This week we’re highlighting some local works, plus a few others we couldn’t pass up. And hang on, at the end, for a fun quiz. For a robust list of viewing beyond our area, we recommend TDF Stages Home.
A Kids Play on Racism
Starts August 1
Log in to Broadway On Demand and create a free account
A Kids Play About Racism, a theatrical adaptation of Jelani Memory’s A Kids Book About Racism, which he wrote for his children about his life as a biracial man living in Oregon. A groundbreaking collaboration among 41 Theatres for Young Audiences across the United States, adapted and directed by award-winning director and TYA artist Khalia Davis Memory’s book will be brought to life by an entirely Black and BIPOC cast and creative team from across the United States.
As a companion, Adventure Theatre suggests you join them Sunday, August 2 at 2pm for an interview with the daughter/mother authors of “My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams,” the children’s book based on the viral photo of Ava performing ballet in front of the soon-to-be removed Robert E. Lee Memorial in Richmond, VA.
Fishamble’s Tiny Plays 24/7
Now thru August 2
Free to view until August 3
Click to watch
Live discussion: Solas Nua and Fishamble
Sunday, Aug 2, 4pm EST
Free. Register to view
Fishamble, the award winning Dublin theatre company, presents a selection of tiny plays submitted from its recent writing challenge, performed on the O’Reilly Theatre stage. Watch the tiny plays any time this weekend, then join Solas Nua theatre artistic director, Rex Daugherty and Fishamble’s artistic director, Jim Culleton Sunday afternoon for an exclusive post show discussion. Rex and Jim will chat about making tiny plays and experimenting with new work. Sign in to join the discussion.
Spit Dat
Woolly Mammoth
August 3,
Virtual Lobby Opens at 7:30PM
Facebook Live Stream Begins at 8PM
Free. Register to view
The fourth open mic of Woolly Mammoth’s SWOON FESTIVAL will be hosted by Spit Dat’s own Droopy the Broke Baller and Dwayne B, featuring Lauren May and Britt Sonkofa. Spit Dat is the longest-running open mic in the nation’s capital. A profoundly intimate artistic and spiritual experience that has fought to remain a safe space through nearly two decades of societal change, Spit Dat combines world-class talent with a living room vibe.
Pantheon
Happenstance Theater
August 1 – 31
$10
Click for tickets
The Happenstance quintet delves into Ancient Greek Mythology with guest artist Craig Jaster generating a live musical score. In a pared-down 1940’s aesthetic, a chorus of workers assembles lightning bolts and mines the Underworld. Like Sisyphus they must endlessly repeat their tasks. With an ample smattering of amusement, the performers invoke the Muses, offer Sacrifice, suffer Hubris, consult Oracles, and meet Fate as they portray an array of mortals and Gods whose flaws reflect their own. One of our all-time favorite Happenstance shows. Okay. We’ll show you.
The Secret Love Life of Ophelia
Greenwich Theatre
Now thru Aug 14
Free to view on YouTube
Steven Berkoff’s epistolary exploration of the romance between Hamlet and his ill-fated girlfriend. This virtual adaptation of the play reimagines the letters as video messages delivered by 40 diverse actors, with a cameo by Helen Mirren.
The Year of Magical Thinking
Ends Sunday, August 2
A benefit for The Actors Fund
Minimum donation $20
Click for tickets
The Year of Magical Thinking, based on Joan Didion’s National Book Award-winning memoir, is the remarkable story of loss, journey, and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit and stars Linda Purl.
Just for fun.
Answer WETA’s Great Performances 7 question quiz to determine your Shakespearian alter ego. Richard II; Henry IV, Part One; Henry IV, Part Two; and Henry V. These plays tell the story of three kings and their supporters who all had very different — and often conflicting — personalities. Which character would you be? The results might surprise you.
