Neil McFadden News

The Washington Stage Guild will conclude its 2021-2022 season with Memoirs of a Forgotten Man by D.W. Gregory. The play, which had its world premiere at The Contemporary American Theatre Festival in 2018, takes place in the Stalinist Soviet Union, where a man’s inability to forget those whom the government has “erased” becomes increasingly problematic for him and his family.

Is it time to hold God (inhabiting the body of Jacob Yeh) to account?  God knows – forgive the reference – we have occasion to do so.  Even as we hunker, masked, vaccinated and socially distant, within the confines of NextStop Theatre Company, we add more counts to our indictment – a terrible disease, economic disruption, social unrest. And that’s just for us, the richest country in human history! At least we don’t have to worry about religious maniacs entering our homes and shooting us. Yet.

Follow the doings of individuals who come in and out of a motel where the room itself and those who clean it are the only constants.

One of the newest professional theatre companies in the DC region, Prologue Theatre, is continuing its inaugural season with Nell Benjamin's The Explorers Club. This hilarious satire explores societal, workplace, gender, economic, and racial inequalities.

1st Stage, Tysons Corner's award-winning professional theatre, announces the extension of their critically acclaimed production of The Member of the Wedding until June 16.

Carson McCullers' The Member of the Wedding centers around several steamy post-World War II Southern days as seen through the eyes of twelve-year-old Frankie Addams. Frankie, or F. Jasmine as she requests we call her, is on the cusp...of what she does not know.

In 1945 rural Georgia, the long, hot days of summer bring struggle, longing, and opportunity for 12-year-old Frankie Addams and her family's housekeeper Bernice Sadie Brown. Frankie longs to escape with her newlywed brother on adventures in the Alaskan wilderness. Bernice struggles to balance enduring the deeply entrenched racism of the rural South with her role as surrogate mother to Frankie and her 6-year-old cousin. Adapted from the beloved novel of the same name, this evocative, poetic coming of age drama explores the pains of youth and the meaning of family.

In Kathleen Akerley's 'Interstellar Ghost Hour,' the latest fanciful play from Longacre Lea, an astronaut travels back through time and space to arrive in her deceased parents home to get some answers.

Peter Pan is possibly one of the most commonly adapted and re-adapted works for the stage. From Peter and the Starcatcher to Finding Neverland and everything in between, there are constant tweaks and updates to this classic that make it resonate with new generations. Adventure Theatre's newest adaption, Tinker Bell, is a good family-friendly adaptation and is worth visiting just for the sheer fun. Patrick Flynn's script, however, runs out of pixie dust before the work can reveal anything about the story that hasn't already been heard.

Adventure Theatre's visionary Artistic Director Michael J. Bobbitt has, for many years, pushed the boundaries of Theater for Young Audiences (TYA).  For example, out of its location at Glen Echo Park, Adventure Theatre has created original productions of the popular comic strip Garfield, Big the Musical and a two character The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Those are only a few examples of the company's vast repertoire.

 It's 1965 in New York City and the lights are about to go out. But not before a melancholy sandwich maker becomes enchanted with two sisters in this bittersweet romantic tale about finding hope in a world best by darkness. This truly original rock-fable, nominated for 4 Drama Desk Awards, will sweep audiences off their feet and enchant them in an evening under the stars filled with romance, mystery and enchantment… but not a lot of light.

Written and composed by Will Connolly, Michael Mitnick, and Kim Rosenstock, Fly By Night is an appealing mish-mash of rock n' roll, opera, and classic music theater. It is an ode to a doomed love affair and a modern-day fairytale.

It's 1965 in New York City and the lights are about to go out. But not before a melancholy sandwich maker becomes enchanted with two sisters in this bittersweet romantic tale about finding hope in a world best by darkness. This truly original rock-fable, nominated for 4 Drama Desk Awards, will sweep audiences off their feet and enchant them in an evening under the stars filled with romance, mystery, and enchantment… but not a lot of light.

NextStop Theatre Company, located near Reston Town Center, opens 'Godspell' on March 1, 2018. Director Lorraine Magee brings a modern twist to the musical, setting the new production in a coffee shop.

The nominees for the 2018 Helen Hayes Awards were announced on February 5, 2018. One of the country's most prestigious cultural honors, The Helen Hayes Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in professional theatre throughout the Washington metropolitan area. The National Theatre's Helen Hayes Gallery set the scene for the announcement of nominees in 47 categories for artistic excellence, and the theatre companies eligible for the 2017 John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company. The recipient of the 2018 Helen Hayes Tribute will be announced shortly.

Signature Theatre is proud to present the world premiere of 4,380 Nights by DC playwright Annalisa Dias. The production is directed by Kathleen Akerley (Artistic Director of Longacre Lea) and features Ahmad Kamal(Woolly Mammoth's KISS) as Malik Essaid/El Hadj El Kaim, Michael John Casey (Shakespeare Theatre's Othello, Folger Theatre's Henry V) as Bud Abramson/Man, Rex Daugherty (Signature's Shakespeare's R&J) as Luke/Colonel Pelissier, and Lynette Rathnam (Ford Theatre's Death of a Salesman) as Woman (complete cast and creative team bios are below). 4,380 Nights runs from January 16 through February 18 in Signature Theatre's ARK Theatre. 4,380 Nights is Signature's submission to the 2018 Women's Voices Theater Festival.

NextStop Theatre Company, located near Reston Town Center, opens "Godspell" on March 1, 2018. Director Lorraine Magee brings a modern twist to the musical, setting the new production in a coffee shop.

Signature Theatre is excited to announce the cast and creative team for the world premiere of 4,380 Nights by DC playwright Annalisa Dias. The production will be directed by Kathleen Akerley (Artistic Director of Longacre Lea) and will feature Ahmad Kamal (Woolly Mammoth's KISS) as Malik Essaid/El Hadj El Kaim, Michael John Casey (Shakespeare Theatre's Othello, Folger Theatre's Henry V) as Bud Abramson/Man, Rex Daugherty (Signature'sShakespeare's R&J) as Luke/Colonel Pelissier, and Lynette Rathnam (Ford Theatre's Death of a Salesman) as Woman (complete cast and creative team bios are below). 4,380 Nights will run from January 16 through February 18 in Signature Theatre's ARK Theatre. 4,380 Nights is Signature's submission to the 2018 Women's Voices Theater Festival.

'It looks like they forgot to clean up from the last performance!' joked a man in the audience. It's true. The stage at the Dance Loft on 14 looks like the remnants of a bad garage sale. It's littered with cardboard boxes and paper scraps, an old table and chairs, and a huge heap of empty Fanta cans spills from a metal garbage can.

This summer when I was watching a movie, I saw a trailer for the yearly sequel of Pirates of the Caribbean. I thought to myself, are pirates still a thing? With so many other film villain tropes out there, why do we keep coming back to pirates? Well, as evident by the hordes of children adoring How I Became A Pirate at Adventure Theatre MTC, the pirates are alive and well and soaring the high seas.