Anacostia Playhouse

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BLOOD AT THE ROOT

 

 

 

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: March 11 vernard gray

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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:

Monday March 11, 2019 7:00 PM

vernard gray presents
Jazz Sheroes
Four jazz artists (pianist Janelle Gill, vocalists Karen Lovejoy, Iva Ambush and Jean DeVerne) share their Jazz Sheroes, in performance and conversations with audience members who’ll have their favorites to share as well.
Stories and music of Carmen McRae, Lil Armstrong, Shirley Horn, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne and others are included.

8 PM, for tickets click here. 

Details to come but mark your calendars so you don’t miss this special night.

Shakespeare for the Young presents Adventures in Arden April 6

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Based on Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Adventures in Arden been created by Shakespeare For The Young as an interactive show for 3 to 10 year olds.

Children are introduced to a puppet of William Shakespeare, who helps start the story. Large bodied puppets, small hand-held puppets, and shadow puppets help tell the story of unkindness turned to love. Set in Africa, the story takes place in both city and country, in particular in the healing forest of Arden where love between two people blossoms and forgiveness between two sets of brothers takes place. Aided by interactive play with the audience, the actors engage children’s imaginations through Shakespeare’s words, using music of many African instruments as an additional medium. A short workshop for the children follows the play. Children use their bodies and voices to explore the rhythms and beats they heard in Shakespeare’s language during the play.

This is a free event open to the public.

April 6, 2019 at 10:00 AM

May 11, 2019 at 10:00 AM

For more information on Shakespeare for the Young, click here. 

Anacostia Playhouse presents The Rainbow Fish April 25 – 28

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The  Anacostia Playhouse is excited to present its youth acting ensemble in The Rainbow Fish Musical, written by Austin Zumbro, and directed by Sisi Reid.

Come meet a charming school of fish and sea-creature characters who admire the famous Rainbow Fish, the most beautiful fish in all the ocean.  When Rainbow Fish refuses to share its vibrant, shimmering scales the whole ocean seems to turn against the vain creature. Very unhappy about this, the Rainbow Fish seeks out the wise Octopus who helps the young fish learn that it’s far better to be admired for being kind than for being beautiful. This production will feature musical numbers, dancing, and incredibly fun costumes!.

Five performances only!

  • Performances will be April 25 at 7:30, April 26 at 7:30 PM, April 27 at 2:00 and 7:30, and April 28 at 2:00 PM.

Kids under 12 $5

All other tickets $10

For tickets click here. 

 

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.

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.

Happy Ending By Douglas Turner Ward

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Happy Ending

By Douglas Turner Ward

“This ‘Happy Ending’ is fresh, funny, and bursting with song-and-dance pizzazz. Yes, song and dance! It’s hard to imagine ‘Happy Ending’ ever ending with more upbeat joy” – DC Metro Theater Arts Review by John Stoltenberg.

A long-running Off-Broadway hit, Happy Ending was written by Douglas Turner Ward, founder of The Negro Ensemble Company.

It tells of two sisters, Ellie and Vi, who work as maid and laundress for the wealthy Harrisons.  As the play begins they are sitting at the kitchen table in a tenement apartment in Harlem, lamenting the end of their good times.  Mr. Harrison has discovered his wife in an act of infidelity.

The sisters fear that if the marriage breaks up they will be both out of a job.  Their nephew, Junie, chides them for their sentiments at a time when Blacks are on the march towards liberation.

But what Vi and Ellie really fear is that the divorce threatens a cutoff in the household graft the sisters have engaged in and which has brought considerable luxury to their lives.

Happy Ending is directed by Ella Davis Artistic Director of All About the Drama Theater Group and Board Chair, Anacostia Playhouse.

About the playwright:

Douglas Turner Ward, dramatist, actor, director, and producer was born in 1930.  Guided by a burning desire to continue the legacy of W. E. B. Du Bois, Ward was determined to create theater that was primarily written by, performed for, and representative of African American people. In his plays, Ward examines a mixed bag of attitudes and stereotypes that permeate our environment both within and outside the African American community. He uses various comic conventions such as satire, farce, absurdism, and irony to attack widely divergent cultural philosophies, politics, and ethics as well as social, moral, and racial biases. Since the 1960s, the African American dramatic literature and aesthetic philosophy of Douglas Turner Ward have been highly influential.

For more information on the Negro Ensemble Company click here.

Happy Ending Performance dates and times:

Previews

August 9th, 2018 -August 10th, 2018 8PM

Shows

August 11th, 2018-August 25th, 2018

Thurs-Sat at 8PM, Sat and Sun at 3PM

For tickets, click below:

Preview show tickets

Show tickets

Review from DC Theatre Scene: https://dctheatrescene.com/2018/08/14/review-douglas-turner-wards-happy-ending-at-anacostia-playhouse/

Review from DC Metro Theater Arts: https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2018/08/12/review-happy-ending-at-anacostia-playhouse/

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