Jennifer Mendenhall News

“I hate it here” is so 2020 that it is the perfect title for Studio Theatre’s second audio play; a work so zeitgeist-y it is exposure therapy for “these unprecedented times.”

The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts presents an evening of world-premiere plays, professionally directed and performed live by professional actors and Theatre Lab supporters in the 10th Annual Dramathon online on Friday, December 11 at 7:30pm. 

As the world collectively plans to close the door (and maybe throw away the key?) on 2020, Studio Theatre offers a reflection on this complicated, unexpected, and consequential moment in history with the world premiere of I Hate It Here: Stories from the End of the Old World, a Studio-commissioned audio play written and directed by Ike Holter.

Today's subject was kind enough to give me an hour of his time in the balcony of the place he lived his theatre life for almost 40 years.  I'm sure there isn't a person here in DC who would argue that Howard Shalwitz was one of the most influential minds in the DC theatre community as the Artistic Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Under Shalwitz, Woolly Mammoth produced some of the most thought provoking, wild, and sometimes shocking pieces of theatre this area has ever seen. Shalwitz stepped down in 2018 and the company is now run by Maria Manuela Goyanes. Mr. Shalwitz remains as Artistic Director Emeritus.

The 35th Annual Helen Hayes Awards will take place on Monday, May 13, 2019 at The Anthem, the cultural center of Southwest D.C.'s District Wharf, with a celebratory party to follow.

Ally Theatre's '#poolparty' is a prime example of discovering a little known chapter of local history, fashioning it into art and creating a more universal statement.

Ally Theater Company returns to Joe's Movement Emporium with daring new work, #poolparty.

Ally Theater Company returns to Joe's Movement Emporium with daring new work, #poolparty.

While the script is not the most engaging, the acting work is exceptionally strong.

The Kennedy Center hosts its 16th annual Page-to-Stage New Play Festival on Saturday, September 2 through Monday, September 4, 2017, featuring more than 60 theaters from the D.C. metropolitan area, all with a mission to produce and support new work.

Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm's new play Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies, receiving its world premiere with Mosaic Theatre Company, examines the dangers of identity, prejudice and identity politics from a variety of angles. This is an unforgettable, complex study in identity that for all of its tricks and turns is one of the more psychologically, spiritually rich plays you are likely to see on the stage.

Theater J's 2017 Annual Benefit celebrates the artistry of Rick Foucheux and honors the leadership of Mita M. Schaffer.  This party to benefit the nation's most distinctive and progressive Jewish theater treats supporters to an elegant and entertaining evening.  The Annual Benefit will take place on Monday, March 6, 2017 at 6:30 PM at the Washington Hebrew Congregation and will include a cocktail hour, followed by dinner (sponsored by Provisions Catering), live performances and dessert. 

Hooded, Or Being Black for Dummies, a World Premiere by Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm, will be directed by Serge Seiden (When January Feels Like Summer, Bad Jews) and associate directed by Vaughn Ryan Midder for Mosaic Theater Company of DC. Performances will run at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, Sprenger Theatre, January 25-February 19, 2017. 

Today's subject is living his theatre life to the fullest. Ari Roth might be one of the most passionate and outspoken figures working in DC theatre. One thing is clear, he follows his passion and the result is always something extraordinary.

Woolly Mammoth's beautiful theater in which every seat has an intimate view of the expansive stage and the company's diehard dedication to new plays has found another win in Lisa D'Amour's follow up to 2013's DETROIT. Upon entering audiences are immediately greeted with recordings of tribal music and a stage dense with flat planks giving the illusion of trees stretching far above. This play is all about transformations, sometimes subtle and sometimes ridiculous to the extreme, and it couldn't have found a better home than Woolly, who's aesthetic seems motivated by the constant need to innovate, explore, and reinvent, not only from season to season and production to production, but often from act to act and even scene to scene. All around, the creative, production, and design teams have risen to the challenge of A'Mour's play and together have created an epic highlight in the DC theater scene.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company announces its next production in Season 35: Cherokee, by Obie Award-winning playwright Lisa D'Amour. Enlarging on the themes explored in D'Amour's 2013 Woolly hit Detroit, Cherokee follows a fresh cast of characters pushed to the brink as their escape from the trappings of civilization opens the path to a new life. Woolly Company Member John Vreeke, who also directed Detroit, will direct the new production. Cherokee will run from Monday, February 9 to Sunday, March 8, 2015.

The Washington Rogues present Alexandra Petri's THE CAMPSITE RULE at The Anacostia Playhouse. Performances begin tonight, July 23rd!

The Washington Rogues present Alexandra Petri's THE CAMPSITE RULE at The Anacostia Playhouse. Performances begin July 23rd!

Round House Theatre and the New York based company, The One-Minute Play Festival (#1MPF) have created a dynamic partnership to present The 1st Washington, D.C. One-Minute Play Festival, to be performed July 12 - 14, 2014 at Round House Theatre. Following sold-out performances in more than 20 cities, this festival aims to celebrate local voices and investigate the local zeitgeist through this exciting process. Performances are at 8pm on Saturday, July 12, Sunday, July 13, and Monday, July 14.