Arlington News

The weather is so beautiful and the dogwoods, azaleas, tulips, and magnolias are in full bloom, and as May rolls around, DC area theatres are bursting with new productions.

Circle Theatre proudly presents the Fort Worth premiere of The Great American Trailer Park Musical, music and lyrics by David Nehls and book by Betsy Kelso. Preview performances for the show are Thursday, April 29; Friday, April 30; and Saturday, May 1 (matinee).

Just two decades ago, Washington, DC's theater scene was dominated by large venues that presented mostly traditional plays. Few theaters dared to take the risk of producing new work, and even fewer produced lesser-known or new musicals.

The group exhibition Never Very Far Apart brings together six projects that cross the poetic and political ground between the individual and the group; the local and the global; this moment in time and that place in history.

Circle Theatre proudly presents the Fort Worth premiere of The Great American Trailer Park Musical, music and lyrics by David Nehls and book by Betsy Kelso. Preview performances for the show are Thursday, April 29; Friday, April 30; and Saturday, May 1 (matinee).

During the first week in May, Signature Theatre offers two free events to the public. On Monday, May 3 from 7 to 8 pm, Michael Baron, Signature Theatre's Associate Director, will give a 'Page to Stage' talk at Arlington Public Library's Shirlington Branch. On Thursday, May 6 from 1 - 2 pm, [title of show] director Matthew Gardiner and cast members Erin Driscoll, James Gardiner, Sam Ludwig and Jenna Sokolowski, will talk about their show in a 'Brown Bag Thursday' Q&A at Signature.

Arlington's Signature Theatre, which won the 2009 Tony Award for Regional Theater, will welcome the next Tony nominees into the club on Tuesday, May 4 - the Tony nomination day - by giving away a free subscription of seven shows to anyone named 'Antoinette' and by offering special ticket discounts.

San Jose Repertory Theatre concludes the 2009-2010 season with the poetic Cuban American story, Sonia Flew, penned by Elliot Norton and Kennedy Center Charlotte Woolard Award-winner, Melinda Lopez. Directed by Richard Seer, Sonia Flew is a powerful portrayal of a Cuban family profoundly changed by political forces that brings to question: What is owed to one's children, parents and country.

The Orpheum Theatre has announced the nominees for the 2010 High School Musical Theatre Awards. This program recognizes achievement in all areas of high school musical theatre in the region. Twenty schools are participating in this first year, representing public and private schools in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. On May 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm, students and supporters from all participating schools will gather at The Orpheum for the awards ceremony.

Chris Greene and CGQ to Appear at Jazz Showcase on April 27, 2010.

The Howard County Arts Council, in its 29th year of service to the public of Howard County, presents the 13th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at the Jim Rouse Theatre at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia.

Kaufman Center and New York Festival Of Song (NYFOS, www.nyfos.org), acclaimed by New York Magazine as 'The best classical music programming in New York,' will present an all-new program on May 4 and 6 at 8 PM of American composers, including the premiere of Beautiful Ohio, a song cycle by 2009 Pulitzer Prize- finalist Harold Meltzer, with texts of poet James Arlington Wright and composed specifically for the young American tenor Paul Appleby.

Big band sound transforms the Lincoln Theatre into a Duke Ellington jazz club as Arena Stage presents Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies, choreographed by and starring Maurice Hines (Broadway's Sophisticated Ladies and Uptown... It's Hot!) with direction by Charles Randolph-Wright (Arena's Guys and Dolls and Blue).

Big band sound transforms the Lincoln Theatre into a Duke Ellington jazz club as Arena Stage presents Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies, choreographed by and starring Maurice Hines (Broadway's Sophisticated Ladies and Uptown... It's Hot!) with direction by Charles Randolph-Wright (Arena's Guys and Dolls and Blue).

Three appearances each by six marquee NFL teams, the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers; a rematch of the NFC Championship Game as the Super Bowl XLIV champion New Orleans Saints host the Minnesota Vikings in the opening Thursday night game; the 'Manning Bowl' rematch in Week 2; and storied rivalries including three NFC East games, Chargers-Colts, Vikings-Packers at Lambeau, Steelers-Ravens and Jets-Dolphins highlight the 'NBC Sunday Night Football' schedule as the league announced its 2010 slate of games today.

Signature Theatre, winner of the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award, presents the Washington premiere of the hit musical comedy [title of show], winner of three Obie Awards and a Tony nomination. A zany take on two friends' decision to write a musical, [title of show] runs April 6 through June 27 in Signature's remarkably intimate 110-seat ARK Theatre.

Kaufman Center and New York Festival Of Song (NYFOS, www.nyfos.org), acclaimed by New York Magazine as 'The best classical music programming in New York,' will present an all-new program on May 4 and 6 at 8 PM of American composers, including the premiere of Beautiful Ohio, a song cycle by 2009 Pulitzer Prize- finalist Harold Meltzer, with texts of poet James Arlington Wright and composed specifically for the young American tenor Paul Appleby.

The group exhibition Never Very Far Apart brings together six projects that cross the poetic and political ground between the individual and the group; the local and the global; this moment in time and that place in history.

Vince Martell, lead guitarist from the '60s band Vanilla Fudge, will headline a benefit concert organized by the Riverdale Y to raise funds for Haiti Earthquake Relief on Saturday, May 1, beginning at 9:00 pm. All performers, technical staff, and venue employees are donating their time and efforts in order to send maximum proceeds through the American Jewish World Service to Haiti.

The Howard County Arts Council, in its 29th year of service to the public of Howard County, presents the 13th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at the Jim Rouse Theatre at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia.