THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, September 11, 2013 g
Page A-15
The greatest show on earth n Latest at Round House explores immigrant culture BY
CARA HEDGEPETH STAFF WRITER
Bittersweet comedy “Agnes Under the Big Top” is now playing at Round House Theatre. The play opened Thursday to kick off the 10th season for socially-minded ensemble, and resident company, Forum Theatre. Agnes is also the pilot production for a new ticketing policy at Forum. “At least half of the seats available are for walk-up sales and pay what you want,” said Michael Dove, artistic director at Forum and director of “Agnes.” “I really want theater to move away from being this elite kind of experience for people with extra income ... if we’re truly going to tell stories about people in our community, it should be available to everyone in our community.” “Agnes” is the tale of the immigrant experience in America, told through six interconnected characters living in the city. Like the play’s setting, Dove said downtown Silver Spring boasts its own incredibly diverse population. The city’s demographic was just one of the reasons the director said he felt so passionate about bringing “Agnes” to Forum. “You’ll see that mix of cul-
AGNES UNDER THE BIG TOP n When: To Sept. 28 (See website for show times)
Actress Nora Achrati plays Bulgarian immigrant Roza.
n Where: Round House Theatre, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring n Tickets: Guaranteed advancesale tickets $20. Pay what you want tickets go on sale an hour before every show.
PHOTO FROM NORA ACHRATI
Actress Annie Houston (left) plays Ella and actor Edward Christian (center) plays Shipkov in the Forum Theatre production of “Agnes Under the Big Top.”
n For information: 1-800-8383006, forum-theatre.com
ture coming together,” he said. “It felt like a really great starting point to have that conversation with those people around us.” “We’re right in downtown Silver Spring ...” said Forum ensemble member Nora Achrati. “You see everybody, Ethiopians, Dominicans, Senagalese ...” Achrati, who grew up in Silver Spring, plays Roza, a Bulgarian woman who’s been in the States for almost 10 years. Roza doesn’t speak much throughout the course of the play and when she does, it’s mostly in Bulgarian. “She and her husband came to the States ... and their relationship is quickly deteriorating,” Achrati said. “She’s a really funny woman. She’s very smart, she understands English ... but she won’t let on that she does. She’s an enigmatic character who absorbs things but isn’t giv-
PHOTOS FROM FORUM THEATRE
ing much back.” Roza and her husband Shipkov are just two of several characters floating in and out of the life of the play’s only American character, Ella, an older bedridden woman. “Things happen to the Liberian and the Bulgarian that affect in small ways, the bedridden woman,” Achrati said. “You have these lower-class immigrant struggles that people don’t really see ... that are totally invisible except in the way they affect people with privilege.” There were other things about “Agnes,” which premiered in 2011 in Minneapolis, that ap-
pealed to Dove. After reading a draft of the show a few years before it was produced, Dove just couldn’t shake it. “It kind of stuck in the back of my head as something we would want to do,” Dove said. “It’s the one I just haven’t been able to get out of my head.” The director said it was playwright Aditi Brennan Kapil’s style that drew him in. “It was a play that struck me immediately with just some amazing language,” Dove said. “As a director you’re reading a lot of plays. You see one writer influenced by another writer and this one just had its own sound.”
Though “Agnes” focuses largely on the immigrant experience, Dove said audiences of varying backgrounds will relate to the show’s characters and some of their struggles. “You can certainly talk about it being about immigrant culture ... but I think that can also translate to anyone who is put into a situation that is different,” Dove said. “Relocating to a different school, to a different country. What I sort of loved about this is while it can be heavy, it really gets down to the idea of how do we interact with one another.” chedgepeth@gazette.net
This is actor Jason Glass’ first appearance at Forum Theatre. He plays the role of Happy.
