Elliot Lanes

When it comes to the arts, there are a lot of things in DC that go either unnoticed or get lost in the shuffle. For almost twenty years now Ford’s Theatre has been presenting such a piece of theatre and it’s a very important one.

Today’s subject Bill Sherman is currently living his theatre life as the Musical Supervisor, Orchestrator, and Arranger for Signature Theatre’s new musical Safety Not Guaranteed. The production plays through April 12th in Signature’s MAX space.

Today’s subject Kemi-Bo Jacobs is currently living her theatre life onstage playing Agnes in the esteemed Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC’S) production of Hamnet. Yes, this is the role Jessie Buckley recently won the Best Actress Oscar for, just to end the comparison thing now. The show is presented by our very own Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) and runs through April 12th at Harman Hall.

Today’s subject Jefferson A. Russell is currently living the theatre life onstage at Folger Theatre playing the roles of Duke Senior and Duke Frederick in their current production of As You Like It. The production runs through April 19th.

Today’s subject Rebecca Madeira is currently living her theatre life onstage at Arena Stage as part in the role of Rachael Brown in Inherit The Wind. The production runs through April 5th in Arena Stage’s Fichandler Stage space.

Today’s subject Nick Blaemire is currently living his theatre life at Signature Theatre as the book writer for the new musical Safety Not Guaranteed. The show runs through April 12th in Signature Theatre’s MAX space.

With the 250th birthday of our nation approaching this July 4th, Ford’s Theatre’s current attraction, the musical that tells the how the Declaration of Independence came to be, 1776 is indeed the best choice for this historic theatre to be presenting for the occasion. With a score by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone, 1776 ranks in my opinion as a perfect musical and there are only a handful of those.

Being married to someone that was raised Christian and myself being raised Jewish I never thought that Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) would be something that I would ever enjoy. Over our fifteen plus years of marriage (so far) my wife has introduced me to the likes and talents of such artists in the genre as Nichole Nordeman, Ellie Holcomb, Natalie Grant, and of course Michael W. Smith who popularized CCM music. I fully enjoy listening to these artists.

Besides being the premiere theatre for musicals in the DMV, Signature Theatre also has a highly successful cabaret series. For many years the series has highlighted all genres of music featuring top flight talent.

Sometimes the most unlikely venues produce the most incredible night of music. Dumbarton United Methodist Church is an unassuming building on a side street in Georgetown. It isn’t the place you would necessarily think of as a concert venue. Never assume anything though because the Dumbarton Concerts series has been going strong for 48 years and shows no signs of stopping.

Today’s subject David Andrews Rogers Is currently living his theatre life and a lifelong dream on the conductor’s podium as the Musical Director and Conductor of the new touring production of Disney’s Beauty and The Beast. The show begins performances here in DC on March 18th and will play through April 5th at the National Theatre.

Today’s subject Suzy Eddie Izzard is an award-winning performer, marathon runner, and author. Her tour de force solo show The Tragedy of Hamlet will be seen right here in DC at Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) from March 27th to April 11th. The show will be performed in STC’s Klein Theatre.

Today’s subject Myles Frost in currently living his theatre life as the lead character in Chez Joey at Arena Stage. The show is a modern reimagining of the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey. The production runs through March 22nd in Arena’s Kreeger Theatre.

The third production of Adventure Theatre MTC’s 25/26 season Freckleface Strawberry The Musical keeps up the company’s winning streak with a show that features a stellar cast, a good message, superb direction, and more.

Today’s subject Kara-Tameika Watkins is currently living her theatre onstage at Olney Theatre Center in the World Premiere Musical Little Miss Perfect. The show has just been extended to March 15th which means you have even more time to attend a performance.

Today’s subject Bill Irwin is possibly one of the most versatile and flexible performers still working in the performing arts today. He can currently be seen at Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) in his solo show On Beckett. The show runs through March 15th at STC’s Klein Theatre space.

Today’s subject Susan Jaffe is currently living her theatre and dance lives as the Artistic Director of One the country’ finest dance companies American Ballet Theatre (ABT). She assumed the post in December of 2022. ABT is coming to town this week for a weeklong engagement of the Christopher Wheeldon choreographed The Winter’s Tale. The show performs in the Opera House at Kennedy Center from February 11th through 15th.

Today’s subject Cornelius McMoyler is currently living his theatre life on tour playing the role of Simon in the Tony Award winning play Stereophonic. The show begins a three-week engagement at the National Theatre on February 10th and will continue through March 1st.

George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax VA has one of the fastest growing Musical Theater programs in the area. Over the last eight years, the program has grown in leaps and bounds from being a certificate-based program to a degree-based one. One of the biggest reasons for the program’s success is definitely the faculty, including the two who are the subjects of this interview.

Today’s subject Shannon Cochran is currently living her theatre life onstage at Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) in the stage version of the horror movie franchise Paranormal Activity. The show runs from Jan 28th through February 7th at STC’s Harman Hall.