The Colonial Players Will Co-Produce Premiere Production by Local Playwright at D.C. Festival

The Colonial Players will expand its support for emerging artists by collaborating with upstart Otherwise Theater Company to premier Martin Thompson's new play, The Returned at D.C.'s Capital Fringe Festival.

“The importance of promoting new work cannot be overstated," said The Colonial Players’ President Steve Tobin."We are excited to be able to help members of our community develop and showcase their artistry and extend our outreach to the nation's capital by participating in the Capital Fringe Festival this summer." 

For 75 years, The Colonial Players has been a mainstay of the theatre scene in Maryland, producing classic, contemporary, and cutting edge work. They see this co-production with Otherwise as a natural extension of their mission to develop and encourage appreciation of the dramatic arts in the community.   

The partnership is especially meaningful for Otherwise founding directors and Annapolis natives, siblings Martin and Leslie Thompson.

“Martin and I were literally raised on that stage,” said Leslie, director and co-producer of The Returned. “ The Colonial Players is a hub for theater-lovers with a storied history. To be able to collaborate on this project means the world to us, and we’re fortunate to have organizations like The Colonial Players who are invested in developing the next generation of theatre-makers,”  

“During and after the pandemic, we saw so many theater companies shut down across the country.  Regional and small professional theaters who are the traditional incubators of new plays were especially impacted," said Tobin. “We need a culture of collaboration at the local level to bolster aspiring artists and ensure that new and experimental work still has a place on the American Stage."    

The Returned premieres this summer at Capital Fringe. There will be four performances at Theater J in Washington DC on the following dates: Sat, 7/ 13, at 5:50 PM; Thu, 7/18, at 7:00 PM; Fri, 7/ 19, at 7:00 PM; and Sat, 7/ 20, at 2:50 PM.