Anacostia Playhouse

Tickets

ESSENTIAL THEATRE: VIVIAN’S MUSIC 1969

 

 

 

Thank You

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Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Words cannot express how truly grateful and humbled we are by the sheer volume of support and care we have received over the past few days. When we returned to the Playhouse the day after Christmas to discover we had been burgled, it was a blow. Not only did we have to process the physical shock of being victims of a crime, we were faced with the harsh realities that come with a break-in. As with all nonprofits, resources are limited, and the financial and tangible losses were significant. 

We have spent over five amazing years Anacostia. It is both our work and home. And it has been an overwhelmingly positive experience and the best community we could wish for with our Ward 8 neighbors being partners and friends. In no way will this incident will disrupt our ability to bring quality arts programming to the community. We will continue to be a home for performers, theater companies and all artists to showcase their craft. 

We are so honored that so many amazing people thought enough of us to give so generously of their time and money. Please know that every cent of the funds raised will be used thoughtfully and responsibly. Your gift will not only replace everything was stolen but will allow us to make security improvements, install new doors and come back better than ever.  

So from the entire Anacostia Playhouse family—everyone who performs, designs, works, and volunteers—thank you. Thanks to you, the show will go on! 

Adele Robey

Monday Night Music: July 22 The Fuss

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Mark Your Calendars!

Because there’s never enough music, Anacostia Playhouse is excited to announce a new series, Monday Night Music. While the actors have their night off, we’re going to bring some wonderful local talent to the Playhouse Stage. Please mark your calendars now for:

The Fuss is a dynamic ska, rocksteady, and early reggae band from Washington, D.C. Their sound pays tribute to the music of 1960’s Jamaica and the British Mod scene, while putting modern slant on these timeless styles. The group is comprised of 3-part harmonies, a 3-piece horn section, and 4-piece rhythm section.

Since the band formed in 2014 and they’ve had the pleasure of sharing the stage with bands such as The Skatalites, The Toasters, The Pietasters, Eastern Standard Time, The Interrupters, Save Ferris, Steady 45’s, and many more.
The Fuss’s first full-length album “Ourselves” is now available on LP, CD, and Cassette at www.thefussdc.com.
Co hosted with @thefussdc
Members
Andi Leo – Lead Vocals;
Adam Grise – Trumpet;
Julia Robey Christian – Keyboards, Vocals;
Megan Nortrup – Sax, Vocals;
Michael Corvasce – Guitar;
John Buck – Bass, Vocals;
Keith Duncan – Trombone;
Cati Sesana – Drums.
For Pay What You Can tickets, click here.

A Nite at the Dew Drop Inn August 31- September 21

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Anacostia Playhouse presents A Nite at the Dew Drop Inn

Directed by Stephawn Stephens

Music Direction by William Knowles

August 31- September 21

For tickets click here.

 

Let the good times roll as you experience a raunchy, raucous night of song filled with laughter, high jinks, and tears of joy. This fun-filled musical journey will take you on a ride of those Unforgettable moments of that first date, first kiss, the one that got away, or maybe the one you kicked to the curb!  A Nite at the Dew Drop Inn is a musical celebration and tribute to the Juke Joint, to those iconic nightspots that were known for good food, music and maybe a little trouble (if you weren’t careful). This cabaret-style presentation highlights themes of love found, love lost and love renewed. It features songs made famous by Big Mama Thorton, Fats Waller, Etta James, and Dinah Washington, just to name a few.

 

About Stephawn Stephens

Stephawn P. Stephens has become a recognizable presence, as a local actor, singer, and director in the Metropolitan area theater scene.  He is a native of Cleveland, Ohio and received his formal training at the Karamu House, Cleveland State University, majoring in English and Music Education and Bowie State University completing his studies in Musical Theater/Acting.

In his professional endeavors, Mr. Stephens has performed at several local and well-known venues such as Arena Stage, African Continuum Theater Company, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Ford’s Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Round House Theatre, Theater Alliance, Theater J, Signature Theatre and Woolly Mammoth.  He has been a member of Actors Equity Association since 2004. He is currently the Lower School Music Teacher at Creative Minds International PCS.

Throughout his career, Mr. Stephens has developed his craft, gained invaluable knowledge and experience in theater and education. He believes in cultivating an atmosphere where undiscovered talent is trained and perfected.  While building partnerships within the community through volunteering and his faithfulness to his church, Mr. Stephens has been touted by his peers as a “game changer”.  He strives to help build and motivate cross-functional teams that exceed worldly expectations and marries passion to purpose

 

About William Knowles

William Knowles is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended Howard University and the

University of Massachusetts and now lives in Washington, DC. As a composer, arranger, music director

and pianist, he has worked at regional theaters around the country, including Dallas Theater Center,

Philadelphia Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Northlight (Chicago), CenterStage (Baltimore), Indiana

Repertory Theater, and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, where he has performed in eight different

productions. He has received five Helen Hayes nominations for Musical Direction, winning twice.

