MetroStage, Alexandria’s only professional theater, is inching closer to reopening in a new, exciting space, but funding is still needed. The new theater sits on the waterfront in the Old Town North neighborhood as part of the residential 13-story condominium the Venue, converted from an old hotel across from Montgomery Park.

“It’s a beautiful space in a highly visible location with three-sided glass, two stories high, so it’s really exquisite in terms of being a central piece in the Old Town North Arts and Cultural District, where MetroStage is considered one of the arts anchors,” said Carolyn Griffin, producing artistic director of MetroStage.

However, right now, the theater is simply a cold-dark shell, with nothing but walls, concrete on the floors, electrical outlets, and pipes where the bathrooms will go, so a lot needs to be done.

You see, in 2019, the estimate to complete the new theater was $1.5 million, but after COVID hit, the price of steel and other materials went up considerably, and now the theater needs approximately $3 million to finish the renovation.

“Over time, we have raised $1 million in what I call our ‘grassroots effort,’ with checks from $25 to $100,000,” Griffin said. “The next million included a pledge of $500,000 and $250,000 in federal money. This past holiday season, I’ve gotten pledges or checks that added up to more than $400,000, which is a huge boost.”

So, MetroStage has raised more than $2 million in fundraising so far but needs more to begin construction.

“The design is there, the blueprints are ready, and when we get close to $3 million, we can start the buildout,” Griffin said. “It is going to happen this year, and we are very excited. We have miraculously been able to stay in the forefront and visible over time with our MetroStage at the Lyceum series. People are really interested in helping us and having a theater in their neighborhood.”

Originally founded in 1984, MetroStage has enjoyed many homes throughout the last four decades. Its first two locations were on Duke Street; in 1987, it operated out of spaces owned by Carr Companies (then The Oliver Carr Company); then it moved into a converted lumber warehouse in Old Town North at 1201 North Royal, which was shuttered in 2019 and is now a condominium. The upcoming space will be at 915 North Fairfax Street.

The new theater will be special and offer a look like no other. For instance, earlier this year, the theater was gifted a stunning stainless-steel bar out of the popular Alexandria neighborhood trattoria, A La Lucia, which closed on New Year’s Eve as part of the redevelopment plan that is seeing an entire block of buildings (next to MetroStage’s future home) torn down.

“A La Lucia opened in 2003 and was a real fixture in the neighborhood, and just beloved,” Griffin said. “A while back, when I was sitting at that bar, I knew I wanted to honor and remember the restaurant and Michael, its owner, and adding the bar to our venue would be really cool.”

Additionally, MetroStage has procured three marble-top high-tops and 15 decorative wooden barstools.

“We will incorporate a design around the bar, and the whole idea is we are keeping a neighborhood fixture like A La Lucia alive in our new building, honoring them,” Griffin said. “That’s really important to me. I’ve lived in Alexandria for 56 years and run the theater for 40, and I’m really committed to the arts in Alexandria.”

Falls Church artist Barbara Januszkiewicz will also have her work included in the theater design around the concourse, with a large public art piece expected to be a very visible talking point of the neighborhood.

The venue recently installed five 9-foot-high panels at the front of the building, identifying the space as the future home of MetroStage.

The panels say, “Imagine,” “Theatre,” “Music,” “Art” and “Film,” and serve as a reminder to the neighborhood of the incredible venue that’s on its way.

“We are honored to have been chosen by the developer from the beginning; we were the logical choice because we were already there and being displaced, but it’s still really fabulous to have the opportunity to be in this central space,” Griffin said.

In addition to offering a show season, there will be afternoons and evenings where MetroStage will also offer other things, whether play readings, cabarets, or displaying the work of visual artists on its walls.

“We have a big donor giving us money for state-of-the-art film equipment, which means we will also be outfitted for films, so there’s an opportunity for a lot of things for whatever the community wants beyond our four to five plays and musicals; there will be days and nights available to serve other art forms,” Griffin said. “From Day 1, I have always wanted to bring in the highest artistic talent and share it with the community and beyond.”

MetroStage and George Mason University present Broadway’s Prince: The Musicals of Hal Prince on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 7:00 PM at the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St, Alexandria, VA. Conceived and co-directed by Erin and James Gardiner with music direction by Joseph Walsh, this cabaret features GMU student performers and celebrates the work of legendary Broadway producer Hal Prince. Tickets are $30 and available here.

And Monday, March 10, 2025, brings soul and gospel singer Robert E. Person to perform in the MetroStage at the Lyceum. For more information, go to metrostage.org.

SEE ALSO:
MetroStage gets a new venue called Venue (news story, April 19, 2022, by Grace Arnold, The Zebra)

The post MetroStage in final fundraising push for exciting new theater space appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

Dani Stoller says she has loved theater “since the womb.”

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Stoller was passionate about the craft her entire life, performing and seeing shows in the city whenever possible. Stoller attended Ithaca College and found her way to Washington, DC, after graduating cum laude with a BFA in Acting in 2010.

As an actor, Stoller has been seen all around the DC Metro, with memorable performances such as Abigail Williams in Olney Theatre’s The Crucible, Phoebe in Folger Theatre’s As You Like It, Jeanie in Keegan Theatre’s production of Hair, and Emily Brontë in Kennedy Center’s Dizzy Miss Lizzie The Brontes.

But she also fell in love with playwriting, and is currently working on her MFA in playwriting at Catholic University—“perfect for a Jewish girl from Brooklyn,” she laughs!

And she’s had several scripts already produced around the area.

For instance, earlier this month, Stoller’s work The Voices on Blackwell Island was produced as part of the teen company at Signature Theatre.

And now Round House Theatre will present the world premiere of Stoller’s Girlhood, a play performed by the theater’s Teen Performance Company as part of Round House’s 21st Annual Sarah Metzger Memorial Play, staged February 17 to 19, 2023.

“I already write for Signature in the Schools, and that has to have an educational bent,” Stoller says. “I had assumed Round House was similar and wanted something educational, but they just wanted me to write about young people, which was fascinating because I could just write for young characters.”

She had come across various photographs of girls across America—everything from runaways to girls in their bedrooms to girls hanging out at an overpass.

“I also had read the book Girls & Sex: Navigating the New Landscape by Peggy Orenstein and watched several documentaries, including Cusp, about young girls in middle America, and was fascinated by this mystical world of when you’re in that in-between space between being a child and being an adult,” Stoller says. “That’s where my idea came from.”

Girlhood explores the dreams, fears, humor, and heartache of coming of age in an intimate series of vignettes. The stories follow a group of teenage girls as they navigate adolescence, talking about identity, sexuality, and their unique upbringings as they transition from childhood to young adulthood and contemplate their futures.

The play, directed by Eva Lee, deals with important issues and challenges of teens growing up in today’s society and includes frank discussions of sexual activity, assault, and bullying, among other sensitive topics.

