MADAMA BUTTERFLY & NIXON IN CHINA to Launch Washington National Opera Season
Jonathan Tetelman joins the company's residency at the newly transformed Revolutionary Stage.
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Washington National Opera opens its 2026-2027 season with a three-production residency at Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Constitution Hall. WNO has transformed this historic venue by decking the main seating area and added a three-quarter surround thrust stage, encircled with café-style seating. The resulting novel performance space is called WNO’s Revolutionary Stage. This marks WNO’s first full season as an independent company, following its departure from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in January 2026.
Appearing on the Revolutionary Stage is a new production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (Nov. 7, 13, 15 18, 20), and the company premiere of John Adams’s Nixon in China (Nov. 14, 19, 21) in celebration of the composer’s 80th birthday, and a special concert, We the People (Nov. 22), highlighting music from across the operatic canon, featuring Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson, and the season’s Marian Anderson Award recipient Amber Monroe, conducted by Robert Spano. WNO also announces the addition of star tenor Jonathan Tetelman to the program. One of opera’s most sought-after tenors, Tetelman has electrified audiences on the world’s leading stages, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Vienna State Opera, and Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Single tickets are on sale beginning Thursday, Sept. 10 at https://washnatopera.org/tickets.
Madama Butterfly
A fully staged new production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (November 7, 13, 15, 18, and 20, 2026) tells one of opera’s most tragic and beautiful love stories in a setting evocative of Japan by Walt Spangler, with period costumes by Florence Klotz. American naval officer Pinkerton marries the young geisha Cio-Cio-San, known as Butterfly. Innocent and deeply devoted, she ignores warnings about his intentions—until betrayal leaves her facing heartbreak and disgrace, propelling her toward one of opera’s most unforgettable finales. This striking production is directed by E. Loren Meeker with choreography by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company member Kanji Segawa. Korean soprano Karah Son makes her company debut in the title role—a role she has performed with nearly every major opera company in the world. She is joined by rising star tenor Matthew White as Pinkerton—a role he performed to acclaim with Opéra de Montréal. Cafritz Young Artist alumna and Grand Finals Winner of the 2025 Metropolitan Opera competition Michelle Mariposa performs as Suzuki. Grammy Award-winning baritone and Marian Anderson Laureate Will Liverman makes his role debut as Sharpless. Japanese-German conductor Erina Yashima—who has led orchestras around the world—conducts.
Nixon in China
Nixon in China (November 14, 19 and 21, 2026), WNO’s first opera by prolific American composer John Adams, with librettist Alice Goodman, is conducted by Robert Spano, a longtime collaborator of Adams. The composer celebrates his 80th birthday this year. This thought-provoking work revisits the 1972 meeting of Nixon, Kissinger, and Mao—blending political spectacle with intimate human reflection and culminating in the haunting question: “How much of what we did was good?” Directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, the reimagined production incorporates rare archival film footage by Bill Morrison with scenic designs by Alexander V. Nichols. The cast is led by two of America’s most celebrated artists, Renée Fleming as Pat Nixon and Thomas Hampson as Richard Nixon—in their return to WNO. The cast is rounded out by a string of WNO debutants including: Kathleen Kim as Madame Mao, John Matthew Myers as Mao Tse-tung, Joo Won Kang as Chou En-Lai, and Robert Pomakov as Henry Kissinger. The production, which features the iconic Chairman Mao dances, is choreographed by Jessica Lang, who has created more than 100 original works for companies worldwide including American Ballet Theatre, The Royal Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Special Concert: We the People
The third event on the “Revolutionary Stage” is a special concert, We the People (November 22, 2026), conducted by Robert Spano. The event promises a celebration of American ideals, exploring themes of liberty, independence, and creative freedom through a rich program of works by Beethoven, Verdi, and contemporary composers. The operatic journey across centuries explores how opera has given voice to moments of transformation, political upheaval, and the enduring human desire for freedom. The concert features an exceptional lineup of artists, including Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson, Jonathan Tetelman, and this year’s Washington National Opera Marian Anderson Award recipient and former Cafritz Young Artist Amber Monroe, performing with WNO Orchestra and singers from Cafritz Young Artists Program.
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Brian Henson's Puppet Up! Lincoln Theatre (9/30-9/30) |
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GARBO: EL ACTOR QUE SAVÓ AL MUNDO (Garbo: The Actor Who Saved The World) GALA Hispanic Theatre (9/03-9/27) |
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A Monument To Comedy DC Improv (9/15-9/15) |
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Coming to America: An Immigrant Cabaret ExPats Theatre (9/30-10/18) |
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Stonewall's Bust The Writers Center (10/09-10/25) |
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Crime & Punishment Washington Stage Guild (1/28-2/21) |
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"The Addams Family" The Alden Theatre (10/09-10/18) |
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The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Show The Dinner Detective Washington DC (9/26-9/26) |
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Rockville Little Theatre presents "Fences" F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre (4/30-5/09) |
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"Treasure Island Reimagined: Jane Hawkins and the Pirate's Gold" The Alden Theatre (10/13-10/13) |
