We hope you will take time to watch DC Theatre Scene’s first virtual discussion, held Friday night. An honest, personal sharing of the affects of racism on these important members of our theatre community. (Click image to view on Facebook.)
Our recommended performances for this week start with three locally produced events.
Desiderium
by Ricky Drummond
Monumental Theatre Company
Free
Click to watch.
This new musical explores how we grieve and move forward in the wake of a tragedy. Sam, a high schooler, dies and his family and friends must find a way forward through their memories of him. Features the music of The Oh Hellos. A talk back with the cast and creative team follows. – Monumental Theatre Company
ACA Radio Reps (Podcast)
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Academy of Classical Acting
Free
July 16, 2020 Hamlet
July 17, 2020 Romeo and Juliet
July 18, 2020 Man and Superman
Listen: Radio Reps , or Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and wherever you find your podcasts
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy for Classical Acting presents its summer repertory season of three radio plays: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw, and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Performed by the ACA Class of 2020. Directed by Alec Wild, Holly Twyford and Aaron Posner. DCTS interview.
Wannabe
by J. J. Johnson
4615 Theatre Company
Free
Starts streaming July 23, 8pm
Click to watch
You’ve seen J. J. Johnson as an actor, but he’s been writing since the age of 10. Wannabe, based on growing up in a small town in Virginia, is his debut play. Watch for our interview with J. J coming next week.
Broadening our scope:
Grudges
Knowledge Workings Theater Company
July 16 – 24
$10 – $20
Livestreamed play about family and politics
Zoom link will be sent after ticket purchase
Grudges, a comic tale of two brothers torn apart by the 2016 presidential election. Matthew and Paul are considering reconciling over dinner after two years of battling over Donald Trump and Barack Obama, two names they are not allowed to say to each other. Directed by Dora Endre, the piece will be performed live seven times on Zoom July 16-24 – This Week in New York
The Weir
by Conor McPherson
July 21 – 25
Irish Repertory Theatre
Free. Requested donation:$25
Click to register
In a remote country pub in Ireland, newcomer Valerie arrives and becomes spellbound by an evening of ghostly stories told by the local bachelors who drink there. With a whiff of sexual tension in the air and the wind whistling outside, what starts out as blarney soon darkens as the tales drift into the realm of the supernatural. Then, Valerie reveals a startling story of her own…
Conor McPherson’s The Weir is a haunting evocative evening. This new production has been filmed remotely from quarantine and designed for a digital experience
Broadbend Arkansas (A Musical)
July 20 – August 16
Transport Group
Free. Contributions encouraged to Black Theatre Network.
Register here
A filmed performance of Transport Group’s world premiere, Fall, 2019. A Black family grapples with decades of inequality, violence, and suppression in the South. Benny, an orderly at a nursing home, delicately balances his role as a caregiver to an ornery white resident who shares a contentious past with his white boss while at the same time caring for his own family as the fight for equality grips the nation in the midst of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Thirty years later, his daughter, Ruby, struggles to understand an incident of police brutality against her 15-year-old son. This unique musical, spanning nearly half a century and three generations, asks us to contemplate the cycle of violence in this country and how we will find hope and create change against the backdrop of hate that plagues America. – Transport Group
Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies
July 15 – September 24
Jessice Sherr Presents
$19.50
Buy tickets here
Jessica Sherr, writer and actor, performs 6 shows for this new 80-minute live streaming version, directed by Karen Carpenter. “Rebel with a cause.” Chicago Stage and Cinema
Reminder from last week’s listing:
Amadeus
National Theatre Live
Available July 16 through July 23
Free
Click to watch on YouTube
