Aaron Bliden News

1st Stage will return to live performance with a special benefit concert performance of A New Brain by William Finn and James Lapine on June 27, at 5:00 PM at Boro Park in Tysons.

From the Tony Award-winning author William Finn and James Lapine comes an energetic, sardonic, and comical musical. Gordon collapses into his lunch and awakes in the hospital, surrounded by his nearest and dearest. When what was thought to be a life-threatening neurological disorder turns out to be treatable, Gordon is grateful for a second chance to create his own art.

Tonight, at a celebration honoring theatre excellence on stages across the Washington area, theatre artists, administrators, patrons, and special guests gathered in the National Theatre's Helen Hayes Gallery for theatreWashington's announcement of nominees for the 36th Annual Helen Hayes Awards, which will be presented on Monday, May 18 at an event at the Anthem.

The 2003 romantic comedy 'Love Actually' airs every year, so why not the parody of it as well?

One of the most important parts in a child's development is the power of choice. Presenting children with options engages their minds and allows them to take ownership. This is the driving idea behind Escape from Peligro Island, the latest offering from Imagination Stage. It's their first production using a choose-your-own-adventure element - every time our hero Callaway (Dallas Tolentino) is presented with a choice, the audience is asked to vote by holding up paddles - one side blue, one side red. As evidenced by their press performance this weekend, it's a fruitful device on both an artistic and marketing level - with 70 different ways the show can go, the possibilities are nearly endless.

LOVE, FACTUALLY's myriad storylines travel at the speed of light, leaving its audience dazed and amused.

Avant Bard presents the world premiere of ILLYRIA, or What You Will, freely adapted from Twelfth Night by Jonelle Walker and Mitchell Hebert, and directed by Mitchell Hebert.

Avant Bard theatre announces the full cast and creative team for its 2018/2019 season opener, Illyria, or What You Will, freely adapted from Twelfth Night by Jonelle Walker and Mitchell Hebert and directed by Mitchell Hebert. Illyria reimagines Shakespeare's comedy of mixed-signal love as a bohemian cabaret set in a Manhattan dive bar in the early 1980s, where identity, sex, and gender are what you will-and habitues find freedom to be who they truly are.

 It's 1965 in New York City and the lights are about to go out. But not before a melancholy sandwich maker becomes enchanted with two sisters in this bittersweet romantic tale about finding hope in a world best by darkness. This truly original rock-fable, nominated for 4 Drama Desk Awards, will sweep audiences off their feet and enchant them in an evening under the stars filled with romance, mystery and enchantment… but not a lot of light.

Written and composed by Will Connolly, Michael Mitnick, and Kim Rosenstock, Fly By Night is an appealing mish-mash of rock n' roll, opera, and classic music theater. It is an ode to a doomed love affair and a modern-day fairytale.

It's 1965 in New York City and the lights are about to go out. But not before a melancholy sandwich maker becomes enchanted with two sisters in this bittersweet romantic tale about finding hope in a world best by darkness. This truly original rock-fable, nominated for 4 Drama Desk Awards, will sweep audiences off their feet and enchant them in an evening under the stars filled with romance, mystery, and enchantment… but not a lot of light.

The nominees for the 2018 Helen Hayes Awards were announced on February 5, 2018. One of the country's most prestigious cultural honors, The Helen Hayes Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in professional theatre throughout the Washington metropolitan area. The National Theatre's Helen Hayes Gallery set the scene for the announcement of nominees in 47 categories for artistic excellence, and the theatre companies eligible for the 2017 John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company. The recipient of the 2018 Helen Hayes Tribute will be announced shortly.

Riddled with anachronisms and enough irreverent potshots to keep your naughty inner child sated through the New Year, The Second City's Twist Your Dickens is just the ticket for a crowd of world-weary Washingtonians.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced the full casting for the return of The Second City's irreverent and interactive seasonal satire, Twist Your Dickens. Second City alumni Carisa Barreca and Paul Jurewicz and local favorite Eric M. Messner join returning cast members Aaron Bliden, Anne Bowles, John Lescault, and Tia Shearer.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced the full casting for the return of The Second City's irreverent and interactive seasonal satire, Twist Your Dickens. Second City alumni Carisa Barreca and Paul Jurewicz and local favorite Eric M. Messner join returning cast members Aaron Bliden, Anne Bowles, John Lescault, and Tia Shearer.

Two days was an exceedingly short time to take in the innovative collaboration project this week titled 'Digital Eye.'

Imagination Stage's production, directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer) takes elements of Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and adds a bit of his poem, 'The Jabberwocky' to create a musical filled with catchy rock and roll tunes.

If you've ever dreamed of seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda collaborate with Daft Punk, Pointless Theatre's .d0t:: A ROTOPLASTIC BALLET may be the closest you'll get. Heavily inspired by Italian futurist artist Fortunato Depero, the show incorporates masterful puppetry, visuals like a pop-up book brought to life, and clever hip-hop musical verses written and delivered by Navid Azeez. It's a lot of ideas wrapped up in one experience, but they cohere beautifully.

1st Stage, Tysons Corner's award-winning professional theater, announces the extension of their critically-acclaimed production of Trevor by Nick Jones, directed by 1st Stage Artistic Director, Alex Levy until March 5.  

Living in Connecticut eight years ago when a chimp being kept as a pet ripped the face off a neighbor, I found it tough to see anything but stark horror in the attack.