“All of these vignettes were inspired by the photographs, and I was fascinated by the vicious, visceral, yet vulnerable power in the photos, which were both heartbreaking and inspiring,” Stoller says. “These are both kids and adults, so they are feeling new things and feeling them very strongly. Everything feels very life-and-death. So while they might feel smaller to adults, like a first love, it’s very much big to the young women.”

Being a teacher for a long time—Stoller also runs the musical theater intensive at Olney Theatre—she knew what young women talked about and wrote about those important topics for this show.

“I wanted to honor who they are, and that’s what this became,” she says.

It was two years ago when Stoller was offered the chance to be the writer for Signature in the Schools and she was thrilled at the opportunity.

“For them, it has to be something they are learning about or will cover in school, or an adaptation of a book they will read,” she explains. “The first year, I wrote an adaptation of The Great Gatsby that was just published through Broadway Licensing, which was really cool.”

This past year was the play The Voices on Blackwell Island, which was inspired by two fearless women—Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Packard.

“The show was very obviously about the way we control women and call women crazy, and also ableism came up a lot; the kids all know what’s going on and are very aware, they have incredible insight,” she says. “This generation of young people have such finely tuned moral compasses and such activist spirits. They want to change the world and make art that reflects the world they want to see.”

For both programs—Signature in the Schools and Round House—Stoller had to “give her play away” so it was a more hands-off experience, though she was there to answer questions if needed.

Working with young voices is important to Stoller, as she had great mentors as a teen and she’s paying it forward.

“The teachers in my life have made me into the person I am today because they were able to have faith in me, so this is my chance to give back and pass down what was given to me,” she says. “But also, I believe participating in the arts makes you a better person. There’s something beautiful about learning about vulnerability and collaboration and empathy and fearlessness that comes from the arts.”

And while she knows not everyone she works with will go into the craft as a career, she hopes everyone will take what they learn and bring it with them to whatever field they go into later in life.

“It teaches confidence and self-love in a lot of ways,” Stoller says. “Plus, I love working with them because they are just great people and they teach me a lot also. I feel like an old fogey and they are able to make me feel way hipper than I am.”

Stoller continues to act as well, recently appearing in Which Way to the Stage at Signature Theatre, and has some other pieces—both as a performer and writer—coming in the near future.

“What I love about the DC area is that you are able to be a multihyphenate and can do it all, which is why I want to be here,” she says. “I can teach, I can write, and I can perform. I would love to see the plays I’ve written have a life outside of DC, as well and collaborate with more theaters, but I live a very charmed existence and I am very thankful for that.”

Teen Takeover Weekend at Round House Theatre February 17 to 19, 2023, includes three performances of Dani Stoller’s Girlhood, performed and designed by the Round House Theatre Teen Performance Company. Tickets ($25) are available online. Students can book free tickets here.

Playwright Dani Stoller is also an actor in the DC area and was recently nominated for a 2023 Helen Hayes Award for her supporting role in My Body No Choice at Arena Stage. Her play Girlhood was commissioned by Round House as part of the theater’s artistic Equal Play mission to produce plays by women and people of color.

About the Wendi Winters Memorial Series: DC Theater Arts has partnered with the Wendi Winters Memorial Foundation to honor the life and work of Wendi Winters, the DC Theater Arts writer who died in the Capital Gazette shooting in Annapolis, Maryland, on June 28, 2018. To honor Wendi’s legacy, the Wendi Winters Memorial Foundation has funded the Wendi Winters Memorial Series, monthly articles to be produced by DC Theater Arts to bring attention to theater companies and theater practitioners in our region who engage in exemplary work that makes our community a better place. 

For more information on DC Theater Arts’ Wendi Winters Memorial Series, check out this article graciously published by our friends at District Fray Magazine. 

See DC Theater Arts’ seven previous Artists Who Inspire! here.

The post Artists Who Inspire! #8: Dani Stoller appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

When Kennedy Center’s Broadway Center Stage production of Guys and Dolls opens this weekend, theater lovers are going to be blown away by the names in the cast.

There are Tony winners James Monroe Iglehart and Jessie Mueller as Nathan Detroit and his long-suffering fiancé, Adelaide, plus Broadway fan favorites (and real-life husband and wife) Steven Pasquale and Phillipa Soo as big-time gambler Sky Masterson and straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown.

Add to that Broadway stars Kevin Chamberlin as Nicely-Nicely, Fred Applegate as Arvide Abernathy, Jacqueline Antaramian as General Cartwright, and Rachel Dratch as Big Jule, and it’s an embarrassment of riches.

Another name in the show is Lizz Picini, who may not be as well known as some of the Broadway notables, but is a big star in our area, having grown up in Fairfax, Virginia, and performed at venues all around Metro DC, including the 2018 production of Anything Goes at Arena Stage.

“It’s wild to think the majority of the cast has Tonys,” Picini says. “I coach and teach so much when I’m not on the road performing, and it’s so cool to use an opportunity like this to be taught. The amount I soak up from watching these icons and legends—how they work and how they respond—is such a cool experience.”

A graduate of Chantilly High School, the bunhead studied dance at Towson University and moved to New York City in 2011, four days after her graduation, and has been performing professionally ever since.

“Growing up here, I was always in and out of DC,” she says. “It’s so wild to be back, and be at a place on stage where I so often used to be in the house seats; it’s been a real pinch-me experience and a full-circle moment.”

In Guys and Dolls, Picini plays one of four Hot Box Girls, but in this version of the show, Adelaide’s “little girl gang” has more of a 21st-century mindset than what was dreamed up by writers Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling, who wrote the book of the show based on the short stories of Damon Runyon.

“As a woman, it’s been a cool thing that the creative team has worked so hard that we’re holding to the heart of this story and what these writers wrote years ago, but we are able to adapt it in a day and age where the Hot Box Girls can be viewed as strong, confident women,” Picini says. “We are making our own money performing and entertaining, so it gives us more of a backbone.”

Director Marc Bruni utilizes the Hot Box Girls a great deal throughout the show—both as dancers who can act and as dancers who can sing, and Picini is thrilled to get a chance to be such an important part of Frank Loesser’s legendary score.

“A consummate professional, Lizz is a blessing to have in any company of performers,” says Denis Jones, the Tony-nominated choreographer who is handling those duties for Guys and Dolls and who has worked with Picini numerous times through the years.

For instance, Picini served as associate choreographer, assistant director, and dance captain, while playing Hunyak and covering Roxie Hart, in Jones’ direction of Chicago, which played The Muny earlier this year.

“I’m thrilled that she is a part of Guys and Dolls, and look forward to whatever the future holds for us,” Jones says.

For her part, Picini notes Jones is so wonderful at what he does because of the human that he is, and she loves watching people who are working with him for the first time and how they respond to him.

