Vinny DePonto's MINDPLAY Added to Arena Stage's 2023/24 Season

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater has revealed a riveting addition to its 2023/24 Season—Vinny DePonto’s Mindplay. Created, co-written, and performed by mentalist DePonto, this mind-bending, gasp-inducing experience masterfully blurs the lines between illusion and reality. Mindplay will run January 19 – March 3, 2024 in Arena Stage’s Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle. Press Night will be held on Tuesday, January 23 at 8 p.m. For more information and tickets, please visit arenastage.org/mindplay.

Mindplay, the surprise addition to Arena Stage’s current season, is a love letter to the imperfect mind. Drama Desk Award–nominated theatermaker and mentalist Vinny DePonto guides audiences on an entirely new theatrical event in which their thoughts play a leading role. Hailed as a “warmly inviting, nostalgia-ridden, gem of a performance” (BroadwayWorld), Mindplay investigates the expansive beauty of imagination and the ephemeral and surprising nature of memory.

“One of my favorite experiences is sitting in a theater with an audience and hearing a cascade of gasps from amazement or delight,” said Arena Stage Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif. “It is a gift to introduce DC audiences to Vinny DePonto’s mystifying and illuminating work in Mindplay. With a genre of storytelling that tests the boundaries of our minds, Mindplay revels in our essential need to contextualize our memories and reveals the depth of our shared humanity.”

The work of theatermaker and mentalist Vinny DePonto uses a combination of psychological tricks, visual art, and immersive storytelling. His off-Broadway show Charlatan was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for “Unique Theatrical Experience.” He is also a member of the Bessie Award–winning theater group Third Rail Projects. His work has been presented by Ars Nova, American Conservatory Theater, American Repertory Theater at Harvard, and the Geffen. In addition to his live performances, DePonto’s work was featured in the most recent production of Angels in America on Broadway, in Lincoln Center’s Ghostlight, and in hit television shows on the Discovery Channel, NBC, and Netflix.
 

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

MINDPLAY
Created and Performed by Vinny DePonto
Written by Vinny DePonto and Josh Koenigsberg
Directed by Andrew Neisler
Produced by Eva Price
In the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle | January 19 – March 3, 2024

ABOUT:
Drama Desk Award–nominated theatermaker and mentalist Vinny DePonto guides us on an entirely new theatrical event in which your thoughts play a leading role. A “warmly inviting, nostalgia-ridden, gem of a performance” (BroadwayWorld), Mindplay masterfully blurs the line between illusion and reality. Escape into the expansive beauty of imagination and bask in the ephemeral and surprising nature of memory.

TEAM:
Creator / Playwright / Performer: Vinny DePonto
Playwright: Josh Koenigsberg
Director: Andrew Neisler
Producer: Eva Price
Scenic Designer: Sibyl Wickersheimer
Lighting Designer: Pablo Santiago
Sound Designer: Everett Elton Bradman
Stage Manager: Gabrielle Bruno

PLAN YOUR VISIT

TICKETS: Tickets are from $41 plus applicable fees. Ticket prices and availability are subject to change. Arena Stage’s many savings programs include “pay your age” tickets for those aged 30 and under, student discounts, and “Southwest Nights” for those living and working in the District’s Southwest neighborhood. To learn more, visit arenastage.org/savings-programs.

Tickets are available at arenastage.org. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at 202-488-3300, or in person at the Sales Office at 1101 Sixth Street, SW, D.C., Tuesday-Sunday, 12-8 p.m. 

Sales Office/Subscriptions: 202-488-3300
Group Sales Hotline for 10+ Tickets: 202-488-4380

PERFORMANCE DATES:
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. 
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 p.m. 
Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Weekday matinees at 12 p.m. on February 1, 15, 21, and 28
No performance on February 22

Early Curtain: Sunday, February 4, at 6 p.m.
Southwest Night: Tuesday, January 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, February 3, at 2 p.m.
ASL-Interpreted Performance: Saturday, March 2, at 8 p.m.
Mask-Required Performances: Sunday, February 11, at 2 p.m.

Full Calendar: arenastage.org/tickets/calendar

SAFETY: Arena Stage recommends but does not require that patrons wear facial masks in our theater except in our occasional mask-required performance. These conditions are subject to change, and Arena continues to consult with medical professionals, monitor government best practice recommendations, and engage in industry trainings to ensure the health and safety of our patrons, artists, and staff. For up-to-date information, visit arenastage.org/safety.

TRAVEL: Limited parking is available in Arena Stage’s on-site garage for $18 to $30, including drive-up valet parking for $30. Call 202-488-3300 to purchase in advance. For more information on transportation and other parking options around the Mead Center, visit arenastage.org/transportation.

For complete 2023/24 Season details, visit arenastage.org/season.

The first racially integrated theater in our nation’s capital and a pioneer of the regional theater movement, Arena Stage was founded on August 16, 1950, in Washington, D.C., by Zelda Fichandler, Tom Fichandler, and Edward Mangum. Today—nearly 75 years later—Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. We produce plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep, and dangerous in the American spirit, and present diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Consistently contributing to the American theatrical lexicon by commissioning and developing new plays, Arena Stage impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement and serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. arenastage.org

Photo credit: Jeff Lorch