or purchase them online.