A night (or afternoon) at the theatre is always a good idea, but especially so now: Washington, D.C. Theatre Week kicks off today and runs until October 13. During this annual celebration, theatergoers can score discounted tickets to more than 30 productions from $20, $40 and $60.
The annual celebration marks the launch of the the season at dozens of theaters in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. According to Amy Austin, CEO and president of Theatre Washington, Theatre Week serves as a great opportunity to make the region's productions more accessible through discounted tickets, and also to drum up excitement about the the upcoming season. Now in its seventh year, the occasion is also a chance for "real celebration within the community," she adds.
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Some of the productions participating include: the D.C. premiere of "Primary Trust," which won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; "The Comeuppance" at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, written by recent Tony Award winner (and D.C. native) Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins and set in Prince Georges County; a powerful depiction of the Nigerian-American experience in "Sojourners" at The Round House Theatre; Matthew Broderick in Sinclair Lewis' "Babbit" at Shakespeare Theatre Company; star-crossed lovers "Romeo and Juliet" at the Folger Theatre; "Mister Lincoln," a one-man show about Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre; a Tony-winning production of "Jaja's African Hair Braiding" at Arena Stage; "Clue" at The Kennedy Center, and many more.
There will also be plenty of events throughout the week to celebrate the local scene and take theatergoers behind the scenes of producing theater. It all starts Saturday during a free kickoff event at Arena Stage which will include face time with many local theater figures, previews of upcoming shows, discussions, performances, and more.
The District has one of the most vibrant theatre scenes in the country; it draws top-tier talent, and also serves as an incubator for work that often goes on to win major awards or transfers to markets like Broadway and the West End. Countless new works have been workshopped or premiered in DMV theaters.
Many decorated actors have graced local stages, or come to the District for exclusive engagements. For example, Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma, who have won Tony and Olivier awards, respectively, recently starred in an instantly sold out production of "Macbeth" that made its only U.S. stop at D.C's Shakespeare Theatre Company (the production also made stops in Edinburgh, London and Liverpool). Musicals like "Dear Evan Hanson," "Come From Away," Beetlejuice" and "Mean Girls" got their start here before transferring to Broadway; most recently, Woolly Mammoth Theatre brought "A Strange Loop" to Broadway in 2002 where it went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical.
Local stages helped launch the careers of actors such as James Earl Jones (who won a Tony for a 1967 production of "The Great White Hope" at Arena Stage), Mahershala Ali (who made his professional acting debut in a 2000 production of the very same play also at Arena Stage), Jeffrey Wright (who got his first lead role in a 1988 revival of Lorraine Hansbury's "Les Blancs" at Arena Stage) and D.C. native Samuel L. Jackson (whose early roles include a 1981 production of "Home" at Arena Stage).
The size and diversity of the theatre scene contributes greatly to why the District is such a rich venue for artists and audiences alike. "We have this real diversity of voices and institutions, and a huge community," Austin says. It's this sheer variety and depth that she says draws so much top talent to the scene, and makes it possible to nurture artists, too. "A lot of people live and work in D.C. and then move on to Broadway or in shows across the country, so we have an extraordinary talent pool that lives and works here, so you never know what you're going to see and where it's going to go next," she says.
To get the most out of Theatre Week, Austin recommends looking through each theater's offerings on the Theatre Week website to see which stories call to you the most. "If something about the story piques your interest, that's the one you pick," she advises.
Book tickets through TodayTix to take advantage of special deals for Theatre Week, or call theater box offices.