Washington, DC Interviews - Page 2

Today's subject Lissa DeGuzman is currently living her theatre life on tour as the belting green faced witch Elphaba in Wicked. The show runs through January 22nd in the Opera House at Kennedy Center....

Today's subject Aaron Posner is what I call a GOD of DC theatre. He is arguably one of the best interpreters of Shakespeare, Chekov, and so much more. His current production of The Tempest (co-director and co-adapter with Teller, yes, of Penn and Teller) is onstage at Round House Theatre through Jan...

Today’s subject Lauren Pekel is currently living her theatre life as the Production Stage Manager for what is easily one of the more technically complex productions running in DC theatre right now. Nightly (with two matinees) at Studio Theatre, Lauren calls over 300 light cues and close to 100 sound...

Today's subject Annabelle Lopez Ochoa has one of the most prolific careers in the world of dance. Starting tomorrow evening, November 30th, you can see her work Doña Perón at the Kennedy Center as performed by Ballet Hispánico. The performance runs through December 3rd....

Today's subject Lance Pennington proves that longevity can be achieved while working in theatre. For 45 years, yes you read that right, he has been living his theatre life as a member of the props department at Arena Stage. His work can currently be seen with their current production of Holiday whic...

Dance Nation, Olney Theatre's 22-23 Season opener, is a 2019 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama by playwright and performer Clare Barron and directed for Olney Theatre by Jenna Place. The play follows a 'tweenage dance team from Liverpool, Ohio, more is at stake than a first-place trophy.' Its...

Adrian Ries is currently living his theatre life as the musical director for the U.S. National Tour of The Band's Visit. The show runs through July 17th in the Eisenhower Theater at Kennedy Center. For those who can't see the tour in DC, it will conclude in Richmond VA playing from July 26th to the ...

Theatre Life chats with Bree Lowdermilk, one of the most talented modern-day composers working in the musical theatre. You might know her work from her long association with book writer/lyricist Kait Kerrigan. ...

Deborah F. Rutter is the President of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. A post she has held since September 1st, 2014. ...

Today’s subject Melanie Moore is currently living her theatre life playing the iconic literary character Scout Finch in the U.S. Tour of To Kill a Mockingbird. The show is currently in performance at Kennedy Center’s Opera House and will play through July tenth....

The National Tour of Dear Evan Hansen is in its fourth year of touring across North America, and will now have a new Evan Hansen! Anthony Norman (The Prom original Broadway cast, National Tour of Newsies, and more) is stepping into the lead role! Read BroadwayWorld's interview with the new star of D...

Today’s subject Ivania Stack is currently living her theatre life as the costume designer for There’s Always the Hudson at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. The production runs through June fifth....

Today’s subject Andrew Lippa is an award-winning composer/lyricist whose work spans all forms of music. On June fourth the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington will present Lippa’s Unbreakable for two performances only at 3:00 and 8:00pm. The event will be performed at The Lincoln Theatre....

Today’s subject Schele Williams is currently living her Theatre Life as the director of the World Premiere TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) production Show Way The Musical now running in the Family Theater at Kennedy Center through May 29th....

Today’s subject Michael John LaChuisa is currently living his theatre life as the composer for the upcoming production of Our Town at Shakespeare Theatre Company. The production runs May 12th through June 11th in STC’s Sidney Harman Hall and features (wait for it) a FULL cast of DC performers....

Today’s subjects Anne Runolfsson and Tess Adams are currently living their theatre lives performing in their mother/daughter self-created show about the ups and downs of being in show business entitled The Story Goes On. You can see these crazily talented ladies in action April 29th at the New Spire...

Today’s subject Bobby Smith is a prime example of someone living his theatre life to the fullest. Currently he is performing in Signature Theatre’s excellent production of She Loves Me as parfumerie clerk Ladislav Sipos. The production runs through April 24th in Signature's MAX space....

DC’S little jewel of a theatre company Washington Stage Guild (WSG) was built on producing the works of George Bernard Shaw. In its long and distinguished history of producing high quality theatre the company has produced over thirty productions of Shaw’s work....

You know how many people in the performing arts think of themselves as Christlike or just consider themselves GOD? Today's subject Aaron LaVigne can actually get away with it because he is currently living his theatre life on tour playing the world's most famous carpenter Jesus in the North American...

Today’s subject Luz Nicolas is currently living her theatre life onstage at GALA Hispanic Theatre in the World Premiere production of La Casa De La Laguna (The House on The Lagoon) where she once again is demonstrating her fierceness as one of the area’s best performers. The production runs through ...