Offstage he has released seven jazz CDs with music partner Mark Saltman. Their latest release is titled

Almost (SaltmanKnowles.com).

 

ON STAGE

Sherice Payne

Yvette Spears

Jacquelyn Hawkins

Marcel Worrell Miller

Robert Person

Rodni Williams

 

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION STAFF                         

Set Design: Megan Holden

Lighting Design: Willie J. Blakeney, Jr

Costume Design: Alison Johnson

Choreography: Rodni Williams

 

Stage Manager: Monica Cook

Production Manager: Rachel Walsh

Pianist: DeAndre Shaifer

The Phyllis Hyman Experience presented by LA Young Entertainment, LLC & The All About the Drama Theatre Group August 23- 25

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Anacostia Playhouse – August 23 – 25, 2019

LA Young Entertainment, LLC & The All About the Drama Theatre Group Present: The Phyllis Hyman Experience, directed by Ella C. Davis

Join us for an unforgettable weekend, Friday, August 23 – Sunday, August 25 (3 performances only) at the Anacostia Playhouse as Ms. LA Young and the Unusual Suspects engage you from 1977 to 1995, the career path of the late Phyllis Hyman.  The Phyllis Hyman Experience is not just a tribute concert but a musical biography bridging the gap between concert and theater; a blend of music, visual and theatrical arts.  LA Young’s performance will dazzle you, leaving you with wonderful memories of the artistry and legacy of Phyllis Hyman.

Meet LA Young:

LA Young is an international recording artist.  LA’s song “No One Can Love You More” continues to top the UK FM soul/jazz charts for several months at number 2.

Known to Grammy winning recording stars around the world as “The Voice,” grew up in the midst of a musical revolution in 1980’ Ohio; the epicenter of Funk-a-fusion of Jazz, RU&B, Rock and Blues—Funk defines so much of LA’s core raised on bands including Cameo, the Ohio Players, Lakeside, Slave and Dazzband.  But it was not just Funk, she was heavily influenced by Motown and Pop.

LA has been described as Chaka Kahn meets Phyllis Hyman.  Phyllis, however, is LA’s alter ego; a contralto, who possesses a haunting similarity to Hyman whose vocal range, timbre and love of ballads with lyrics tug at your heart.  L.A has recorded in the studio with members of the great jazz band, Pieces of a Dream.  In addition to touring and performing at Jazz, R&B and Funk Festivals across the nation, LA chose to premiere this phenomenal production of The Phyllis Hyman Experience as a benefit performance in April at the Langston Hughes Community Center in Baltimore, MD, on behalf of the Youth Education Services Initiative, a core mission of the Center.  We’re excited about the next stop on the touring schedule being in the DMV at the Anacostia Playhouse.

For tickets, click here.

3 performances only!  – August 23-25, 2019

Friday & Sat at 8:00 p.m.

Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Adult Gen – $35

VIP – $45 – Includes Hosted Reception and Signed Event Tee Shirt following Fri & Sat performances.

A Nite at the Dew Drop Inn Auditions May 29 & June 2

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ANACOSTIA PLAYHOUSE AUDITIONS

Anacostia Playhouse is casting for A Nite at the Dew Drop Inn

A Nite at the Dew Drop Inn is a musical celebration and tribute to the “Juke Joint”. These iconic nightspots were known for Good Food, Music, Drinking and Gambling for African Americans that were not permitted to attend white establishments due to Jim Crow laws. This cabaret-style presentation highlights themes of Love Found, Love Lost and to Love Again. It features songs made famous by Big Mama Thorton, Fats Waller, Etta James, and Dinah Washington just to name a few.

Seeking singer/actor, singer/musician and singer/dancer types (piano, drums, bass or guitar). This group of performers forms the Juke Joint house band. This is a PAID opportunity.

Please prepare a short monologue and two contrasting songs from R&B, Gospel, Jazz, and or the “Juke Joint’ era. Bring sheet music in your key. Bring a current headshot and resume.

First rehearsal August 5, 2019
First Preview August 29
The show runs August 31 – September 21, 2019. Shows will be Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday matinee and evening, and Sunday matinees.

