Arena Stage News

Arena Stage has named Tonia Wellons, President & CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, as the 2026 recipient of its Beth Newburger Schwartz Award.

A spring-break taste of Arena Stage’s celebrated summer camp! Join in for an exciting week of multi-arts fun. Campers will enjoy theater classes and additional classes in visual art, singing, or theater.

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is March 5, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.

The National Tour of FDR's Very Happy Hour will kick off at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. These premiere performances are presented in partnership with Denver Arts & Venues.

Arena Stage will present a one-week extension for its world-premiere production of Chez Joey. The musical features fresh arrangements from the legendary catalog of Great American Songbook duo Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.

Arena Stage has released a new trailer for their production of Chez Joey. Watch the new video, which features Myles Frost (Broadway: MJ the Musical) as Joey Evans!

Around the BroadwayWorld is our monthly snapshot of the biggest stories making waves across the global theatre community. In this February 2026 edition catch headlines about the renaming of the Kennedy Center Honors, layoffs affecting theater coverage at The Washington Post, and artists gathering in Washington, DC for the First Amendment Troop’s ResistDance performance.

Theatre Washington has released a statment, commenting on the recent cuts to The Washington Post arts team. A total of 33 theatres have signed the statement.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater has named Darren Edward Johnston as Associate Artistic Director of Commercial Strategy and Partnership.

Today’s subject Kara-Tameika Watkins is currently living her theatre onstage at Olney Theatre Center in the World Premiere Musical Little Miss Perfect. The show has just been extended to March 15th which means you have even more time to attend a performance.

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is February 26, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.

South Coast Repertory has revealed the lineup for the 28th Pacific Playwrights Festival, anchored by two world premieres of fully staged productions.

The principal cast has been revealed for CrazySexyCool – The TLC Musical at Arena Stage. The rise, resilience, and rhythm of the most successful female group of all time will take center stage in a summer 2026 world premiere.

On May 5, over 10 Indigenous writers will be featured in readings across 21 companies in 11 cities, marking a significant event in Native American theater. Learn mroe here!

Pioneer Theatre Company (PTC), the professional theatre company in residence at the University of Utah, will present the Utah professional premiere of KING JAMES in the Meldrum Theatre at Einar Nielsen Field House from March 20–April 4, 2026.

Chez Joey is now running at Arena Stage. We spoke to Kevin Cahoon, who plays Melvin Snyder in the musical - which is a revisal of Pal Joey.

The Denver Center Theatre Company has revealed the full cast and creative team for the Tony Award-winning rock musical, Next to Normal, with music by Tom Kitt and Book and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey.

The 2026 Helen Hayes Award nominations have been announced, recognizing outstanding achievement in Washington-area professional theatre. Arena Stage, Signature Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Round House Theatre, and dozens of regional companies are represented across performance, direction, design, and production categories. The awards highlight the breadth of theatre work presented throughout the D.C. metropolitan area.

The full cast has been announced for SEAGULL: TRUE STORY, which will begin performances off-Broadway next month. Learn more about the cast, led by Gus Birney!

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater presented the American Voice Award to District of Columbia City Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, as part of the Opening Night celebration for Chez Joey.