Looking for artful inspiration? Many of DC's acclaimed theatres are aiming to attract cultural travelers by creating performances in repertory, allowing visitors to catch multiple shows in the same weekend that follow a similar theme or honor a legendary playwright. Hotels have done their part to support the trend by creating performing arts-themed packages.
The
Shakespeare Theatre Company's expansion, the $85 million Harman Center for the Arts (6th and F Streets, NW), is the newest performance space in downtown DC's Penn Quarter arts and entertainment district. The new space has enabled the Company to expand its season from five to eight plays and to create themed play cycles. Spotlighting Shakespearean contemporary Christopher Marlowe, the Harman Center will show "Tamburlaine" (Oct. 28-Jan. 6) and "Edward II" (Oct. 27-Jan. 6) in repertory. This spring, the theatre will stage two of the Bard's Roman works in repertory, "Julius Caesar" (Apr. 27-Jul. 6) and "Antony and Cleopatra" (Apr. 26-Jul. 6).
Theatre weekends are also in fashion at the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which pays homage to the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, August Wilson, by performing all ten plays in his celebrated twentieth century cycle Mar. 4-29. Directed by Kenny Leon, who staged the Broadway premiere of Wilson's "Gem of the Ocean," August Wilson's 20th Century Festival will be the first of its kind to present all ten plays in a condensed package. The plays will be presented chronologically in the order in which they're set, beginning with "Gem of the Ocean" and ending with the 1990s' "Radio Golf." Each of the plays will be presented in repertory fashion, giving the inter-related plays the same voices and faces and enabling audiences to see as many as three of the plays in a single weekend. The cast includes stars from the stage and screen, including longtime Wilson veterans who have performed in several of his works on Broadway and in theatres across the country. Among those scheduled to appear are Anthony Chisholm, Lynda Gravátt, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Eugene Lee, and Phylicia Rashad. Paying tribute to another one of America's greatest playwrights,
Arena Stage will simultaneously stage two of Arthur Miller's plays Mar. 14 - May 18. The Pulitzer Prize-winning work, "Death of a Salesman," showcases Miller's skill as a storyteller and social commentator by chronicling a family man's struggle to capture the American dream. Miller fans can also catch Arena's production of "A View from the Bridge," a drama about immigrant life in a close-knit Italian Brooklyn neighborhood in the 1950s.
Springtime salutes aren't limited to playwrights. In its first full season at its new home in Arlington, Va.,
Signature Theatre celebrates the longest-running music and lyrics partnership in Broadway musical history - John Kander and Fred Ebb. From film to musical theater to cabaret, Signature Theatre showcases the many entertainment sides of Kander and Ebb. The entire canon of their witty and sharp lyrics, along with their engaging musical melodies, will grace the Signature stage. Presented in repertory, this retrospective includes three outstanding productions, "Kiss of the Spider Woman" (Mar. 11-Apr. 20), "The Happy Time" (Apr. 1-June 1) and "The Visit" (May 13-June 22).
Dance lovers can also plan their own family-friendly cultural getaways to the nation's capital this year through a partnership between
The Washington Ballet and the
Willard InterContinental Hotel. Three of the Washington Ballet's upcoming productions, "Where the Wild Things Are" (Nov.2-4), "The Nutcracker" (Dec.6-23), and "Cinderella" (May 7-11), will be presented at the
Warner Theatre, just one block from the Willard Hotel. The hotel has created ballet-themed hotel packages for each production designed to appeal to budding ballerinas, family travelers and arts patrons alike. Packages include overnight accommodations and two tickets for the ballet; premium packages also include amenities like parent and child cooking classes or couples' spa treatments.
Culturally-minded travelers can also create their own custom getaways on
washington.org. Great rates and seasonal hotel packages are available this winter through DC's Holiday Homecoming promotion. Or, stay tuned for springtime deals with cherry blossom and spring break-inspired getaways.
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About the Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation: The Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation, the lead destination marketing organization for the nation's capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of nearly 1,000 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities.
http://www.washington.org/