“He is so generous, so kind, and such a good leader because he did this—he performed for so many years, so the language he uses and the camaraderie he has make him such a well-rounded choreographer,” she says. “His artistry is just groundbreaking; nothing is predictable and it keeps you on your toes. And you feel so supported and encouraged and the product is pretty extravagant.”

Picini is well known in the dance community, teaching at Broadway Dance Center in New York City while continuing to be a performer, educator, and behind-the-scenes industry professional. She’s also worked as associate choreographer and assistant director for musicals such as Holiday Inn, Singin’ in the Rain, and Oklahoma! 

Her popularity is such that LaDuca, one of the most notable dance shoe companies, named a shoe after her—rose gold boots called the “Picini.”

“I always describe LaDuca as the Nike of the performing world,” Picini says. “It was 2021 when Phil LaDuca reached out and wanted to award me with this element of a commemorative edition, which they give to six names in the business, and it was literally me and six other Tony-winning icons. It was such a cool moment of appreciation for me and it’s such a cool family to be a part of.”

Looking back on her upbringing, Picini notes she will never take for granted having such supportive parents who have such a love and appreciation for the arts.

“It’s such a good feeling that I am able to celebrate and constantly own that this is my career—I have been able to, with the support and love and encouragement of so many people. This is what I do,” she says. “That’s what’s so neat about being home again, and especially the Kennedy Center. I hope someone can see me up there and think that they can do this, because clearly, that is something that happened to me in the past.”

Running Time: Approximately two hours 30 minutes with an intermission.

Guys and Dolls plays through October 16, 2022, at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC. Showtimes are 8 pm Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 8; 7 pm Sunday, October 9; 8 pm Tuesday-Friday, October 11-14; 2 pm and 8 pm Saturday, October 15; and 2 pm Sunday, October 16. Tickets ($59–$299) can be purchased by calling the box office at 202-467-4600 or online.

The program for Guys and Dolls is online here.

COVID Safety: Masks are required for all patrons inside all theaters during performances at the Kennedy Center unless actively eating or drinking.

SEE ALSO:
Kennedy Center announces additional cast for ‘Guys and Dolls’ (news story September 22, 2022)
Kennedy Center announces all-star ‘Guys and Dolls’ leads (news story August 2, 2022)

The post Fairfax native Lizz Picini now a Hot Box Girl in ‘Guys and Dolls’ at KenCen appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

Editors’ note: DCMTA’s recent editorial urging the continuation of COVID safety policies in local theaters — “Now is no time for theaters to quit mask and vax requirements” — has had an overwhelmingly positive response. We follow it with this report on what theaters in the DMV are planning to do. And we invite readers who wish to express their opinion or share more information to do so as a comment below.

Now that Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser has lifted the mask mandate, with businesses no longer required to have patrons and staff wear masks beginning March 1, 2022, and proof of vaccination no longer required in entertainment venues, there’s obviously plenty of concern about COVID in the area.

Both Virginia and Maryland lifted their statewide mandates several months ago, but some local jurisdictions still require mask-wearing, though that’s likely to change soon as well.

Still, just because masks aren’t required legally and vaccination statuses don’t need to be checked anymore, it doesn’t mean DC-area theaters are just going to drop the safety protocols that have been working for them and keeping audiences and performers safe.

Edgar Dobie, the executive producer at Arena Stage, notes there are no plans to change that theater’s masking or vaccination protocols, which have been in place from the start of the season and were instituted to keep all patrons, staff, creatives, and volunteers protected.

“We will still require proof of full vaccination — a physical card or electronic representation — and masks while in public spaces within the Mead Center,” Dobie says. “Since the start of the pandemic, we have worked closely with advisors from GW Hospital Emergency Medical Faculty Associates, who guide our safety plan. We have been, and continue to be, mindful of compliance with not just local regulations and CDC guidance but also all collective bargaining agreements for actors, directors, choreographers, and musicians.”

If the advisors at GW change their guidance while remaining consistent with local and union requirements, only then would Arena Stage adjust its plan accordingly.

That holds true for Studio Theatre as well, as the DC venue continues to require that all patrons, staff, and artists who enter the building wear masks and be vaccinated. Throughout the pandemic, Studio has looked to local, federal, and union guidelines to help shape its in-house safety precautions.

“We are paying attention to local changes to these regulations and will make adjustments to our policies as we determine it is safe to do so,” says Studio’s executive director Rebecca Ende Lichtenberg. “We understand the desire to return to pre-pandemic theater and see that things are beginning to open up, and want to be thoughtful about how we do that so we don’t put anyone at undue risk.”

As the public health impacts of COVID-19 continue to trend in a favorable direction, and as government and union officials update their guidelines, some theaters are considering following their examples, so things could change by late spring.

Laura Giannarelli, board president for the Washington Stage Guild, has been happy with the way its guidelines have let the theater safely navigate its first two shows of the season.

“Specifically, we will maintain our requirement that all guests to our theater wear masks and show proof of vaccination at the door,” she says. “We are following AEA guidelines in doing so, in addition to complying with our landlord’s health and safety requirements.  Our landlord — Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church — is firmly committed to maintaining the vax and mask requirements and is unlikely to relax their requirements for the immediate future.”

While Giannarelli plans to reevaluate monthly, she admits the rest of the season will likely maintain the mask and vaccine mandates for the protection of the audience and company.

Alyssa Sanders, producing partner for Avant Bard Theatre in Arlington, notes that the theater operates out of a county facility — Gunston Arts Center Theater Two in Gunston Middle School — so it must follow county mandates.

“Should the county change its policies, Avant Bard’s producing partners will take in the new information and make decisions accordingly,” Sanders says. “For now, all patrons must show proof of vaccination or a negative test within 72 hours before the performance they plan to attend. All patrons must wear masks and no concessions will be sold at performances.”

Signature Theatre is participating in the unified COVID-19 safety requirements in partnership with Theatre Washington and many area theaters and will assess the policies moving forward.

“As in the past, this coalition will look at guidance from local jurisdictions, the CDC, and our partner unions (such as Actors Equity) when making any decisions,” says Jennifer Buzzell, director of marketing at Signature. “We will also look at what other live entertainment venues are requiring as well as what our audiences want. Research we are doing with our audiences shows that the vast majority of them want to continue mask and vaccine mandates.”

GALA Hispanic Theatre also is maintaining its COVID-19 safety policy, which requires masks and proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test within 72 hours of showtime. If a change occurs, GALA will let patrons know on its website.

Some theaters have been noncommittal about their plans and others admit that they are wavering on what to do come March and April, with a couple not willing to comment about what their actions might be once the mask mandate ends. One even noted off-the-record that it would probably start allowing maskless entry very soon.

