Summer Stages: An Exciting Summer of Theatre in Washington, DC Lies Ahead!

One of the fabulous things about living in the Washington, DC Metro Area is that opportunities to see theatre - and good theatre at that - exist throughout the year. The summer is no exception. This year local audiences can choose from a handful of national tours, more than a hundred shows in our three annual summer theatre festivals, and an array of other professional theatre productions - some featuring well-known titles and (more exciting to me) some that don't.

Perhaps most exciting in the professional theatre domain is the world premiere of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's new musical Dear Evan Hansen at Arena Stage. The musical from the Tony Award-nominated songwriting team runs from July 10 to August 23 and features a book by Steven Levenson and direction by Michael Greif who directed Next to Normal on Broadway, as well as the pre-Broadway production at Arena Stage. It stars Ben Platt, best known for his performance in Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2 as well The Book of Mormon. Another exciting offering is JM Barrie's Peter Pan, taking place in an innovative Threesixty Theatre. The production premiered at London's Kensington Gardens and the US tour will kick off at the Tysons Corner Center in McLean, VA on June 24 and run through August 16.

Here's a sampling of many of the theatre events in Washington, DC and the innermost suburbs that are opening between late May and late-July, the remaining part of the 2014-2015 season:

Non-Resident Productions/National Tours:

Potted Potter runs from May 30 to June 21 at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC.

National Tour of Disney's Newsies runs from June 9 to 21 at the National Theatre in Washington, DC.

National Tour of The Book of Mormon runs from June 16 to August 16 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

National Tour of Peter Pan (in Threesixty Theatre) runs from June 24 to August 16 at the Tysons Corner Center in McLean, VA.

National Tour of Million Dollar Quartet runs from June 26 to 28 at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA.

National Tour of Once runs from July 7 to August 16 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Summer Theatre Festivals:

The 2015 Source Festival, featuring new full-length works and 10-minute plays, runs from June 5-28 at the Source Theatre in Washington, DC.

The 10th Annual Capital Fringe runs from July 9 to August 2 in Washington, DC. This year, the Fringe's new permanent building (the Logan Fringe Arts Space) on Florida Avenue in Northeast DC will serve as the Festival's hub. Performances will run at some familiar venues like the District of Columbia Arts Center in Adams Morgan as well as the Atlas Performing Arts Center on H Street in Northeast, in addition to other new/new-for-Fringe venues around the city (though primarily in Northeast).

The DC Black Theatre Festival runs from June 19 to 28 at various venues around Washington, DC.

Local Professional Theatre:

Forum Theatre's The Shipment runs from May 21 to June 13 at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre in Silver Spring, MD.

Zombie: The American runs from May 25 to June 21 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC.

NSFW runs from May 27 to June 21 at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD.

A Man for All Seasons runs from May 28 to June 21 at NextStop Theatre Company in Herndon, VA.

Spooky Action Theater's Jarry Inside Out runs from May 28 to June 21 at the Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington, DC.

Tartuffe runs from June 2 to July 5 at Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC

WSC Avant Bard's Madwoman of Chaillot runs from June 4 to 28 at the Gunston Arts Center Theatre II in Arlington, VA.

Mary-Kate Olsen is in Love runs from June 3 to 21 at Studio Theatre in Washington, DC.

The Tale of the Allergist's Wife runs from June 3 to July 5 at Theater J in Washington, DC.

The Good Counselor runs from June 5 to June 28 at 1st Stage in McLean, VA.

Theatre Alliance's Occupied Territories runs from June 10 to July 5 at Anacostia Playhouse in Washington, DC.

Flying V's Flying V Fights: Heroes and Monsters will run from June 11 to 28 at the Writer's Center in Bethesda, MD.

Garfield: The Musical with Catittude runs from June 19 to August 23 at Adventure Theatre MTC.

Double Trouble runs from June 24 to August 14 at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD.

Happenstance Theater's Impossible! A Happenstance Circus runs from June 26 to July 12 at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof runs from June 27 to July 25 at Keegan Theatre in Washington, DC.

Second City's Let Them Eat Chaos runs from July 7 to August 2 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC.

Landless Theatre Company's Prog Metal Version of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street runs from July 9 to August 2 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC.

Dear Evan Hansen: A New Musical runs from July 10 to August 23 at Arena Stage.

Quotidian Theatre's The Lime Tree Bower runs from July 10 to August 9 at the Writer's Center in Bethesda, MD.

The Island runs from July 10 to August 2 at MetroStage in Alexandria, VA.

Imagination Stage's remount of The BFG runs from July 14 to 25 at the National Theatre in Washington, DC.

Silence! The Musical runs from July 15 to August 9 at Studio Theatre in Washington, DC.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (remount) runs from July 15 to August 9 at Synetic Theater in Arlington, VA.

Unexpected Stage Company's Romeo and Juliet: Love Knows No Age runs from July 16 to August 9 at Randolph Road Theater in Silver Spring, MD.

American Century Theater's Twelve Angry Men runs from July 17 to August 8 at Gunston Arts Center Theatre Two in Arlington, VA.

Adventure Theatre MTC's Oliver! runs from July 24 to August 16 at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD.

Other Offerings:

If all of these theatre productions don't strike your fancy, Wolf Trap - known as America's Park for the Performing Arts - has a concert lineup that offers music suited for nearly every taste. This line-up, incidentally, includes several performers with theatre connections, including Audra McDonald who is performing with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) on Monday, June 22. Kristin Chenoweth previously appeared at Wolf Trap with the NSO, but she will return on her own on Friday, August 28. Music lovers of all kinds can also catch a cabaret performance or two at the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre. Its annual Sizzlin' Summer Nights Cabaret Series will run from July 8 to 25 (schedule is to be announced).

BroadwayWorld.Com's DC writing staff will be covering a number of these offerings this summer, so please check out our reviews as available.

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