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The Curtain Is Up: D.C.’s Thriving Arts Scene

Editor’s note: This is the final submission in a series of guest posts from the PRSA National Capital Chapter publicity committee for the PRSA 2014 International Conference, October 12 – 14. Follow the Conference conversation by searching the hashtag #PRSAICON and following our PRSA National Events Twitter handle, @PRSAevents.

2014 PRSA International PR Conference banner

When you think about visiting D.C., you think about seeing the Washington Monument, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, and The White House. But did you know that D.C. has a vibrant arts community?

According to Destination D.C., the metro area is a thriving cultural capital where each season approximately 80 professional theaters produce more than 350 productions that play to more than 2 million audience members. In fact, the nation’s capital has the second-highest per-capita number of theater productions annually (2nd to New York City). On any given night, curtains are rising on upwards of 200 performances at theaters in the District, Virginia and Maryland.

Here are some of the performances scheduled for mid-October 2014 when the PRSA International Conference comes to D.C.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

http://www.kennedy-center.org

Evita

Sept. 30 – Oct. 19, 2014

Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony-winning musical tells the remarkable story of Eva Peron’s rise from Argentina’s slums to First Lady through some of theater’s most beautiful songs, including “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and “High Flying, Adored.”

Kennedy Center Opera House

Box Office: 202-467-4600 or 202-416-8000

Location: 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566

Arena Stage

http://www.arenastage.org

Kreeger Theater

Sales Office: 202-488-3300

Location: 1101 Sixth St., SW, one block from the Waterfront (SEU) green line Metro stop.

The Shoplifters

September 5 – October 19, 2014

Alma, a senior citizen shoplifter who’s been caught red-handed, enters a hilarious battle of wills in this biting, world-premiere comedy about the haves and have-nots. John Carroll Lynch (Fargo, The Drew Carey Show) makes his Arena debut as Otto, a seen-it-all security guard trying to maintain his integrity in a dishonorable world.

Signature Theater

http://www.signature-theatre.org

Box Office: 703-820-9771; Administration 571-527-1860

Location: 4200 Campbell Ave. Arlington, Virginia 22206 (NOTE: This theater is not Metro accessible.)

Elmer Gantry

October 7, 2014 – November 9, 2014

The charismatic, but completely broke, salesman Elmer Gantry stumbles upon a struggling religious tour, led by pious evangelist Sister Sharon Falconer. Falling for Falconer, Gantry joins the troupe as a preacher and, with a little showmanship and theatrics, transforms the revival into the hottest ticket in town. However, inspired by Falconer’s earnestness and his reawakened spirit, Gantry inserts one spectacle too many and risks blowing up the entire operation.

Ford’s Theater

http://fordstheatre.org

Box Office: 202-347-4833; Group Sales: 202-638-2367

Location: 511 10th Street, NW

Driving Miss Daisy

October 1-26, 2014

When Daisy Werthan causes a car wreck, her son hires hard-working chauffer Hoke Colburn to look after her. What begins as a hostile clashing of wills between a stubborn Jewish matriarch and a proud black man evolves into a decades-long friendship as the two navigate Civil Rights-era Atlanta. With humor and heartfelt emotion, Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play poignantly explores the transformative power of true friendship.

Studio Theatre

http://www.studiotheatre.org/

Box Office Phone: 202-332-3300
Location: 1501 14th Street NW

Red Speedo

September 25-October 13, 2014

A sharp and stylish play about sports, survival of the fittest, and the American dream of

a level playing field—or leveling the playing field yourself.

Here are some additional theaters that as of this writing haven’t finalized their fall schedule. But check with them in August or September.

Shakespeare Theater Company

http://www.shakespearetheatre.org

Phone: 202.547.1122
Sidney Harman Hall Ticket Window
610 F Street NW, Washington, DC  20004-1604

Lansburgh Theatre Ticket Window
450 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004-2207

Warner Theater

http://warnertheatredc.com

Box Office: 202-783-4000

Location: 513 13th St, Washington, DC 20004

The Washington Ballet

http://www.washingtonballet.org

England Studio Theater
Box Office:  202-362-3606

Location: 3515 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20016

So catch a play or performance and sit back and enjoy the nation’s capital’s vibrant arts scene.

After working at the White House, Vicki Robb, APR, launched Vicki Robb Communications. She was chair of the Independent PR Alliance (2013), and currently is a member of PRSA-NCC’s board of directors. 

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