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/

One of the most active partners of the DC Jazz Festival, East River JazzFest, founded by Vernard Gray will be playing at Anacostia Playhouse this June! This year, their performances will explore “social change” themes in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of social activist Frederick Douglass and the 50th anniversary of the death of social activist Dr. Martin Luther King.  And it’s making the point that D.C. is a major jazz community, going back to Duke Ellington and even before: [pioneering 1920s bandleader] Fletcher Henderson and those people all did things here in D.C. and they were internationally renowned as well. Same with Marc, Kush, and Corcoran: They spent the last month performing in France with different ensembles. There’s clearly something in the water in D.C.!

Come join us for 2 nights of celebration with East River JazzFest! June 12th, 2018 @ 7:30 PM Anacostia Playhouse 2020 Shannon Place SE Admission: $20/advance $25/day-of-event Ron Sutton…..New Music Ron Sutton Quartet ·        Ron Sutton, Jr., tenor saxophone ·        Alan Jay Palmer, piano ·        Vaughn Bratcher, bass ·        Aaron Walker, drums This performance will explore new compositions by saxophonist Ron Sutton, Jr.   June 13th, 2018 @ 7:30 PM Anacostia Playhouse 2020 Shannon Place SE Admission: $20/advance $25/day-of-event Music from​ liberation struggles: USA, South Africa, Palestine Liberation Project ·        Harry Appelman, piano ·        Todd Marcus, bass clarinet ·        Jeff Reed, bass ·        Eric Kennedy, drums The quartet will play jazz interpretations of music associated with several struggles of liberation: 1.    USA civil rights struggle 2.    South Africa anti-apartheid movement The ongoing struggle of the Palestinian people for freedom and human rights.

Don’t miss this important exhibit on display now at our friend & neighbor’s Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum!

Developed and created by Chief curator Dr. Samir Meghelli, Smithsonian’s New Exhibit A Right to the City gives us the opportunity to reflect and to gain an insight on the evolution of our nation’s capital, Washington DC.  The exhibit introduces us the stories of six Washington neighborhoods (Adams Morgan, Anacostia, Brookland, Chinatown, Shaw, and Southwest) and helps us to see how the Washingtonians have shaped our rapidly growing neighborhoods in myriad of ways and how Washington DC evolved into the neighborhood we have today.

Smithsonian Anacostia Community Mueseum:

1901 Fort Place SE
Washington DC 20020

Hours:
open daily 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Closed December 25

ADMISSION FREE

We have partnered with CulturalDC to help promote the Mobile Art Gallery for Anacostia Community Museum! It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and artists in the community. It’s also a great way to enjoy your relaxing  Saturday with friends and family with free food and performances!

• Saturday, April 28, 2018
• No admission fee
• 12:00 PM  2:00 PM
• Anacostia Community Museum (map)

Anacostia Playhouse and the high-energy youth acting company the Laugh ‘n’ Learn Players present Pop-Up Books! A wonderful play bringing to life four fabulous tale by the young authors of Reach, Incorporated and Shout Mouse Press. We’re partnering with Reach, whose missions is to develop grade-level readers and capable leaders by preparing teens to serve as tutors and role models for younger students, resulting in improving literacy outcomes for both. Reach’s teen authors contribute to creation of more diverse children’s literature by writing stories that are engaging and relevant to the young readers they serve. This fun filled show is directed by the DMV’s own Thembi Duncan!

Don’t Miss it!

Running from Thursday, April 19th at 7:30 pm to Sunday, April 22nd at 2 pm!

Adults:$10  Kids:$5

Get your tickets here!