Deidra LaWan Starnes News

What did our critic think of INDECENT at 1st Stage?

How far would you go to keep your loved ones happy? To ensure the very thing that binds you when all else fails, has a satisfactory ending? In the Kennedy Center’s World Premiere Commission, The Sea Beyond the Ocean, 9-year-old Scooter (Ty’Ree Hope Davis) tests those limits to help his sick father in the only way he knows how. The Sea Beyond the Ocean sets off on an eyecatching magical journey with an equally captivating message for all ages.

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.

1st Stage has announced that Noah Haidle’s Birthday Candles, directed by 1st Stage Artistic Director Alex Levy, has been extended through December 28. Learn more here!

1st Stage’s production of Birthday Candles, directed by Alex Levy and written by Noah Haidle, is a celebration of life, love, and family with a stellar cast led by Deidra LaWan Starnes.

1st Stage wil present Noah Haidle's Birthday Candles. This poignant and funny play takes its audience through the highlights, heartbreaks and extraordinary moments that make up one woman's ordinary life. 

1st Stage's production of Ella Road's Fair Play, directed by 1st Stage Associate Artistic Director Deidra LaWan Starnes, has been extended. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

The competitive world of track and field is the center of 1st Stage’s Fair Play, written by Ella Road and directed by Deidra LaWan Starnes, but there is more to this play than just running. Ann (Mahkai Dominique) is a British-Nigerian who crosses paths with Sophie (Camilla Pivetta), a white British star runner who has been competing since she was nine years old.

The 1st Stage production of Fair Play features Makhai Dominique and Camille Pivetta, and welcomes the actors to 1st Stage. The production is directed by 1st Stage Associate Artistic Director Deidra LaWan Starnes.

August Wilson is one of America’s greatest playwrights, and The Piano Lesson may be one of his greatest works. The writing is so powerful, I’m not sure you could stage a bad version if you tried. 

1st Stage has announced that August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, directed by Danielle A. Drakes, has been extended. Learn more about the show and how to get tickets here!

The 41st Helen Hayes Awards took place on May 19, 2025, at The Anthem, honoring excellence in Washington D.C. theatre. Signature Theatre led with six wins. Awards were presented in 41 categories from 165 eligible 2024 productions.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this haunting, luminous play is fourth in Wilson's famous American Century Cycle. Learn more about the forthcoming 1st Stage production here!

On April 28th at 7:30pm the best arts education institution in the DMV will host one of their signature events and trust me, it’s something you really don’t want to miss.

1st Stage has announced the lineup for its 2025-2026 season. The season will begin with the Logan Festival of Solo Performance from September 18-28, 2025.

hang takes its time getting to what the play is actually about. The suspense doesn't really start to develop until the final half hour, and this is where the small ensemble cast of Marie, Greer, and Joy really shine.

Sofonisba by Callie Kimball will bring The Washington Stage Guild's 2024-2025 season to a close. Learn more ebout the upcoming production and how to get tickets here!

Explore the 2025 Helen Hayes Awards Nominees, including standout performances by Bonnie Milligan and Beanie Feldstein. The awards will be presented on Monday, May 19 at an event at The Anthem. The nominations are for productions in the Washington, DC, region in the 2024 calendar year.

One crime. One room. Three people. A woman’s unspeakable decision as the criminal’s fate hangs in the balance. Set in a haunting world where every word is a revelation and every silence speaks volumes, this electrifying production will take you on a journey through the complexities of justice and human nature.

1st Stage is launching the Directors’ Residency and Commission program to help develop early career directors who live and work in the region. Learn ore.