FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 17, 2009 

                                                                  Curtain Rises on Theatre Season

It’s a star-studded year for Washington, DC’s stages, as notables like Helen Mirren and Cate Blanchett head to the nation’s capital for exclusive engagements. It’s also a landmark year for notable local companies; Woolly Mammoth marks its 30th anniversary while Signature Theatre celebrates its 20th season.  Here are a few of this season’s highlights:

Arena Stage: As construction continues on the new Mead Center for American Theater, Arena takes the stage at Lincoln Theatre and in Crystal City once again with musicals like “The Fantasticks,” reimagined in an old amusement park (Nov. 21-Jan. 10), “The Light in the Piazza” (March 5-Apr. 25), plus new productions like “Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies,” performed at the Lincoln Theatre, where Ellington himself played (Apr. 9-May 30).

Folger Shakespeare Theatre: The Folger adds a touch of Afro-Caribbean flair to “Much Ado about Nothing” (Oct. 21-Nov. 29), then brings a contemporary twist to the powerful classic in “Orestes, A Tragic Romp” (Jan. 27-Mar. 7).The season begins with "Black Pearl Sings!," a musical about a song collector from the Library of Congress who discovers a wealth of musical treasures in Pearl, a Texas prisoner (Sep. 25-Oct. 18). After a new staging of “A Christmas Carol” (Nov. 23- Jan. 3), the historic theatre examines the Lincoln-Douglas debates in “The Rivalry” (Jan. 22-Feb. 14), ending its season with “Little Shop of Horrors” (Mar. 12-May 22).

Gala Hispanic Theatre: Bilingual theatre fans can start with the darkly humorous Lucid/Lucido (Sep. 17-Oct. 11) or try Federico Garcia Lorca’s classic, “The Puppet Play of Don Cristobal” (Apr 8-May 2).

Kennedy Center: Season highlights include “A Streetcar Named Desire,” starring Cate Blanchett (Oct 29-Nov 21), “Young Frankenstein” (Dec. 15-Jan. 10) and “Mary Poppins”  (July 1-Aug. 22). Classic and contemporary gospel takes the stage in “Gospel Across America,” a festival featuring performances by leading voices and performers in the genre (April 18-25). 

National Theatre: Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys” moves into the National Theatre for a long-term (Oct. 1-Dec. 12) engagement. Shakespeare Theatre Company:  The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s season leads off with an exclusive engagement of ”Phedre,” starring Helen Mirren.  The company will also stage “Richard II” (Feb. 2-Apr. 11) and “Henry V” (Feb. 4-Apr. 10) in repertory, closing the season with George Bernard Shaw’s racy “Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” (June 8-July 11). 

Signature Theatre: Celebrating its 20th anniversary this season, Signature’s season includes classics like “Show Boat” (Nov. 10-Jan. 17) and a reprisal of “Sweeney Todd,” the first production ever staged at the theatre (Feb. 9-Apr. 4).

Woolly Mammoth: Woolly opened its 30th anniversary season with a world premiere, “Eclipsed,” which captures the nightmarish spirit of wartime Liberia (through Sep. 27).  The season also brings the holiday reprisal of “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind,” featuring 30 mini-plays performed in 60 minutes, and one-man show “The Last Cargo Cult” (Jan. 11-Feb. 7).

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