On December 14th, they came to a farewell cabaret to say goodbye to Signature’s garage space and we were in the lobby recording before and after the show. Stopping by (in order of appearance): Joel Markowitz, Vicki Winter, Amy Winter, Eric Schaeffer, Alex Matthews, Harry Winter, Emily Beard, Bob and Phyllis Hecht, Laurie Kahn, Kitty Ray, Rick Burch, an anonymous commentator, Kathleen Ott, Bill Lipsed and, with a classic cell phone story, Helen Hayes Award winner Will Gartshore. Click here to hear their memories which stretch w-a-a-y back, and their hopes for the new space.
And boy – will they love tomorrow! We just toured the new Signature – an astonishing, glamorous complex of two theaters, the 99 seat ARK and the 299 seat MAX, linked by a gorgeous lobby looking out to the shops of Shirlington Village. None of the love is lost in the new space, and everything is gained. Signature is still committed to the flexible black box presentation and to not miking performers – having spent over a $1 Million in creating the perfect acoustical performance spaces. Everyone’s dreams are coming true: for rehearsals, dancers have sprung floors, singers and musicians have perfect acoustics, directors can tape off the complete performing space, the tech areas are state of the art, spacious dressing rooms accommodate 41 performers, and the offices are visually exciting. And for the audience: a grand staircase with chandelier, a sweeping bar and lounge in the lobby which will showcase a pianist, and free parking in one – and soon two – adjacent parking lots.
Even this week, with the whine of saws and drills in the background, and cables and scaffolding everywhere, the special Signature energy is already bubbling up. See for yourself at Signature’s Open House: January 13-14 featuring tours, cabarets, workshops and culminating with a special preview of Into the Woods. Doors open each day at 11:30 am. Click here for the complete schedule.
As a follow-up, I’d like to say that the Open House was great! As far as performances, the free concerts by Euan Morton and Emily Skinner were top shelf. I also very much enjoyed the guys from the University of Michigan who performed at the Emerging Artists event. If anyone in the Signature food chain is reading this, PLEASE bring those guys back to do the complete work! I will pay to see them!
I’m very glad you enjoyed the podcast. We enjoyed doing it. Thank you for giving us so many memories in the garage. Best of luck in the wonderful new space. Joel
I laughed out loud when I heard the patron remembering David Hyde Pierce in Signature’s 1994 production of "Otabenga." It wasn’t Pierce, but actor Wallace Acton, who did several shows with Signature (including the 1992 production of "Assassins") and now stars occasionally at the Shakespeare Theatre. He DOES bear a resemblance to David Hyde Pierce, though.
Thanks Janet. Lorraine did all the podcasting, so deserves all the credit. Joel
It was interesting to listen to the superfans talk about their favorite Signature experiences on Joel’s podcast. Will’s story about the guy taking the phone call during the performance was amazing. I’ve heard stories about people answering their cell phones during plays, but the final part of the story was certainly a first. Anyway, to get back to positive memories, I’ve only gone to two Signature plays. Those were Urinetown and My Fair Lady. I loved both of them, so Signature is 2 for 2 with regards to the plays for me. Somebody at Signature definitely has a whimsical sense of humor. For the Urinetown performance there were piggybank type boxes on top of the toilet tanks in the ladies room which a note about having to pay to pee. Not knowing anything about the play, I put some change (a couple of quarters, I think) in the box. It seemed like a good idea to help pay for the bathroom supplies, etc.). When I mentioned it to my friends from the Ushers, thay laughed and said it (the prop) was a joke. 🙂