Emma Kouguell

The Washington DC area is truly lucky to get the last leg of the RAGTIME - THE MUSICAL National Tour this toasty weekend. Currently playing at the Wolf Trap Filene Center until Saturday, June 11, RAGTIME's director Marcia Milgrom Dodge has pieced together a powerful show full of emotion, beautiful imagery, and strong voices.

From Thursday, June 9 to Saturday, June 11, Washington DC Metro Area audiences will get to experience the magic of Ragtime - The Musical at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia. Making this production even more special to the DC Metro Area, one of the cast members, Daniel Gorham, is a native to Baltimore, Maryland. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Gorham comes from a background in opera and vocal performance and has been making the transition to musical theater. Ragtime - The Musical is Gorham's first national tour, and he is part of the show's ensemble and has also covered the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. I recently spoke with Daniel about his shift to musical theater, the Ragtime experience, and his future career plans.

As a society, we often view extreme acts of 'passion,' whether it be motivated by anger, lust, or sadness, as negative, resulting in pain, or as something to be 'fixed.' Instead, we strive for normalcy and balance, obliterating any despair and following our established routine of life. What we often don't realize is that 'normal' can lead to an emptiness in connection, desire, and motivation that those who feel exceptional passion do not suffer. Is it possible for the 'normal' to make room for the extreme in their own lives?

This holiday season, Dublin, Ireland has its own 'Scrooge' to reform on a windy Christmas Eve in the Keegan Theatre's beloved holiday tradition, AN IRISH CAROL. Written by Matthew J Keenan and directed by Mark A. Rhea, AN IRISH CAROL is back on stage for its five year anniversary.

Our famous 'Lady in the Tutti Fruti Hat' has been revived in Pointless Theatre's Women's Voices Theater Festival show, GIMME A BAND! GIMME A BANANA! THE CARMEN MIRANDA STORY. Under the direction of Roberta Alves and Matt Reckeweg and written by Mel Bieler and Patti Kalil, GIMME A BAND, GIMME A BANANA tells the story of legendary Carmen Miranda's life both on and off-stage. The show is a colorful production that will make you love and ache even more over Carmen Miranda's career and personal life.

The beloved peddler's quest for his missing caps has taken a musical twist! CAPS FOR SALE, THE MUSICAL kicks off Adventure Theatre MTC's 2015-2016 season.

An evening with - the only - six-time Tony Award recipient Audra McDonald is more than listening to her rich, versatile voice sing both older and more recent treasures. Ms. McDonald chooses songs that have strong stories both for her and within the song itself. Her ability to capture these narratives through her voice is one of the many reasons Ms. McDonald is such a brilliant actress and singer. The opportunity to see Ms. McDonald work her magic live is enchanting, to say the least.

In Signature, life truly is beautiful as the theatre ends its 25th season with a sultry and bold new performance of the classic Cabaret. Under the direction of Matthew Gardiner, Cabaret's cast, musicians, and creative team have taken this theatrical masterpiece and produced a mesmerizing and immersive show that haunts audiences as they shuffle out of Berlin's risky Kit Kat Club and into the safer streets of Arlington, Virginia.

1972. Toronto, Ontario. An eclectic group of men and women gather to see if they can create a fictional character - a ghost - that they will attempt to communicate with through seance. This eerie night became known as the controversial 'Philip Experiment.' Though critics question the experiment's results, the group said that they began to feel a presence and heard unexplained echoes and rapping sounds...

Baltimore's Rabbi Menachem Youlus spun fantastical tales about his recovery of 1,000 Torahs. From the 'Auschwitz' Torah, which Rabbi Youlous 'located' using a metal detector in a prewar Auschwitz cemetery, to 'purchasing' a Torah from a former Auschwitz prison guard, Rabbi Youlous convinced many that he was the 'Jewish Indiana Jones.' People swarmed to purchase these 'unique' Torahs, unknowingly buying scrolls that actually had the same story...

Adaptation from screen to stage is risky business. The songs can lose their magic, the characters can feel empty, and you can find yourself comparing - or missing - what you once loved about the original story. However, in some cases, an adaptation can shine and may make you love a story even more.

We've all had moments when we want to escape something, whether it be who we are, where we are, or what we're doing. And in these moments, we often look for a way to cope. To change things. Do we alter our identities? Search for a new career? Find faith? This is just one of the questions that Spooky Action Theater's world premiere of Last of the Whyos asks audiences to ponder. Written by Barbara Wiechmann and directed by Rebecca Holderness, Last of the Whyos takes audiences on a journey through time and on a search for self.

Little Red Riding Hood's adventure to grandma's house has taken a toe-tappin' twist down south just in time for Mardi Gras. At Adventure Theatre MTC, the whole family can enjoy a festive celebration with Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood. Based on Charles Perrault's classic fairy tale and adapted from the book by Mike Artell and Jim Harris, Petite Rouge takes audience's on a musical journey into the swamps of Louisiana. Directed and choreographed by Adventure's own Michael J. Bobbitt, this show is a delight for all ages.