We all hope that COVID rates continue to decline and no new variant takes hold, but jumping the gun on changing what has been working in theaters just doesn’t seem like the most logical move right now.

Stay informed on theaters’ latest safety protocols on their websites, which most update weekly or whenever there’s a change.

SEE ALSO: Now is no time for theaters to quit mask and vax requirements

The post Will COVID safety protocols survive at local theaters? appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

At 75 years old, Alan Wade has had a long and distinguished career in the Washington, DC, theater scene, both as a director and performer.

The actor, who is currently starring as Sam Beckett in Washington Stage Guild’s production of Sam and Dede, or My Dinner with André the Giant, has announced that this will be his final role on stage.

Considering Beckett is one of his two favorite playwrights — the other being the Bard — it seems only fitting that he takes his last bow portraying the Irish novelist at a theater where he’s directed five shows and performed in five others, including playing Uncle Vanya in the Stage Guild’s inaugural production in 1986.

“I think I have done enough theater — and it’s not that I wouldn’t do any more acting, but it would have to be in a different medium,” he says. “The rehearsal period and doing the plays repeatedly, I think I have done that enough. This is indeed ‘sayonara’ to that medium of acting.”

Wade’s love of acting harkens back to when he was 12 years old growing up in Pittsburgh, when a school run by the Catholic dioceses and headed by a nun annually put on a religious-themed local television program.

“I got to play the Angel Gabriel; I had wings on some Christmastime half-hour show, and the bug bit then,” he recounts. “Although my small Catholic high school didn’t have anything in the way of drama except for the senior class play, I had to wait until I was a senior to do that.”

He built up his resume while studying theater at Northwestern University and came to the DC area for graduate school, getting his master’s degree at Catholic University. “I went out on a tour with the National Players, which was then part of CU’s drama department.”

During the tour, Wade did a stint in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, and came back and completed his degree in drama.

In 1972, he earned his equity card at Center Stage in Baltimore but decided that acting full-time wasn’t really what he wanted. That led him to teaching at Townson State University, and he made the decision to return to Northwestern to achieve his Ph.D. in what is now known as performance studies.

Wade returned to the District in 1977 to teach at George Washington University, eventually heading the drama department, and lasted 40 years at the school, until he retired in 2017.

“Over those 40 years, I did a lot of theater here in Washington,” Wade says, explaining he was never looking to give up acting. “It took me seven years from the time I started at GW before I could really engage in doing any theater work because I was also writing my dissertation.”

By 1984, Wade was back on stage, coaxed by Richard Pilcher to be part of the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, and he performed in both The Taming of the Shrew and The Tragedy of Macbeth, playing Petruchio and Banquo, respectively.

Not long after, the Washington Stage Guild called offering him the Uncle Vanya part, and he followed that up with a few plays at the Potomac Theatre Project before it moved to New York.

During the ’90s, Wade’s name could be seen in Playbills all over the area, with performances at Olney Theatre Center, Studio Theatre, MetroStage, and more. To not interfere with his teaching, a majority of the shows were done during his summer breaks, though he did have one fateful year where he tried to do four shows during the academic year, and he needed to bow out of the last one.

“It was possible to do both, as long as they would work around my teaching schedule,” he says.

Looking back over his career, Wade admits he’s never not enjoyed any of his roles, but the ones that stand out most were Serge in Art by Yasmina Reza at Olney Theatre in 2001; Neils Bohr in Olney Theatre’s production of Copenhagen in 2004; Michael in Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me at Studio Theatre in 1994; and several he performed at the Washington Stage Guild, including his debut there.

“When I retired at the University, Leslie Jacobson directed a production of King Lear, in which I played Lear,” Wade notes. “To say King Lear is enjoyable might be the wrong way to describe one’s experience with it, but that was a production I treasured as well.”

Now that he’s retiring from the stage, Wade will look to take some time to do some of the other things he enjoys in life. For one, he will continue doing voice work for audiobooks, and he and his wife are planning some big vacations — including a month-long trip to Italy, three weeks in Mexico, and a three-week trip to Greece all on the horizon.

The happy couple will also do some gardening, and of course, spend time with their 11-year-old granddaughter.

And Wade is firm in his stance that nothing is going to change his mind about his acting retirement.

“It’s not that it wasn’t all enjoyable, especially the rehearsals,” he offers, reiterating that he’s not going to miss the repetition. “I’m old enough, I’ve done it long enough, and I’m fine with my decision.”

Still, audiences have one last opportunity to see Wade’s work, as Sam and Dede, or My Dinner With André the Giant, a two-hander he does with Benjamin Russell, will be staged until February 6.

Wade added one doesn’t need to be familiar with Beckett’s plays to appreciate his character, as there is enough in the play that addresses some of the issues he had as a writer, and the same is true for the wrestling career of Andre “The Giant” Roussimoff.

“It’s an imagined development of a friendship between the two of them,” Wade explains, adding the show was delayed two years due to the pandemic. “This is a wonderful production, and it’s only the third professional production. There’s a good number of laughs with it. It’s very charming and I’m very pleased to go out with this one.”

Sam and Dede, or My Dinner with André the Giant plays through February 6, 2022, presented by Washington Stage Guild performing in The Undercroft Theatre at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Tickets ($50–$60, with half off for students and $10 off for seniors) can be purchased online.

Running Time: One hour 45 minutes, including a 10-minute intermission.

COVID Safety: Masks are required for all and attendees must present a photo ID and show proof that they meet the CDC definition of being fully vaccinated at the time of entry into the theater with a physical or digital copy of their vaccination card.

SEE ALSO:
A writer and a wrestler’s odd bond drives ‘Sam and Dede’ at Washington Stage Guild (review by Chad Kinsman)
‘King Lear’ at George Washington University (review by John Stoltenberg)

The post After a long run on DC stages, Alan Wade bows out of acting appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

It was back in 2017 that the Young Playwrights’ Theater (YPT) needed to do some internal work around issues of institutional racism and oppression. It hired some consultants, and worked with them for about 15 months, identifying issues, policies, and structures that were standing in the way of its anti-racism and anti-oppressive goals as an organization.

That led to YPT changing a lot. The organization rewrote its employee handbook, restructured the organization with promotions, created a more diverse board, and physically moved offices because it recognized the space it was in had a landlord who wasn’t conducive to the goals and values it sought. 

YPT also recognized it had the opportunity to share its experience with other arts organizations in the DC area. With that in mind, education director Jared Shamberger created AROW (Abolishing Racism and Oppression in the Workplace), a comprehensive engagement that supports companies in implementing meaningful antiracist and anti-oppressive policies and procedures within their own workplace.

“We presented our story at the 2019 DC Theatre Summit, and the reception was overwhelming,” says Shamberger, who serves as the program director and co-lead consultant for AROW.

