From the second we step through the doors of Anacostia Playhouse, we're asked to join the world of Dominique Morisseau's Blood at the Root - not just as observers but participants. Every corner of the lobby has been decked out like the hallways of a high school - in this case, Cedar High, located somewhere north of New Orleans. We glance upward and see a banner prominently featuring their mascot, the Pelican. There's a bulletin board littered with flyers and posters - Keep Calm and Wear Your Uniform. And just next to the entrance of the theater is a pair of lockers covered with real-life photographs of the young cast in their natural habitats - school, church, family reunions, summer camp. There's a lot to explore.
Raymond O. Caldwell has been hired as Theater Alliance's next Producing Artistic Director. Caldwell currently serves as Theater Alliance's Associate Artistic Director. He succeeds Colin Hovde, who announced his departure in July 2018 after seven years at Theater Alliance's helm.
Writing about gun violence is difficult. There's no 'how-to' guide when it comes to preventing these attacks which have become more and more commonplace. The more we try to understand the inner machinations of the monsters who carry out such senseless assaults, the more we begin to spiral into someone we hardly recognize. Such is the thesis of David Greig's The Events, which opened last week at Theater Alliance at the Anacostia Playhouse. While the work is incredibly poignant, some artistic decisions muddle the plot and make the 80-minute performance drag during the middle of the production.
"I don't like works which require an explanation," begins Timothy Nelson, the new Artistic Director for the In Series, at Sunday's performance of Viva VERDI. Even after Mr. Nelson describes the performance with great detail, he encourages the audience to embrace their inevitable confusion. Instead, Mr. Nelson explains, this is a work that should be felt rather than understood. Keeping true to Mr. Nelson's suggestion, Viva VERDI is a work that only a genius could fully understand. Nevertheless, it is one of the most emotionally stirring performances I have seen in recent memory.
After eight years of leadership, Colin Hovde will step down as the artistic director of Theater Alliance in June 2019, at the conclusion of the 18/19 Season. A search for his successor will begin this summer.
Theater Alliance's 16th Season tackles the pressing issues of our American moment - gun violence, the bitter battles around identity politics, and a patriarchal system that simultaneously benefits from and undervalues the contributions of women. These essential conversations will gain further exploration through the company's annual Word Becomes Action Festival and Hothouse Play Development Series.
Rorschach Theatre launches KLECKSOGRAPHY: COLLECTIVE INK, an event that brings together six theatre companies and more than 30 artists to make something unimaginable for one night only on June 2, 2018.
There is something to be said about being present in historical plays. But when the characters in the Theater Alliance's powerful production 'The Raid,' begins with the characters sitting alongside the audience in the seats that ring the performance space and announce their impending demise, we realize we are in for a more visceral experience than history books often provide.
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.
Theater Alliance kicks off 2018 with Idris Goodwin's The Raid, an imagined debate between two American icons. On the eve of the raid on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, John Brown and Frederick Douglass argue the merits of violence and pacifism, order and chaos, and the possibility of a nation free of the scourge of slavery.
The NYC premiere of Occupied Territories, written by Nancy Bannon and Mollye Maxner, and directed by Mollye Maxner is now being performed at 59e59 Theaters through Sunday November 5. The show features inventive staging, riveting dialogue, and an outstanding cast.
Arthur Miller's riveting drama about the cost of one's decisions, The Price, will receive an additional five performances during its run at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.
Today's subject, Allen Lee Hughes, is currently living his theater life as lighting designer for Arthur Miller's The Price - his 70thproduction at Arena Stage. The production runs through November 12th in the Kogod Cradle. Mr. Hughes also lit the production also lit the show the last time Arena Stage produced it back in 1994.
Today's subject Colin Hovde is living his theatre life in two very different ways. He is currently in his fifth season as the Producing Artistic Director of Theater Alliance which performs at the Anacostia Playhouse. Their current production Mnemonic runs through April 9th. The show is directed by Hovde.
Signature Theatre presents Titanic, directed by Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer (Broadway's Gigi, Follies, Million Dollar Quartet), now playing thru January 29. The show features a cast, crew and orchestra of more than 50 artists and an inventive new 360-degree staging in Signature Theatre's intimate 330 seat MAX Theatre. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the stunning production below!
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