The Keegan Theatre continues its 22nd season with the announcement of the cast and creative team for the regional premiere of the musical HANDS ON A HARDBODY. Inspired by the true events of the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name, HANDS ON A HARDBODY features a catchy combination of blues, rhythm & blues, and country songs co-written by Amanda Green and Trey Anastasio of the band Phish. Keegan's production is co-directed by Elena Velasco and Mark A. Rhea with music direction by Jake Null and choreography by Elena Velasco. The show runs March 9 through April 6, 2019 at The Andrew Keegan Theatre in Washington, DC, with the press opening slated for Tuesday, March 12 at 8:00 p.m.
With over 80 plays to choose from, Capital Fringe Festival can be overwhelming for the average theatergoer. There are plenty of good choices ranging from over-the-top comedies to funky experimental dramas to allegories and satires and everything in between. Obviously, with so many offerings, there will be works that fail to execute their artistic vision effectively. Thankfully, Derek Hills's Shopworn, which opened on Tuesday night at Capital Fringe's Orange venue (Christ United Methodist Church), is a true diamond in the rough: a family drama that provides modern commentary without getting too preachy. It is thoroughly delightful and a perfect selection for Fringe veterans and first-timers alike.
If you've never read George Orwell's 1984, the seminal classic examining a world that's fallen under the rule of the nameless Party and their omnipotent leader Big Brother, stop what you're doing and read it now. Or you can just see Scena Theatre's new production playing at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. The show takes a while to amp up but the thrilling climax is performed with such vigor and authenticity that the true dangers of Orwell's devised society come to fruition.
As directed by Alex Levy, THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION is theatrically inventive and mostly compelling recounting of of Farnsworth and Sarnoff's parallel stories. The production is also performed by a skillful company of actors who take the audience on this little known historical journey.
In his return to playwriting, celebrated film and television writer Aaron Sorkin's signature style lends itself to the remarkable story of the invention that changed our lives. In 1929, two ambitious visionaries race against each other to invent a device called "television." Separated by two thousand miles, each knows that if he stops working, even for a moment, the other will gain the edge. Who will unlock the key to the greatest innovation of the 20th century: the ruthless media mogul, or the selftaught Idaho farm boy? The answer comes to compelling life in the regional premiere of this "firecracker of a play" (The Chicago Sun-Times).
In his return to playwriting, celebrated film and television writer Aaron Sorkin's signature style lends itself to the remarkable story of the invention that changed our lives. In 1929, two ambitious visionaries race against each other to invent a device called "television."
It's what's on the inside that counts. THE UGLY ONE by German playwright Marius von Mayenburg skewers that idea, and Nu Sass brings us an energetic take on the satirical play. Renata Fox directs actors who embrace their roles with effervescence, three out of four of them playing multiple characters, while colorful lighting by E-Hui Woo enhances the absurdist atmosphere.
In keeping with Brave Spirits Theatre's commitment to producing overlooked works from Shakespeare's contemporaries, the company's staging of Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher's A KING AND NO KING marks a DC metro area professional premiere. An excellent cast and a modern approach by director Cassie Ash and the creative team make this production worthwhile.
Adventurous theatre-goers, take note: a short drive beyond the Beltway, just off the Dulles Access Road, sits Next Stop Theatre Company, a troupe with a growing reputation for solid acting; their current production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is an excellent introduction to the growing theatre scene in Herndon, Reston and beyond-a scene which will become much closer as the Silver Line makes its progress to Dulles Airport.
As the 2017 inauguration arrived, leaving many in the Washington, D.C.-area fleeing the city to avoid crowds, NextStop Theatre opened their first two performances of 2017 to packed houses of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing", now appearing through February 12, 2017. Inside a 114-seat black box theatre, just 20 miles west of the nation's capital, in Herndon, Virginia, "the original romantic comedy", whisks audiences off to the sun-drenched sandy beaches of Messina, Italy.
NextStop Theatre presents their first production of 2017, Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" starting January 19, 2017. Billed as "the original romantic comedy", the story of Beatrice and Benedick will be directed by Abigail Isaac Fine at NextStop's black box theatre in Herndon, Virginia.
Taking a trip to the Atlas Performing Arts Center on H Street will also transport you to a time when radio was king and one of the princes of the medium was the maverick actor-director Orson Welles. Welles and his Mercury Theatre Company on the Air produced a series of classic dramas on CBS Radio in the 1930s. Their most infamous broadcast was their adaptation of the H.G. Wells scifi classic "The War of the Worlds, sent over the airwaves on October 30, 1938 from New York City. That historic and iconic radio play has been translated to a new medium - the stage - by Scena Theatre in a riveting adaptation by Robert McNamara who also directed the production. Crackling with the excitement of live radio, Scena captures the ingenuity, talent and drama of that night.
The New Hampshire Theatre Awards have announced the finalists for both the professional and community productions for 2013. Each year these awards recognize the talent and dedication necessary to produce outstanding theatrical productions across the state.