“Over the last 10 years or so, theater has really tried to move in a direction of trying to be more inclusive and less oppressive, and I think it’s been moving slowly,” Shamberger says. “It never should have taken another example of police brutality against Black bodies, but since the events of last summer, with the murder of George Floyd and the We See You, White American Theater document coming out, a lot of theater companies realized this was the time to take this seriously. As a country, people wanted more than just rhetoric, more than just thoughts and prayers; they wanted actual tangible action, and theaters have ramped up efforts to do so.”  

That was a big motivator behind the genesis of AROW.

Brigitte Winter, YPT’s executive director and co-lead consultant for AROW, notes because YPT is a full-time theater and arts institution and part of the community in DC, that’s what makes it different than consultants out there. The sentiment of YPT leadership is to send the message that any organization can and should begin this important and urgent work no matter what the demographics of their organization are.

“At the end of the day, supporting other organizations and becoming less oppressive benefits the entire community that we and the young people we work with exist in,” she says. “Our goal is this community becomes less oppressive and more focused on decreasing the harm of racism and oppression in the theater community.” 

AROW started doing consulting in the spring of 2020, soon after things shut down due to the pandemic, with Theatre Washington coming on board as its first client. The DC-based alliance of theater organizations and supporters contracted AROW to design a Community of Practice.

“In partnership with Theatre Washington, we’ve organized 36 different theater companies and their leadership to come together and give them tools and tips on how to implement meaningful antiracist and anti-oppressive policies and procedures,” Shamberger says. “That started in January and just concluded this summer.”

To date, out of those 36 organizations, three have begun to participate with YPT’s AROW program at a deeper level of engagement. There are also six other organizations that have begun to work with AROW that did not participate in Community of Practice this summer.

Additionally, the AROW team has worked with specific institutions with more in-depth long-term engagements. In this scenario, over six months, AROW guides companies through five phases: discovery, values generation, structural and policy recommendations, implementation, and accountability.

Before working with them, AROW requires that organizations implement a non-retaliation policy so staff members feel they can share and disclose any experiences. This covers all staff, previous staff, board members, or artists who have worked at the organization. 

Additionally, having a really firm conflict-resolution plan is vital so people know whom to go to when something goes wrong or something happens. 

“Really creating a trust so people feel they can use that system when they need to, if they should need to,” Shamberger says.

AROW starts with a discovery process where the team gets to know leadership and staff and the concerns and goals of the organization it’s working with.

“We review their HR documents and their budget and really get to know the structures, policies, and practices, plus the mission of the organization,” Winter says.

There’s also a survey and interview process where AROW reaches out to a wide group of people from key parts of the organization, which for theaters would involve the staff, leaders, and board, as well as audience members, donors, and those who connect regularly with the theater.

“We ask questions about everyone’s experience working with the organization and how well it is or isn’t aligning with the goals that it has toward being an anti-racist theater,” Winter says. “We also do in-depth interviews with stakeholders, trying to do a mix of people who interact with the organization—usually about six of them—and these are much more in-depth.”

These conversations bring about issues and challenges that people have with an organization that they might be too shy about bringing up or worried about how the power is moving in the organization and what it could mean if someone came forward.

“We look for things that the organization may not have considered related to policies that they should have,” Winter says. “Very often, it’s things like not having a reporting structure for incidents of oppression happening within the organization. It could also be having siloed power in a way where even if the organization has diversity on staff, all the power is concentrated with white leadership.”

Once AROW collects all this information, it holds a retreat and pulls together stakeholders who are in position to make changes based on the findings of the report. They also discuss the values that the organization wants to hold moving forward related to being anti-oppressive and anti-racist. 

“Then we will work with the organizations to come up with recommendations for actual change,” Winter says. “This could be changes to existing structures, policies that aren’t in place but should be, repair that has to happen for harm that has occurred. And then we come up with a plan for implementing those recommendations and provide coaching and document review.” 

AROW will hold a follow-up with each organization every month to check in for accountability and how they are doing for achieving their goals. 

To date, YPT has worked with seven organizations as part of AROW and 36 organizations were part of Community of Practice, though not all have been theater-related. 

“The most useful tool that I have seen organizations start using after this process is a different way of analyzing every decision that they make,” Winter says. “The idea of having a values framework that they are moving forward every time a major organizational decision comes about.”

For example, if an organization is getting a lot of feedback that they are struggling with accessibility for their performances, they may decide that this is a value going forward; every time they do a production or make a decision if they want to produce something, this question of accessibility would be part of the early planning process. 

Shamberger notes that changes will be embedded and better realized as shows start opening up again, as theaters live these new values, but it may be too early to start championing individual theater success stories. 

“What we do know, even in the short-term, is it has changed how organizations think and view their roles within the community,” he says. “We’ve had some great conversations with theaters and we are looking forward to working with even more institutions to create a really strong, robust community of anti-racism and anti-oppression.” 

Other Conversations, Other Consultants

But it’s not just YPT’s AROW program that our area theaters are turning to for help with important initiatives like these. 

The Keegan Theatre has teamed with the Arlington-based organization Challenging Racism, to better support education on the prevalence of discrimination in the workplace. The teaming is designed to provide support and education around issues of race as they arise in the works themselves and also behind the scenes. The company has also turned a larger attention to audience enrichment and education opportunities, from talkbacks to dramaturgical and other educational materials, in conjunction with each production. 

For example, on November 14, 2021, Keegan will host a discussion entitled “The Intersection of Race & Theater/Art,” following a performance of N, which details the 1921 play The Emperor Jones by Eugene O’Neill, which featured the first African American actor (Charles S. Gilpin) in a lead role on Broadway. 

“Theater plays a vital role in our community as one of the most powerful platforms for storytelling and amplifying the voices of the unheard and unseen,” says Alicia Jones McLeod, Challenging Racism’s executive director. “It can captivate an audience, help us see through a different lens, compelling us to actively listen and endure messages that make us uncomfortable. It is a pleasure to work with Keegan on this project to empower and activate members of our community.”

Signature Theatre has worked with Wayfinding Partners for more than a year as it looks to become a stronger anti-oppressive and anti-racist company. One of its changes was establishing a Racial Equity action plan for future work to focus on becoming a more inclusive theater and a supportive and safe environment for everyone who enters its doors.

“Signature has adopted an anti-racism and equity statement, which has been distributed to all staff, is read at the top of every first rehearsal by a different member of the staff or company, and is distributed in writing to the production teams,” says Matthew Gardiner, artistic director. “This statement is intended as a living document, and Signature’s staff Anti-Racism & Equity Working Group welcomes all edits and suggestions from staff, company members, and board members.”

The statement reads: 

Signature is committed to becoming a more equitable, anti-racist organization. In this company, we condemn all acts of racism, discrimination, and hatred, and will not tolerate any inappropriate and/or disrespectful behaviors.