IN THE ARTS Hollywood Ballroom, Sept. 11, free International Waltz Routine lesson at 7:30 p.m.; Social Ballroom Dance at 8:15 p.m. ($16); Sept. 12, 19, Tea Dance from 12:30-3:30 p.m. ($6); Sept. 13, drop-in lessons from 7:30-9 p.m., West Coast Swing with Dance Jam Productions at 9 p.m. ($15); Sept. 14, Latin Night with Mr. Mambo from 8-10 p.m., dance from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. ($18 for workshop and dance, $15 for dance only); Sept. 15, free Rumba lesson at 7 p.m., Social Ballroom dance at 8 p.m. ($16); Sept. 18, free International Waltz Routine lesson at 7:30 p.m., Ballroom Dance at 8:15 p.m. ($16), 2126 Industrial Highway, Silver Spring, 301-326-1181, www. hollywoodballroomdc.com Glen Echo Park is at 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Blues, Capital Blues: Thurs-
days, 8:15 beginner lesson, 9-11:30 p.m. dancing to DJs, Glen Echo Park’s Spanish Ballroom Annex, $8, www.capitalblues.org. Contra, Sept. 13, Gwyn Williams with the fabulous Glen Echo Open Band; Sept. 20, Beth Molaro calls to Tidal Wave; Sept. 27, George Marshall with Wild Asparagus, 7:30 p.m. lesson, 8:30 p.m. dance, Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom, $10, www.fridaynightdance.org. Contra & Square, Sept. 15, Susan Michaels with Honeysuckle Rose, 7:30 p.m., Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom, $12 for general, $9 for members, $5 for students, www.fsgw.org. English Country, Sept. 11, Caller: Anna Rain; Sept. 18, Caller: Tom Spilsbury; Sept. 25, Caller: Joseph Pimentel, 8 p.m., Glen Echo Town Hall (upstairs), www. fsgw.org. Scottish Country Dancing, 8-10 p.m. Mondays, steps and formations taught. No experience, partner necessary, T-39 Building on NIH campus, Wisconsin Avenue and South Drive, Bethesda, 240505-0339. Swing, Sept. 21, The Craig Gildner Big Band; Nov. 9, WWII Canteen Dance with the Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra; Dec. 14, Daryl Davis, lesson at 8 p.m., dancing at 9 p.m., Glen Echo Park, $15, www. flyingfeet.org. Waltz, Sept. 15, KGB, 2:45-3:30 p.m. lesson, 3:30-6 p.m., dance, $10, www.waltztimedances.org.
MUSIC & DANCE
The Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum, TBA, hours are 10 a.m. to
Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, Mary Ann Redmond, 8 p.m.
Sept. 13 ($20); Leonard, Coleman & Blunt, 8 p.m. Sept. 14 ($35); Michael Gallant, 8 p.m. Sept. 18; Beverly McClellan, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 ($25); Cassandra Wilson, 8 p.m. Sept. 20 ($50) The Music of Abba with Arrival from Sweden, 8 p.m. Sept. 22 ($45); Gotta Swing Dance Night with Bitter Dose Combo, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 ($10); Eric Felten & His Jazz Orchestra, 8 p.m. Sept. 27 ($25), 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, 301-634-2222, www. bethesdabluesjazz.com The Fillmore Silver Spring, Blue October, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13; Café Tacuba, 8 p.m. Sept. 17; Yellowcard Ocean Avenue Acoustic — The Tour, 8 p.m. Sept. 18; Savant, 8 p.m. Sept. 19; Michael Franti & Spearhead, 8 p.m. Sept. 20; Jamey Johnson with special guest Chris Hennessee, 8 p.m. Sept. 22; Billy Currington, 8 p.m. Sept. 27; Get the Led Out, 8 p.m. Sept. 28; 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, 301960-9999, FillmoreSilverSpring. com, www.livenation.com.
Institute of Musical Traditions — Takoma Park, Tony DeMarco &
Siobhán Butler, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25, Takoma Park Community Center, call for prices, times, Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park, 301-960-3655, www.imtfolk.org.
Institute of Musical Traditions — Rockville, John McCutcheon,
7:30 p.m. Sept. 16, Saint Mark Presbyterian Church, 10701 Old Georgetown Road, Rockville, call for prices, www.imtfolk.org. Strathmore, BSO: 2013 Strathmore Season Preview Concert, 8 p.m. Sept. 11; Chinese Culture Land — Talented Youth Troupe Gala, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13; Afternoon Tea, 1 p.m. Sept. 17-18, 21, 24-25; Pet Shop Boys: Electric, 8 p.m. Sept. 19; Sachal Vasandani Quartet, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sept. 20; BSO: Scheherazade and 1812 Overture, 8 p.m. Sept. 21; BSO: Thibaudet Plays Bernstein, 8 p.m. Sept. 26; Warren Wolf and the Wolfpack, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27; Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show, 8 p.m. Sept. 27; National Philharmonic: Beethoven’s Eternal Masterworks, 8 p.m. Sept. 28, call for venue, Locations: Mansion, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda; Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, 301-581-5100, www.strathmore.org.
STRATHMORE
Susan Stacks’ “Bed The Moon, Then Rouse the Sun” is part of Strathmore’s Fine Artist-in-Residence exhibit, currently on view to Sunday. For more information, visit www.strathmore.org.