Auditions: May 29 5 PM – 9 PM

June 2 5 PM – 9 PM

Callbacks: June 16 5 PM – 9 PM

While this audition will be an open call and we will see walk ins, scheduling an audition appointment is preferable. Please email your headshot, resume, and preferred audition slot to natasha.anacostiaplayhouse@gmail.com

All auditions and callbacks will take place at Anacostia Playhouse (2020 Shannon Place SE, Washington, D.C., 20020)

American Moor

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We are so excited to announce the return in January 2019 of American Moor

Written and Performed by Keith Hamilton Cobb

Directed by Kim Weild

What is the role of a lifetime? What is the role of a life?

Playwright/performer, Keith Hamilton Cobb directed by Drama Desk nominee, Kim Weild , uses his love of language and 30 years of experience in the American theatre to explore Shakespeare, race, and America, not necessarily in that order.  His 85-minute award-winning play, American Moor, that considers the dilemma of a seasoned African-American thespian auditioning for a role fraught with racial animus, Othello, is an unapologetic peer into a hindering industry irony that stands as metaphor for our most pressing societal condition: a white culture dictating rules of conduct to a non-white one from an often inadvertent place of privilege.  Cobb, with a facility for poetry entertains, and with the pathos of a veteran tragedian engages while asking questions that demand answers, and answering questions that too seldom get asked.

 American Moor  had its first staged reading in March of 2013 under the direction of Brent Buell. It had its first public performance under the direction of Paul Kwame Johnson at Westchester Community College in November of 2013 as a presentation of the WCC Humanities Institute with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Between 2014 and the present it has had multiple presentations contributing to its development. Among the most notable of these were an 11-performance showcase produced by Phoenix Theatre Ensemble at The Wild Project, Manhattan in April of 2015, directed by Paul Kwame Johnson; a production here at The Anacostia Playhouse in July of 2015, directed by Craig Wallace; and a joint production of O.W.I. (Bureau of Theatre) and Phoenix Theatre Ensemble at Boston Center for the Arts in July of 2017, directed by Kim Weild. The 2015 Phoenix Theatre Ensemble showcase garnered an AUDELCO Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. The Anacostia Playhouse production brought the play to the attention of The Folger Shakespeare Library, the script now a part of the library’s permanent collection. The O.W.I./Phoenix production in Boston earned two IRNE (Independent Reviewers of New England) Awards for Best Visiting Production Small Theatre, and Best Visiting Performer Small Theatre, and an Elliot Norton Award (Boston Theater Critics Association) for Outstanding Solo Performance.  Most recently  American Moor was presented on the stage of The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London, England.

If you missed it in 2015, do not miss it this time.  

For tickets, click here.  

To learn more about American Moor, please click here.

PWYC previews are January 9 and 10.

Post-show discussion will be Thursday January 17, January 24, and January 31. 

Yo-Yo Ma’s Bach Project

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Yo-Yo Ma’s Bach Project

Exploring How Culture connects us.

 

A day of conversation and action

How can culture and the arts build local equity in Southeast Washington, DC?

 

November 30, 2018

 

The Events

 

Mural Creation

Anacostia High School, 1601 16th St SE

9:30 AM

A mural celebrating Anacostia will be designed and painted in partnership with students from Anacostia High School and Turner Elementary, with support from Kennedy Center and Project Create. Free and open to the public.

 

Prelude to Activities

We Act Radio, 1918 Martin Luther King Ave SE

12:00 PM

Yo-Yo Ma plays the Prélude from Bach’s first cello suite to open the day. A moment of reflection on the past, celebration of the present, and hope for the future.

Imagining Equitable Futures

 

Town Hall Think-In

Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Pl SE

3:00 PM

District leaders, small business owners, artists, and community members come together to discuss building local equity in a conversation using Playback Theater models, which encourage personal storytelling and reflection. Representatives from across sectors, including business, government, and arts and culture, will participate in an engaging public forum followed by panel conversation. Free and open to the public; space is limited.

 

Small Business Happy Hour & Gallery Opening: “In Between & Black Gold”

Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Road SE

5:30 PM

The Anacostia Arts Center opens a double exhibit in partnership with two Southeast DC galleries, representing six local artists on themes of Afrofuturism and black equity. The small businesses in the arts center and in downtown Anacostia, all with a cultural focus (fashion store Nubian Hueman, micro-business collective and theater space The Den Reading Room & Artist Exchange, Mahogany Books, We Act Radio, Check It, an LGBTQ fashion label, and more) will participate in an open house, with local beer and food, a DJ, and special offers for attendees. A boutique concert featuring celebrated bassist Esperanza Spalding and local performers will pop up in Nubian Hueman, and Yo-Yo Ma will lead the gallery artists in a short public conversation about their work. Free and open to the public.