Recognizing our status as a white-led institution, Signature is actively building an anti-racist culture and welcoming artists, staff, students, volunteers, donors, and audiences of all ethnicities and backgrounds. Signature has committed its time and financial resources to this effort; Signature’s staff Anti-Racism & Equity Working Group, Board Anti-Racism Task Force, and social justice and equity consultant Wayfinding Partners are leading the organization to discover, embrace, and implement new policies and approaches that will result in a richer, more equitable experience for all who interact with Signature.

We agree to face racism head-on, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, in order to maintain the safety of our spaces. We agree that each of us will work to acknowledge our own faults and accept the reality of our innate biases and prejudices, which we have learned over centuries and which we are responsible for actively unlearning. We agree to assume positive intent during our time together, while also acknowledging the powerful difference that can exist between our positive intentions and their negative effects. We will work as a team to learn and grow as individuals and as a group.

Theater is a powerful tool for building community and empathy, and all our lives are enriched when we welcome all people to share their stories. We recognize that the human experience comes in all colors, shapes, abilities, ages, backgrounds, gender expressions and identities, and sexual orientations. Signature is proud to use our art to shed light on our shared humanity.

Among the action that has resulted are conversations with the community, including meetings with Black Artist Coalition, and participation in the racial equity trainings and work with organizations across the DC region and nationwide; prioritizing BIPOC artists and stories in Signature’s programming; and the evolution and reconsideration of workplace culture, policies, and procedures through the lens of the We See You, White American Theater demands and other resources.

Whatever means a theater uses to get conversations started and changes happening is a step in the right direction. 

“It’s all so important,” Winter says. “Just getting people to talk about racism and oppression regularly and developing that as a practice within their organization can lead to incredible cultural change.” 

SEE ALSO:
Anti-racist theater and the #WeSeeYou movement: A Q&A with Nicole Brewer by Ramona Harper
Can white arts leaders become anti-racist “accomplices”? by Ramona Harper

The post Who’s getting DC theaters to do the work that undoes racism? appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

A dramaturg is one of those jobs in the theater world that many people don’t quite understand yet that are vital to a show’s success.

The dramaturg works with the playwright and creative team to support a show’s development by asking key questions, starting conversations, researching, providing context, and helping the artists as they work together to bring the book to life.

Still, dramaturgs remain some of the unsung heroes of the theatric process.

Ken Cerniglia, a veteran dramaturg and writer, dramaturged the innovative Broadway hits Hadestown and Peter and the Starcatcher, as well as countless tours and productions rooted here in DC.

He likes to compare the dramaturg to a book editor or film editor—someone who works with the creators to try to deliver the best possible product in respect to text, context, and structure of meaning.

“In the theater, that has to do with bringing theater history to their knowledge of dramatic literature: what’s our genre, what are we trying to achieve?” he explains.

In the case of Hadestown, which deals with popular myths, folk music, and Americana, Cerniglia looks at how the text of the show fits within the context of this history and culture.

“Part of my role as a dramaturg is to just ask those questions and understand the big ideas that each of these characters represents,” Cerniglia said. “Asking about structures of meaning and structures of character arcs and how we can get really clear on what’s happening.”

His advice led to changes in lyrics, story, and the framing of different characters.

Most dramaturgs have some combination of a theater studies background. Cerniglia, who went to Catholic University to get a master’s degree in theater history, also has a Ph.D. in theater history and criticism from the University of Washington.

His first professional gig was as a literary intern at DC’s Arena Stage, where in 1997 he served as dramaturg for A Touch of the Poet, directed by Michael Kahn, and then got to dramaturg a new play by Jon Klein called Dimly Perceived Threats of the System, directed by Doug Wager.

“I got to work with two prominent directors who took me seriously as a dramaturg, and for each of the shows I did different research and prep work,” Cerniglia said. “For the Eugene O’Neill show, I did historical research and was an extra set of eyes and ears in the room when Michael was staging. With the new play, I got to offer some feedback and have conversations about structures and meaning as he was writing it. That led to changes and rewrites.”

Cerniglia soon became part of the trade organization Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas and used one of his connections to become resident dramaturg and literary manager for Disney Theatrical Productions.

Over 16 years working with Disney, Cerniglia helped develop more than 70 titles for the stage, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Freaky Friday, Aladdin, Newsies, The Little Mermaid, High School Musical, and Tarzan.

That afforded him the opportunity to work with some of the most notable actors, composers, directors, and writers around, including Tom Kitt, Phil Collins, Alan Menken, Casey Nicholaw, Stephen Schwartz, and many, many others.

It was during this time that he worked on Disney’s first play, Peter and the Starcatcher, and that led him to get a call about Hadestown. He met with the creators and producers, and having studied Greek drama in school, Cerniglia was well informed and was offered the gig on a freelance basis.

In the year leading up to the show’s first run at the New York City Theatre Workshop, Cerniglia was asked to come aboard full-time as it went on its commercial path to Canada, London, and eventually Broadway.

“I’ve been with it ever since, and it’s been a fantastic ride,” he said. “Some of what I brought to the show were some structural questions. One of the first things I asked was about what characters change from the beginning of the story until the end, and which ones stay constant.”

For example, Hermes, the narrator, as well as the Fates, were considered more constant, while the two sets of lovers—Orpheus and Eurydice, and Hades and Persephone—all go on journeys that see them change.

“I try to put myself in the audience’s seat and ask myself, ‘What do they need to know?’” he said. “There were some things that were originally taken for granted about Orpheus and Eurydice when we started, but we found out that not everyone knows this story so we needed to tell the myth from scratch to welcome the audience to the story.”

Since Cerniglia’s job as a dramaturg is mostly about developing a show, once opening night comes, there’s not a lot to do. However, because the show is now on tour, with an adjusted set, he came back to rehearsals and helped the new cast find their way with the roles, answering any questions along the way.

The national tour of Hadestown is currently playing at the Kennedy Center through Halloween. Cerniglia is no stranger to the DC theater, as he has also been a force at the Kennedy Center, working as a dramaturg and advisor for the New Visions/New Voices festival since 2012 and as the dramaturg on its productions of OLIVÉRio: A Brazilian Twist and Bud, Not Buddy.

Looking ahead, Cerniglia has some exciting projects on deck. He recently conceived and developed Marvel Spotlight, a collection of one-act plays with teenage superhero protagonists who tackle real-world problems in a diverse society, and he’s writing and looking for new dramaturg prospects.

“It’s exciting as I look for new opportunities,” he said. “I’m also getting to the stage in my career where it’s time to give back, so I’m doing some mentoring of other dramaturgs and being an advocate for the field, since it’s lesser-known than some of its sister specialties. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead in this post-pandemic theater world.”