Today’s subject Yesenia Iglesias is currently living her theatre life onstage at Signature Theatre in Daphne’s Dive which runs through March 20th in the ARK space. Last time Yesenia performed at Signature, she was getting beat up and bludgeoned to death in Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible He...

Anyone that has read my reviews or columns over the years knows that I always pay attention to the orchestrations and orchestrator of any given musical. Let’s face it, without the orchestrator, the score is only a piano. Today’s subject Doug Besterman has been living his theatre life for many yea...

There is almost nothing consistent anymore in life with the current state of affairs but when Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to town, things almost feel normal again. The company will be performing in the Kennedy Center Opera House starting tonight through February 6th with four different ...

Today’s subject Lisa Stephen Friday has a remarkable story to tell as she is currently living her theatre life as the writer and performer of Trans Am. The show begins performances at Keegan Theatre on January 29th and will run through February 26th....

Today’s subject Kenny Seymour is currently living his theatre life being immersed with the Motown Sound as the Musical Supervisor and Arranger for the US National Tour of Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations while still serving as the show’s Musical Director on Broadway. The tourin...

Today’s subject Courtney Balan is currently living her theatre life on tour as the self-absorbed Broadway star Dee Dee Allen in the TOTALLY original musical The Prom.  The show plays through January 16th in the Eisenhower at The Kennedy Center. It will then continue on locally to The Hippodrome in B...

Today’s subject William T. Newman Jr. is currently living his theatre life portraying the esteemed African-American playwright August Wilson in How I Learned What I Learned at WSC Avant Bard. The production marks the company’s return to LIVE performances and runs through December 19th at Gunston Art...

When Signature Theatre begins performances of Rent tomorrow, November second, it will have been 600 days exactly since it was forced to stop performing it’s theatrical greatness due to the pandemic. Today’s subject Arianna Rosario is currently living her theatre life playing Mimi Marquez in the prod...

Today’s subject Morgan Siobhan Green is currently living her theatre life touring the country as Eurydice in the national tour of Hadestown which continues performing in the Opera House at Kennedy Center through October 31st. The production marks Ms. Green’s touring debut....

Maks and Val Chmerkovskiy are back on stage with their 'Stripped Down' tour, showing audiences a whole new side of the dancing duo. Featuring dance, comedy, and personal stories from the lives of the Chmerkovskiy brothers, the Maks & Val: Stripped Down tour will make you laugh, cry, and everything i...

Today’s subject Matthew Gardiner is a prime example of someone living their theatre life to the fullest. While he has directed and choreographed all over town and in Korea as well, by far the bulk of his career has been working at Signature Theatre. Since coming there in 2004, Matthew has either cho...

Sometimes a young artist makes a big impression on an ornery arts reviewer first time out of the box. Today’s subject Adelina Mitchell did just that to me and my wife a few years ago. More on that later on in the column. Now you can see her incredible talents for yourselves from the comfort of your ...

Debbie Allen is one of those arts types that simply doesn’t fit into one category. I think it is safe to say she is an all-around goddess of the arts. Her list of achievements includes being directed by Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins, directing Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway, choreographing the Osc...

Today’s subject Beth Hylton is currently living her theatre life performing on your TVs and computer screens as the sole performer in Round House Theatre’s latest streaming production of Throw Me on the Burnpile and Light Me Up. The show is available for viewing through June 13th....

You most likely know today’s subject Erin Driscoll Gardiner as a superb performer. Some of her most memorable performances over the years include the title role in Violet and Cinderella in Into the Woods at Ford’s Theatre, many productions at Signature Theatre including a Helen Hayes Award winning p...

Today’s subject Lileana Blain-Cruz is currently living her theatre life as the director of Signature Theatre’s latest Signature Features streaming offering entitled Daniel J.Watts’ The Jam: Only Child. The show recounts Watts’ life as the only child of a single mother. From the fierce growing pains ...

Jordan Friend of 4615 Theatre Company talks about his 'Old Soul,'an interactive Zoom call concert and monologue with real time audience feedback...

Throughout this pandemic, theatre companies have found some creative ways to keep staff members employed. Today’s subject Jenn Sheetz is one of those fortunate artists that is living her theatre life as the Properties Manager at Arena Stage. She has held that position for the past three seasons a...

Today’s subject Emily Skinner is currently living her theatre life in your living rooms as part of Signature Theatre’s streaming presentation of Simply Sondheim. The production is available through March 26th. Over the years, Emily has wowed audiences on Broadway and throughout the country. You m...

Today’s subject Richard W. Kidwell has been living his theatre life in DC theatre professionally since1966. He has been the Theatre Manager at the Opera House at Kennedy Center since it’s very first performance back in 1971 which makes him one of if not the longest running employees working in the D...