One of the best-kept
secrets in the world of performing arts is the collection of high-quality
theaters in the Washington,
DC, area. This article examines
the ways one small but powerful community of theater professionals has
established a name for itself and changed the future of American theater.
When driving by the National Mall, you’ll
see an impressive view: this heart of our nation’s capital carries a
spectacular weight that is unparalleled in distinction. Of course Washington, DC, is known
for being the epicenter of federal government and US history. But what many people
don’t realize is that spanning from Arlington to DC to Baltimore, there is a
community of professional theater artists that has grown exponentially in
acclaim and popularity over the past three decades.
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| aerial view of the US National Mall. photo from pva.org. no copyright infringement intended |
The Washington, DC,
metro area may be home to a lot of high-profile, high-rolling professions
related to public policy and economics. But, when heading southwest across the
Potomac or northeast to Baltimore,
instead of finding professionals armed with legal briefs and congressional proposals, you’ll find
professionals armed with scripts and sheet music. Because of the
long shadows cast by theater towns like New York City and Chicago, most people don’t
normally think of Washington, DC, when you mention professional theater—but there’s a lot of exciting, innovative, and
electrifying work going on here. Not only is DC a great theater town, it’s also
a rising star.
Making a Name
Here’s the thing you need to know
about professional theater: Not all good (or even great) shows are always found
on Broadway. Many regular theater-goers have seen astonishing works of stage in
regional theaters across the United States. For example, the Signature Theatre
(Arlington, VA) received the highest theatrical recognition there is when it
won the Tony Award for Regional Theatre in 2009; so did the Shakespeare Theatre
Company (Washington, DC) in 2012. Live performance is and has always been
essential to the vitality of US culture: after all, most people have seen or at
least heard of Les Misérables, Wicked, and Phantom of the Opera (which is now in its twenty-fifth year of
performance), to name a few. According
to IBISWorld, a comprehensive collection of industry market research, the live
theater industry grosses at about $4.6 billion per year nationwide, with at
least 1,909 associated businesses at any given time.
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| outside view of Signature Theatre. photo courtesy of liftoph.com. copyright infringement not intended |
Many successful
Broadway shows have gotten their start in DC, being “doctored” and developed
before making it to the Great White Way. Arena Stage, a powerhouse theater in
the area, helped revise the musical Next
to Normal after it tanked in Off-Broadway venues. This show later went on
to see huge popular and critical success nationwide after its Broadway debut,
garnering several Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. Million Dollar Quartet, which got its first legs at the Signature
Theatre, saw similar success in 2010.
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| outside view of Arena Stage. photo courtesy of buildipedia.com. copyright infringement not intended. |
Forming Connections
According to Actors’ Equity
Association—the nationwide labor union for actors and stage managers in
theater—New York City has about 17,000 members at any given time, while DC has
closer to 1,000. But whatever DC may lack in quantity, it makes up for in
quality. Every year, many nonprofit
theaters (which comprise the majority of DC theaters) host community
fundraising events—providing not only funds for their operating budgets, but
also a deeper sense of community by connecting with locals. Instead of
sacrificing innovation to produce strictly crowd-pleasing shows for the sake of
ticket sales, community donations allow nonprofit theaters to foster the
creation of interesting works that challenge audiences and blaze new trails.
New plays and musicals are often considered risky business ventures because
they have not yet been “tested” in front of audiences, yet they are still
conceived and premiered at theaters like the Rorschach Theatre, Woolly Mammoth
Theatre Company, and many others. It’s a hard job, but somebody has to do it.
For example, the Rorschach is currently producing a stage adaptation of Neil
Gaiman’s bestselling novel Neverwhere,
and Signature’s upcoming 2013–14 season will produce no less than four world
premieres in its eight-show season.
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| a production of God of Carnage at Signature Theatre, 2012. Actors (from left to right) are Naomi Jacobson and Paul Morella. photo from washingtonian.com. no copyright infringement intended |
Not only is DC a
great place to see new kinds of theater, it’s also a place that provides
opportunities for aspiring young artists. Many if not most well-established
theaters house educational outreach programs for children, teenagers, and even
adults. Case in point: The Adventure Theatre (Glen Echo, MD), in addition to
mounting professional-quality productions for young audiences, also provides
intensive workshops, classes, and performing opportunities for children of all
ages. Some local actors even give seminars and private coaching on public
speaking to nontheater professionals. David Zobell, education director at
Signature, said this about educational outreach programs: “It engages the
theaters with the community. We at Signature get a subject that the students
are learning in school, like history or other nontheater-related subjects, and
use theater exercises to help the kids study and learn their subject. Most
regional theaters are recognizing now that just reaching out to kids interested
in theater is not enough; they need to reach out to everyone.” Zobell also
asserts that this reaching out aspect
is important to introducing people to an art form (theater) that they might not
have ever thought about exploring or enjoying in their adult lives. Some
educational programs hire newly established playwrights to go into high schools,
write a play with the students about a subject they’re interested in, and teach
them about playwriting, while also hiring actors to perform what the students
have written.
Establishing a Community
As far as numbers of theaters go,
DC is smaller than New York. One DC-based choreographer with several credits
and awards to her name, Karma Camp, said this: “Next to New York City, DC has
more regional theaters than any other city in the United States. It continues
to grow and flourish in the theater world.” And she’s right. According to the
League of Resident Theatres (LORT), a nationwide organization well-established
professional theaters, six LORT theaters reside in the DC area, which is more
than most cities could say. It’s only one less than New York and three more
than—surprise!— Chicago. Everyone knows everyone, and the community is very
warm and friendly.
Despite the growth
and success, the community has its challenges. Many share the same sentiments
as Dan Pruksarnukul, casting director at the Arena Stage, when he says, “We do
have a chip on our shoulder; we know we’re not seen as a huge city yet.” He goes
on to explain that there are many who sometimes view DC as a “stepping stone to
Broadway,” without intending to work in the area for very long. “A lot of
people are sensitive about the competition with NYC and Chicago, so [we] pick
up on that attitude,” he continues. However many actors, choreographers, and
directors have made a living from staying in DC. Andy Brownstein, Nancy Robinette, and Andrew
Long, all DC-based actors with Helen Hayes Awards (awards that are given locally) to their names, echo each
other when it comes to working here. Their experience has been that after
receiving local recognition for their work over the years, they now rarely (if
ever) have to audition for more work in DC, receiving job offers instead. Since
DC is only a three-hour drive from New York, there are also many who divide
their work between the two regions, two of the most principle examples being
Eric Schaeffer and Michael Kahn. They are the artistic directors of Signature
and Shakespeare Theatre, respectively, who have frequently directed Broadway
productions. Overall, the community here
is described best by Janine Sobeck, former artistic associate at the Arena
Stage: “DC is just a great town; there are lots of very educated, cultured
people. It’s a very sharp and intelligent, got-their-lives-together kind of
community. . . . DC already is a
great theater town, and they just want people to know it.”
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| exterior of Kennedy Center for the Arts. photo from dctheatremetroarts.com. no copyright infringement intended |
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