Hadestown plays at The Kennedy Center Opera House, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC, through October 31, 2021. For tickets ($45–$175), call (202) 467-4600 or go online.

View the Hadestown digital program here.

Kennedy Center’s COVID Safety Plan is here.

SEE ALSO:
In ‘Hadestown’ at Kennedy Center, a wildly exciting theatrical carnival (review by Jordan Wright)
Explosively beautiful ‘Hadestown’ gets down at Kennedy Center (column by Sophia Howes)

The post Meet the dramaturg for ‘Hadestown’ appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

NOVA Nightsky Theater was preparing for its first-ever production when a tragic accident to one of its lead actresses—who is also a co-founder of the new Falls Church theater—almost derailed the show. She was struck by a car. What follows is a remarkable “the show must go on” storyline.

It all began back in 2020 when actress Jaclyn Robertson and playwright Ward Kay, who had worked together at workshops and on shows through the years, decided to collaborate on a show for the Fringe Festival, with Robertson producing.

But when the pandemic came along, the show was canceled. What’s more, Robertson was in the midst of “hell week” for the Providence Players of Fairfax production of Picnic, which was set to run March 20 to April 4, when the world shut down and that production was canceled too.

“It was devastating to me to put all this work into a project and not have it come to fruition,” she says.

Late this summer, Robertson and Kay got together, lamented about theater and what’s to come, and decided that there was still a way to get Picnic produced. With Kay agreeing to direct, the duo got the rights and set out to mount their own production of William Inge’s bittersweet melodrama and create a new theater company in the process.

A week later, NOVA Nightsky Theater was born, complete with an LLC, a website, and plans for its first show. The theater also had a unique philosophy, looking to perform shows outdoors and in unusual or nontraditional spaces.

With that in mind, NOVA Nightsky Theater will debut its first production, Picnic, outdoors at the American Legion in Falls Church City, inviting audiences to bring a picnic and a blanket to enjoy the show under the NOVA sky. The show will play on the weekends of October 15–16 and 22–23, 2021.

“The response out of the gate has been spectacular,” Kay says. “It gives us a different niche in the marketplace and it’s different. We plan to do three to four outdoor shows a year in the months when it’s suitable.”

The idea came from Roberston’s nontheater life. In her day job, Robertson runs a fitness business and is known as a “traveling trainer,” teaching group classes in nontraditional places like the mall, outdoor shopping centers, and even breweries.

“Theater in a theater is beautiful and wonderful, and is the gold standard, but it is also really intimidating to people who don’t consider themselves ‘theater people,’ ” she says. “I’m also a parent of three kids and I know how expensive going to the theater can be. And you often can’t eat or drink at the theater. So, when we were thinking about where to do these shows, I knew going outside was the way to go.”

Being from Texas, Robertson has seen how successful outdoor theater can be, yet never saw it in Northern Virginia.

“The pandemic has changed people’s tolerance for what we’re willing to do outside, and there’s fresh air, and people can bring their own food and drinks, and we can charge less because we can get cheaper outdoor spaces,” Robertson says. “This makes theater more accessible.”

Robertson also owns studio space in Falls Church for her fitness business, and that space will be utilized for rehearsals and small-scale pop-up productions, starting with the play she and Kay were going to do at the Fringe Festival, a four-person sex comedy called Leaving Bedrooms.

But for now, all efforts are on getting Picnic ready for opening weekend, despite the curveball that came recently, threatening the production. While doing her daily run in Falls Church, Robertson was hit by a car. She spent weeks recovering and sustained injuries that make it difficult to walk.

While she’s the producer of the show and co-founder of NOVA Nightsky, she’s also playing Madge, a leading role.

“We’re still going to do the show,” she says. “With only about a week before the opening, we completely reblocked the show. We’ve redone the set, and we’ve designed the show with me being an immobile leading lady. It’s been a struggle, but in many ways, it’s made the project better.”

Kay notes that when the accident happened, everyone agreed they wouldn’t do the show without Robertson, and if it needed to be postponed, they would try again next year.

“It was about 10 days from her accident until she joined us in rehearsals again, and we had already had the blocking down with what she could do with her mobility,” he says. “I told Jaclyn we were willing to postpone if this is not the play she wants to do. She waited 18 months to do this; we could wait another six. But her response after the rehearsal was that the show would work.”

Robertson credits the entire cast with coming together to keep Picnic on schedule and ready to go, even offering to carry her on stage if that’s what’s needed to make this show happen—and in one scene, that does happen. It helps that the actor playing Hal, Pat Mahoney, is a personal trainer and bodybuilder.

Meanwhile, for the notable big dancing scene, choreographer Stacy Crickmer came up with some innovative ways for Madge to be included.

“I’m seated for most of the show, and when it’s necessary that I do walk, I’m going to use my crutches,” Robertson says. “I’m so excited that we’ve been able to get this off the ground and that the show is continuing, despite my accident. We invite people to enjoy a great night outdoors.”

William Inge’s Picnic presented by NOVA Nightsky Theater performs October 15–16 and 22–23, 2021, outdoors at the American Legion, 400 North Oak Street, Falls Church, VA. Doors open at 6 pm; the show starts at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $12, regular admission; $9, seniors; and $5 veterans, active-duty military, and first responders. See ticket purchase information online.

For more information on the theater and upcoming shows, visit novanightskytheater.com/upcoming-performances.

The post How a new NOVA theater will go on with the show despite a hit appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

When Misha Mullany was growing up in Herndon, Virginia, she fell in love with musical theater and dreamed of being on stage. She took voice lessons and did shows at Harmonia in nearby Vienna, and performed in productions like Les Misérables and The King and I.

Now she’s starring in and helming her own show, Infernal: The Musical, which will be making its Off-Off-Broadway debut at New York City’s Flea Theater from October 15 to 17, 2021.

“I started doing theater when I was 7, after seeing a production of Once on This Island,” Mullany shares. “I just fell in love with the magic of it and how everything turns into a brand-new world once you step through those theater doors.”

After graduating from Westfield High School, Mullany attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and started studying at the school’s Experimental Theatre Wing, falling in love with the experimental theater medium.

“It was a surprise to me, because I grew up wanting to do nothing but musical theater,” Mullany says. “Once I started with experimental theater, I really found a home there. It gives you all these different tools—it taught me 10 different styles of acting and 10 different styles of dance, and a taste of everything.”

When Mullany graduated from NYU in 2019, she found herself at a crossroads. She still had a love for musical theater, but being in New York, her dreams started to feel somewhat unobtainable. It didn’t help when COVID hit and suddenly most actors were out of work.

“I realized that if no one was going to be hiring me, I needed to hire myself, so I started writing,” she says. “That was also a surprise for me, because I never imagined myself as a writer. I would write funny songs here and there to show to my family or friends, but it was never something I thought about doing professionally.”

