FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2007 

COMING ATTRACTIONS: FALL 2007

The Shakespeare Theatre Company's expansion, the $85 million Harman Center for the Arts, brings a new 776-seat performance space to downtown DC's Penn Quarter arts and entertainment district. Operating alongside the Company's current stage at the Lansburgh Theatre, the new space gives theatre-lovers more opportunities to enjoy classic works and contemporary interpretations by one of the world's foremost Shakespeare companies. And, because some of the works are performed in repertory, theatre-lovers can catch more than one show in a weekend, like this season's "Tamburlaine" (Oct. 28-Jan. 6) and "Edward II" (Oct. 27-Jan. 6) by Christopher Marlowe and Shakespeare's Roman works, "Julius Caesar" (Apr. 27-Jul. 6) and "Antony and Cleopatra" (Apr. 26-Jul. 6). The Harman Center opens Oct. 1.

For media junkies, the new Newseum is a must-see. The six-level, high-tech and interactive museum traces the history of news reporting from smoke signals to blogs. Inside the museum's soaring 90-foot atrium, there's a jumbo LED screen, or "Window on the World," broadcasting breaking news from around the globe. Would-be reporters can try their hand at broadcast journalism, while amateur photographers can snap photos of news scenes for a computer-generated critique by professional photojournalists. There's also a Journalists Memorial, a news helicopter, one of two surviving "Checkpoint Charlies" and the largest section of the Berlin Wall outside of Germany. The fantastic new museum is also home to The Source, Wolfgang Puck's first fine dining restaurant in DC. Located at 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, the Newseum will open this fall. Admission is $17.91 for adults (in honor of the year in which the First Amendment was ratified).

Also new downtown: Madame Tussauds' latest wax museum, opening in early October at the corner of 10th and F Streets. The museum's cast of characters includes the famous faces you'd expect in DC - from Abraham Lincoln and Duke Ellington to Bill and Hillary Clinton. They're joined by Hollywood A-listers like Beyoncé Knowles, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Visitors can pose for pictures in the Oval Office, view replicas of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence and touch, see and hear the history of the city and the country in engaging interactive exhibitions. Admission is $25 for adults.

There's much in store for visitors to the Smithsonian Institution as November brings major new additions and exhibitions to three of the museum system's top attractions. Opening in November, the National Museum of Natural History's new 4,000 square-foot Butterflies and Plants exhibition demonstrates how butterflies have evolved, adapted and diversified with their plant partners over more than a million years. Visitors can tour the exhibition, then walk through a 1,400 square-foot living butterfly pavilion that's home to live butterflies and plants.

Airplane buffs won't want to miss America by Air, a new permanent exhibition opening at the National Air and Space Museum on November 17. The exhibition focuses on commercial aviation, exploring the development of airlines and aircraft through the centuries - and even placing visitors in the cockpit of an airplane as it takes off and lands at DC's Ronald Reagan National Airport. On display, you'll find the Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny," the first aircraft to fly the U.S. mail; a Douglas DC-3, the most successful airliner of the 1930s, a Douglas DC-7, the first airliner to fly nonstop from coast to coast; and the forward fuselage of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet.

The Reynolds Center - home to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery - will put the final touches on its multi-year renovation this fall with the November 18 grand opening of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard. Designed by renowned British architect Norman Foster, the glass canopy tops the museums' internal courtyard with a breathtaking wave-like glass cover. Museum-goers will be able to enjoy a bite to eat in the courtyard, or watch performances, concerts and attend other special events in the courtyard.

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