ON STAGE Adventure Theatre, “Goodnight Moon,” Sept. 20 to Oct. 27, call for prices, times, Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, 301-634-2270, www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org. Do or Die Mysteries, TBA, 6:30 p.m. buffet, 7:30 p.m. show, $47.50 buffet and show, Flanagan’s Harp and Fiddle, 4844 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, 443-422-3810, www. doordiemystery.com Imagination Stage, “Lulu and the Brontosaurus,” Sept. 25 to Oct. 27, call for prices, times, Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda, www.imaginationstage.org Olney Theatre Center, Bedlam Theatre presents “Hamlet” and “Saint Joan,” to Oct. 20, call for prices, times, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, 301-924-3400, www.olneytheatre.org. The Puppet Co., “Totally Tiny Tots,” Sept. 18 to Oct. 13; Tiny Tots @ 10, select Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, call for shows and show times, Puppet Co. Playhouse, Glen Echo Park’s North Arcade Building, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., $5, 301-634-5380, www. thepuppetco.org.
Round House Theatre, Bethesda, “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” to Sept. 15; 4545 EastWest Highway, Bethesda. 240-6441100, www.roundhousetheatre. org. Round House Theatre, Silver Spring, “Agnes Under the Big Top,” presented by Forum Theatre, to Sept. 28, call for show times, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, $15 for general admission, $10 for subscribers, patrons 30 and younger and seniors, 244-644-1100, www. roundhousetheatre.org. Silver Spring Stage, Paula Vogel’s “The Baltimore Waltz,” Sept. 20 to Oct. 12, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Woodmoor Shopping Center, 10145 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. www.ssstage.org. The Writer’s Center, Reading by Dario DiBattista and O-DarkThirty authors, 2 p.m. Sept. 15, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, 301654-8664, www.writer.org.
VISUAL ART
4:30 p.m. Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10001 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda. 301-897-1518. Gallery B, The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, to Sept. 28, opening reception from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 13, gallery hours, noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Suite E. www.bethesda.org. Glenview Mansion, Women’s Caucus for the Arts, Greater Washington, to Sept. 30, Rockville Civic Center Park, 503 Edmonston Drive, Rockville. www.rockvillemd. gov. Marin-Price Galleries, “Today’s Realism,” Sept. 14 to Oct. 3, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday,
7022 Wisconsin Ave., 301-7180622. Strathmore, Fine Artist in Residence Exhibition, to Sept. 15, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, www.strathmore.org. VisArts, Nebiur Arellano, Sept. 13 to Oct. 13, opening reception from 7-9 p.m. Sept. 20; Judy Stone, Sept. 18 to Oct. 20, opening reception from 7-9 p.m. Sept. 20; “This is Labor: Washington Sculptors Group Juried Exhibition,” Sept. 18 to Oct. 20, opening reception from 7-9 p.m. Sept. 20, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville, 301-315-8200, www. visartsatrockville.org. Washington Printmakers Gallery, “New Prints,” Jenny Free-
stone, to Sept. 29, reception from 1-4 p.m. Sept. 14, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, second floor, 8230 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, www. washingtonprintmakers.com.
A church where people are our passion and kindness is our goal! Come be loved and encouraged Senior Pastors: Bishop Darlingston Johnson & Pastor Chrys Johnson Sunday Service 10:30AM Servicio en español 3:00PM Tuesday Bible Study 7:30PM Bethel World Outreach Church-North Campus 19236 Montgomery Village Ave. Montgomery Village, MD 20886 301-355-3434 cityofhope.bwomi.org
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DANCES
Adah Rose Gallery, Randall Lear and Ellyn Weiss, to Oct. 6, vernissage on Sept. 21, 3766 Howard Ave., Kensington, 301-922-0162, www. adahrosegallery.com
C L E R G Y
A P P R E C I A T I O N
Honor Your
High Holy Days
M O N T H
Clergy on Wednesday, Oct. 23rd
Call 301-670-7106
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P ong, Jr. M Gary . Lur dedication u for yo Thank yo ice to our church. and serv
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High Holy Days Services
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Son of David Messianic Congregation
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Thank your ministry leaders for their service and dedication during Clergy Appreciation Month. Reserve your space in this expanded Friday Faith advertising feature coming Wed, Oct. 19!
Call 301-670-7106 or email class@gazette.net today! 1894820
Meeting at Wheaton Community Church 3211 Paul Dr., Wheaton, MD Contact: 240-403-2138 office@sonofdavid.org www.sonofdavid.org No Tickets Required Erev Rosh Hashana 9/04/13 7:30PM Rosh Hashana 9/05/13 10:30AM Erev Yom Kippur 9/13/13 7:30PM Yom Kippur 9/14/13 11:00AM Sukkot Service 9/21/13 10:30AM
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