But Mullany found she really enjoyed it and it was a way to get her name out there and to work on a project that really interested her—a show that she herself would want to be in or enjoy going to.

She recalls being very sad one day, and while vacuuming, she wrote the very first line of the first song she would write, “Road into Hell,” and it goes, “I’ve made mistakes, yes I’ve dug my grave; it’s too late for me to be saved, cause there’s no going back when I started the track down to hell.”

“Classic, dramatic Misha with tunes going in my head,” she says. “I thought it was kind of cool, and I started thinking about what other stories were about hell, and how I could turn this into my own experience. I landed on Dante’s Inferno, because I had studied it in high school, and I didn’t know why no one had ever written a musical about it before.”

Mullany admits she didn’t want to write about an old guy searching for his love, because that wasn’t something she could relate to, so instead focused on a young girl who has this coming-of-age experience where she realizes actions have consequences.

“For her, it’s about what can you do when you realize the error of your ways and it’s too late to change what you’ve done and it’s too late to change yourself,” she says.

Before she knew it, Mullany had a ten-song concept album written, and she put up a posting on Backstage searching for a co-composer to help her write orchestrations and the score.

Enter Brent Morden, a recent Columbia University grad who had written music and lyrics for two comedy musicals produced at his school and is currently program manager for Every Voice Choirs, a New York City–based children’s choir nonprofit.

Together, the duo put the final pieces together to create Infernal: The Musical, a rock musical based on Dante’s Inferno that explores the consequences, the remorse, and the inescapable demons facing us all. By drawing from Dante’s remarkable text—plus influences like the Bible, Catholic tradition, and Jewish mysticism—heaven and hell are made human in a delightful coming-of-age story.

“I set very ambitious deadlines for us, because if something is perfect but never gets out in the world, it’s not as good as if it’s out there with a couple of rough edges,” Mullany says. “I was adamant about getting our show out and in front of people.”

The show was cast, with rehearsals done by Zoom, and though the original idea to play to a limited audience of 30 needed to be scrapped last winter, plans were in place for Infernal: The Musical to be performed virtually. The band and cast recorded their parts at Smash Studios in New York City, but then Mullany contracted COVID and she wound up directing the rehearsals via Skype.

Eventually, everything was edited together and Mullany got better, and the production aired, with a live watch party of about 200 cheering everyone along. The show has been shared many times since, with more than 1,800 views to date.

Besides writing and directing, Mullany also plays Lily, a reckless cocktail lounge singer who doesn’t really care who she hurts. She’s approached by the Seven Deadly Sins, who turn her recklessness into malice.

“After she dies, she ends up in hell, and she wonders why, thinking she was a good person,” Mullany says. “She goes through the different circles and meets Lust, Greed, Lilith the Mother of Demons, Lucifer and starts to realize that while she shares a lot of commonalities with these people, the main difference is that she wants to do better.”

What follows provides plenty of philosophical thought on the different outlooks we see in the world on whether you are in something for yourself or for your community.

The show also stars Chris Mauro, Julia Meadows, Rachael Chau, Richard Coleman, Autumn Hitt, Hannah Duran, Dylan Goike, Patrick Cragin, Charmien Byrd, Ty-Gabriel Jones, and Katie Jay Hopkins.

Once the show’s run at the Flea Theater ends, Mullany’s planning on writing eight new songs in hopes of getting the show from one act to a full-length production by next summer or fall.

“From there, we’re hoping to get it into a workshop, then get it Off-Broadway, and the goal is Broadway,” Mullany says. “I’m so excited to see it all come together.”

Infernal: The Musical will make its Off-Off-Broadway debut at New York City’s Flea Theater from October 15 to 17, 2021. For more information, visit infernalthemusical.com.

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Shaun and Abigail Bengson met in New York City at a party and after talking, decided to start a band together. Their first rehearsal turned into their first date, and three weeks later, they were married!

That was 13 years ago, and today, the dynamic duo composes and performs together around the world.

“We wrote our first song together on that first night,” Abigal said. “Writing music together has been a profound way that we learn about each other, and what we think about the world, and how we think about ourselves. It’s become a language we speak together.”

In 2017, the couple’s Off-Broadway theatrical concert, Hundred Days, toured across the U.S. and was a big hit. The story looks at embracing uncertainty, taking a leap, and loving as if you only had a hundred days to live.

A trio of the indie-folk duo’s songs have also been featured on So You Think You Can Dance, and one of their most recent singles, “The Keep Going Song,” has been viewed more than 4 million times on social media.

So it was no surprise when Arena Stage reached out to the Bengsons to take part in the theater’s three part-commissioned music series, Arena Riffs.

“The incredible Molly Smith [Arena Stage artistic director] reached out to us and said we could create whatever we wanted,” Abigail said. “That changed a few times as our lives changed, as she ran with us as things kept evolving.”

For their part, the Bengsons composed a new memoir musical titled My Joy Is Heavy!, which is currently streaming on Arena’s website for free.

“We filmed it at my mom’s, in the house I grew up in, which is where we have been staying for the past six months,” Abigail said. “We made the whole piece on our cell phones, filming each other and things that were going on.”

In the 27-minute piece, the Bengsons present an intimate portrait of celebrating joy during difficult times, which for the couple included dealing with chronic pain and suffering a miscarriage during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“Our memoir pieces need to reflect what’s going on in our own hearts and bodies as we process the world,” Abigail said. “At first, we were thinking about one thing—living with chronic pain and mental illness, and how that affects the ability to cultivate pleasure and joy. Then I got pregnant, so we started to feel our way into that being part of the piece. When I had a miscarriage, that shaped what we were going through, and this became a healing practice for us to make this together.”

The Bengsons display the pleasures, joys and the emotional tolls of the events of the past year and how they managed to cultivate and hold onto happiness even during these dark, difficult times.

My Joy Is Heavy! includes seven songs, with each functioning in a different way.

“It’s conversational, sometimes it seems like a music video or a dance party, sometimes it seems like you’re going for a walk with us,” Shaun said. “We wanted to make it really intimate and trying not to replicate the experience of being in a theater with us, but figuring out what would be most enjoyable over this medium.”

So by bringing viewers into their home—warts and all—they will see the dirty dishes in the background as the Bengsons sing and dance together, providing that real intimacy.

Before the pandemic hit, the couple were working on the music for a play at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and after one performance, the country shut down. The Bengsons drove to Dayton, Ohio, to stay with Shaun’s parents, and they put together an hour-long concert for the Louisville theater. That’s where “The Keep Going Song” evolved from.

“It’s been incredible that we’ve gotten to work through the year, and how this song has gone viral,” Shaun said. “This year has really been about connection, and we have connected to people all over the world in a very real and humbling way.”

My Joy Is Heavy! can be accessed on the Arena Stage YouTube channel. 

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