 

The Bach Project

Yo-Yo Ma set out to perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s six suites for solo setting, in one setting in 36 locations around the world. Alongside each concert is a day of action, a series of conversations and collaborations that explore how culture can help us imagine and build a better future.

 

A Project of

The Bach Project

The Kennedy Center

The Anacostia Arts Center

Nubian Hueman

WE ACT Radio

Anacostia Playhouse

The Den

HBC Theater Company

TribeFest DC

The Heart & Soul of Magic

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Kick off your holidays with some magic!

 

The Heart & Soul of Magic returns to the Anacostia Playhouse to kick off the Holiday season!  International Magicians Ran’D Shine and Jamahl Keyes are known for “A Different Kind of Deception.” Their show combines music, sleight of hand and psychological illusions that will have you questioning reality in an intimate space. The Heart & Soul of magic is an unforgettable show that audiences of all ages will enjoy. Adults’ minds will be blown and children will be amazed. One audience member described the show as “Mesmerizing and entertaining… A must see act.”  Bring the entire family and kick off the most Magical time of the year.

 

Saturday, December 1, 2018

Youth show at 5pm

Adults (and big kids) at 8

Adults $30, Kids $15.

Purchase Tickets Here!

 

Pinky Swear Productions presents BLIGHT

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Pinky Swear Productions presents BLIGHT

written by John Bavoso

directed by Ryan Maxwell

Can a home be haunted by the actions of its owners? That’s the question at the heart of John Bavoso’s BLIGHT, which will have its rolling world premiere DC production by Pinky Swear Productions at the Anacostia Playhouse beginning in October.

In BLIGHT, Silvia and Cat Henson have just moved from a tiny apartment in Washington, DC, into their sprawling dream home in the small, affluent town of Greenville, Delaware. But the house only happens to be in their price range because it was most recently the home of a teenaged mass shooter and his single mother. Within days of moving in, they’re confronted by a mayor who wants to erase their house from the map, a neighbor who’s on a mission to turn it into a memorial, and an alarmingly chipper consultant who specializes in the macabre. Silvia and Cat are forced to grapple with whether now is the right time to bring a new baby into the world, or let the house create an irreparable rift between them and their new community.

Blight runs from October 19- November 11.

For tickets, click here. 

Deadline Extended to September 15! Call for Submissions: Anacostia New Works Festival 2018 “Visions/Revisions”

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Playwrights! Anacostia Playhouse is seeking new and non-produced 10-minute and one-act plays for the 2018 New Works Festival: Visions/Revisions. Selected playwrights will have the opportunity to work with a professional director and actors to prepare for the final staged reading or performance.

Play submissions should address the themes of deterioration and renovation, both physically and socially, over the course of Anacostia’s long history. Consider the many physical and social changes Anacostia has survived; from the time of the Nacochtank Native American settlement along the Anacostia River, to the founding of Union Town, to today. Your submission should address the impact of revisionist history on Anacostia and its residents.
This New Works Festival will be held November 15 – 19 at the Anacostia Playhouse located in historic Anacostia in Washington DC. The festival, featuring both ten-minute staged readings and one-act productions, is an opportunity to introduce new playwrights to Washington’s theater community and establish relationships between writers, producers and directors. All plays will be read by the Anacostia Playhouse. 10-minute plays will receive a staged reading and one-act plays will receive a full production.

Please note that, due to the high volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to respond individually to each submission or to offer feedback. You will hear from us by September 21, 2018 if your work has been accepted into the festival.

The Rules:
Submissions will be accepted June 5 – September 15. Submissions and payment must be submitted through the Anacostia Playhouse website using the form and payment button below. Please submit only new non-produced works. All plays must utilize a maximum of four actors (actors can play multiple parts).

Submission/Reading Fee:
One-Act plays: $20.
Ten-minute plays: $10.

There is no submission fee for high school students. If the submission fee causes a financial hardship please contact Adele Robey at arobey@fusemail.com for financial aid.

Anacostia Playhouse New Works Festival 2019

The puppets are in residence!

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Shows are free and are at 10:30 on Saturday mornings!!

The Shakespeare for the Young puppet show, led by Annie Houston, will be performing at the
Anacostia Playhouse this Saturday, September 22. This theatrical company of puppeteers is dedicated to bringing Shakespeare to young children, ages 2 and up, through a fun and interactive experience. All shows feature group activities after the performance with song, movement and interactive play. Stay tuned for our next show on November 3, 2018! No tickets or reservations are needed.

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