Arena Stage Announces Its 2013/2014 Season

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater Announces its 2013/14 Schedule:

One Night with Janis Joplin
Created, written and directed by Randy Johnson
Starring Mary Bridget Davies
A co-production with Pasadena Playhouse and Milwaukee Repertory Theater
June 21-August 11, 2013 in the Kreeger Theater

Get ready to relive the summer of love! Back by popular demand, One Night with Janis Joplin returns to rock Arena Stage for another round of "exhilarating" (Washington Post) performances packed with classic songs like "Piece of My Heart, "Summertime" and "Mercedes Benz." Mary Bridget Davies "brings the house to its feet" (Washingtonian) as one of America's greatest rock 'n' roll originals, and "delivers no-holds-barred vocal fire through one classic song after another" (TheaterMania).

The Velocity of Autumn
Exclusive Pre-Broadway Engagement
By Eric Coble / Directed by Artistic
Starring Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons and two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Spinella
September 6-October 20, 2013 in the Kreeger Theater

In a simple Brooklyn brownstone, 79-year-old Alexandra lives a solitary existence with her fleeting memories and enough explosives to take down most of the block. At an impasse with her family over how she should spend her autumn years, Alexandra's long-absent son enters as a most unlikely mediator, to try and save his mother's life as much as his own. Funny and sweet, aching and revelatory, this perceptive play reveals both the fragility and ferocity of life. Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons (Bonnie and Clyde, Roseanne) and two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Spinella (Angels in America) make their Arena Stage debuts.

Love in Afghanistan
World premiere by Resident Playwright Charles Randolph-Wright
October 11-November 17, 2013 in the Kreeger Theater

From resident playwright Charles Randolph-Wright (Blue, Cuttin' Up) comes a daring world premiere drama set to take audiences on a thrilling, romantic adventure in a chaotic land. Meet Duke and Roya, two fantastically different people discovering love in the most unlikely of places: war-torn Afghanistan. One, an emerging hip-hop artist, the other, a high-level Afghani interpreter, both fight to navigate the pitfalls of romance amid the cultural land mines of religious differences and political unrest.

Tappin' Thru Life
Created by and starring Maurice Hines / Directed by Jeff Calhoun
A co-production with ALLIANCE THEATRE and Cleveland Play House
November 15-December 29, 2013 in the Kreeger Theater

Broadway legend and Tony Award nominee Maurice Hines (Sophisticated Ladies) returns to Arena Stage to tap us through his incredible 40 years in show business. With song and dance, Hines pays tribute to his brother, Gregory, and the singers who have inspired him, from Frank Sinatra to Lena Horne. To help bring the history of American tap to life, Hines brings The Diva Orchestra, an all-female nine-piece big band. Get ready to laugh, smile and tap your feet to the infectious song and dance of Maurice Hines!

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