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Paul Nasto’s new sound for Flora the Red Menace

May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Musical theatre lovers along the Eastern seaboard have begun to buzz about what’s been menacing the team over at 1st Stage in Tysons Corner, VA. On tap for the ambitious young company is a brand new, re-envisioned production of the rarely produced Flora the Red Menace, the very first theatrical collaboration of legendary songwriters Kander and Ebb, beloved by audiences for a body of work which most famously includes Cabaret, Chicago and The Kiss of the Spider Woman.

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Commedia at Gallaudet: the impact of Faction of Fools

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

-  When we asked Matthew R. Wilson, founder of Faction of Fools how the students at Gallaudet were responding to his company’s presence on campus,  his answer was a quick invitation to stop by and found out. Ryan Taylor, Artistic Director of Washington Rogues, did just that. – [Read more...]

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Director Johanna Gruenhut on directing Studio’s Big Meal

May 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

April 26, 2012 – The third floor atrium at Studio Theatre is a buzz with carpenters and interns, designers and directors, marketing folks and performing professionals, all putting the final touches on Studio’s newest production, The Big Meal by Dan LeFranc. Amidst the hurried tweaks and polishes, the play’s quietly collected director, Johanna Gruenhut, takes a refreshing few minutes with me to discuss this undertaking of generational proportions. [Read more...]

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Joe Brack talks with director and the ‘clowns’ of 39 Steps

April 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

How can Patrick Barlow’s play, originally produced in 2005, based on a Hitchcock film from 1935, adapted from a novel published  in 1915 written by John Buchan, be a love letter to the theatre? I had the wonderful pleasure of speaking with Olney Theatre Center’s Associate Artistic Director and Director of  The 39 Steps, Clay Hopper, as well as cast members, Jason Lott and Evan Casey, to find out more about how a piece like this comes together. [Read more...]

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Alexander Strain and Mark Hairston of The Whipping Man

April 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Fridays, the Jewish Community Center on 16th Street NW is mostly quiet and dark in observation of Shabbat. But still, deep in the belly of the JCC, a theatrical rumbling is building its steam. The Whipping Man is this Spring’s theatrical offering from Theater J. A small cast of rugged and well read gentlemen share the story of a Confederate soldier and two newly freed slaves returning home after the recently concluded war. [Read more...]

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Talking about John & Beatrice with Eric and Jenna

April 12, 2012 By 1 Comment

I dial into a mid-evening conference call. “I’m sorry, your entry is not valid. Please, enter the valid digits followed by the pound sign.”. I double check the number, punch the buttons, and then connect with Eric Messner and Jenna Sokolowski, two gifted talents, currently prepping to open John & Beatrice with The Hub Theatre. [Read more...]

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Monologue Madness winner tells how she did it

April 9, 2012 By 5 Comments

Last April, for one night only, Monologue Madness gave a packed house of spectators 54 first impressions of a wide array of local and regional actors. But that night also provided a larger first impression: one of a big-hearted, enterprising new entertainment event in its inaugural year. [Read more...]

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The business behind the show. Meet Chad Bauman, newest columnist for DCTS

April 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We are pleased to announce that Chad Bauman, the Smithsonian Associate’s Director of Marketing and Membership, will be the latest addition to our writing staff . Readers will know him best as Arena Stage’s Director of Communication during its period of greatest expansion. His column “Consider This” will begin on Wednesday, April 17th.   [Read more...]

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Some secrets behind SPIDERMUSICAL at Landless

April 4, 2012 By 1 Comment

Interview with Andrew Baughman and Melissa Baughman of Landless Theatre

- With this interview, DC Theatre Scene is thrilled to introduce our newest writer, Joe Brack, DC area actor, teacher and writer. -

Beneath the pleasing din of Indian radio and the bustle of Adams Morgan, on an unseasonably gorgeous Sunday afternoon, I am sharing a table with Andrew and Melissa Baughman. They are little more than an hour away from beginning their first day of tech for Landless Theatre’s DC premiere of SPIDERMUSICAL: A Second Chance for Awesome, (tagline: (“None of the budget. All of the danger”) just across the street at the DC Arts Center.

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Michael Bobbitt had big dreams for Adventure Theatre. These days, they’re getting bigger

March 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Michael Bobbitt’s big dream is a small audience. Not a scarce one, mind you — no arts organization wants that — but an audience made up of our smallest citizens, young enough to appreciate Adventure Theatre’s unique brand of enchantment. Five years into his role as Artistic Director, Bobbitt’s mind is whirling with questions — and ideas — for the seasons soon to come. [Read more...]

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