T H E WA S H I N G T I O N A R E A PERFORMING ART S VIDEO ARCHIVE PRESENTS
A Historical Look at DC Theatre over 25 Years
Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive (WAPAVA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, incorporated in Washington, DC, and is one of the only three major continuous Actors’ Equity-approved video performance archives in America. WAPAVA preserves and documents live theatre for you and future generations to learn from and enjoy. WAPAVA is a resource for theatre professionals and scholars; students and educational programs; specialized researchers in local/ national theatre history; and the general public.
WAPAVA at 25
The Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive invites you to experience the genius of the Washington area’s world-class theatre scene—in all its historical range and artistic diversity.
Students, scholars, theatre-going audiences— WAPAVA’s collection of recorded performances is here to celebrate our history and provide a vital link to the future.
Writing DC Theatre History
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mong the many treasures to be found in museums, monuments, and historical sites, the nation’s capital is also home to one of the country’s highest concentrations of first-rate professional theatres. Since 1993, the Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive has produced and archived over 900 professional video recordings in the James J. Taylor Collection. We asked some distinguished members of the DC theatre community to share their thoughts on our 25th anniversary.
A Conversation with
Janet Stanford
JANET STANFORD Artistic Director, Director and Playwright
To establish Washington, DC as a legitimate theatre town, we need a record of the terrific actors, directors and designers who have worked here over time.
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hen I came to DC in 1977, there was Arena Stage and The Folger Shakespeare Theatre as well as a very few shopfront theatres that have long since folded. Both Arena and Folger at that time primarily served a white, middle-class audience. The city had lots of derelict buildings at that time and I remember rehearsing in old department stores and lofts that had broken windows and pigeons nesting on the window sills. It was quite an adventure getting to and from rehearsals and the only place to get a snack was at a liquor store with bars between the customer and shop owner. The restaurants came later AFTER the theatres brought culture hungry people to the areas. Over the last 40 years, Washington has finally come into its own. London, Paris, and Berlin are all centers for the arts as well as governments in their countries. As it strives for an identity, Washington theatre can be an important part of the discussion of social and political topics.
To my mind, art is intended to provoke debate, challenge the status quo, and offer people insights into the big problems of our time. Forty years on, Washington boasts a broad range of theatrical offerings—from the classics to new works and second productions of the best of British and American plays that have been generated outside Washington. We have distinguished ourselves with a Women’s Festival where women writers can be showcased and celebrated. We also have universities like Catholic U., American, and George Washington that have strong commitments to their theatre programs and these help to support and cross-pollinate with the professional theatre scene. We have Gala Hispanic Theatre as a strong anchor for the Latino community and the International Lab at Georgetown as well as Kids Euro Festival bringing in artists regularly from overseas. The region also boasts three theatres for young audiences while most cities are fortunate to have one.
At Imagination Stage, we’ve expanded the age range for children’s theatre with the theatre for the very young: small, developmentally appropriate plays for kids ages 1-4, developed in collaboration with other theatres internationally. Most recently, we have begun a Social Justice Program for children fleeing the violence in Central America. Altogether, there is huge breadth of offerings, so many people in our community feel a connection to one or more aspects of the theatre scene. Theatre is by its nature ephemeral so it is great to be able to take advantage of new technologies in order to preserve a live art form.
Insightful + Illuminating Washington, DC is America in a snow globe. When we focus on what drives Washington— politics, power, leadership—there is a significant impact. Our hometown has a unique position: Local news is national news, and local politics is national politics.
MOL LY SMITH Stage Director Artistic Director of Arena Stage since 1998
Our city is where major decisions are made, whether by legislation, Supreme Court decision, executive order, or two-thirds majority.
Washington audiences are highly intelligent and know a great show when they see it. This city loves the arts and jumps at a chance to be part of something new, and something big. So this audience definitely provides a good home for developing new work. There is such a robust scene. Many different types of theatres, large, small and in-between, and so many wonderful offerings. You really can find anything in DC.
A Feeling of Community It’s a great town to live in and be an artist. There are a lot of different niches and populations that are getting a chance to have their stories heard. If you look at the Women’s Voices Theatre Festival that happened in 2015 and again this year, that didn’t happen in Chicago, it didn’t happen in Minneapolis, it didn’t happen in
KAREN ZACARIAS Playwright Productions at John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Round House Theatre, Imagination Stage, GALA Hispanic Theatre • First playwright-in-residence at Arena Stage
New York or LA. It happened in DC. The focus on new work has been big in Washington, DC. People will come from all over the country to write here, to work here. There are opportunities to see lots of different kinds of theatre at different ticket prices, which is so important for the development of writers, performers, companies.
Extraordinary Dedication There is robust strength in local theatre, and extraordinary dedication by the artists who work in the community. DC has a terrific professional not-for-profit theatre community which serves not only 80 regional theatres in the area, from community theatre, to dinner theatre, to
CH A R LIE FIN K Artistic Director Producing Artistic Director of the New Musical Foundation
national institutions like the Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre and Arena Stage. Outside of New York, the only other place that’s even close to DC is Chicago. The diversity is astonishing. There are theatres in every community, from the suburbs to Southeast.
This City Loves the Arts We are a relatively small but mighty community; I have watched it grow over 30+ years, choreographing over 100 shows—at Signature Theatre, the Kennedy Center, the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Source Theatre, Studio and Arena Stage. This community is very caring and generous with each other - we take care of our own.
KARMA CAMP Choreographer Two Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Choreography
The audiences are very loyal! They almost become family; many of them get to know us personally from following our productions and theatres. When the theatres have shows running, the nearby restaurants and shops are always happy - we bring in people to their restaurants, etc. It’s always a good and happy community.
Inspiring Generations to Come Theatre can be like professional sports - it’s more fun to watch when you know a team’s history, the athletes’ backstories, and when you’ve invested in the team over many seasons. Theatre professionals gain inspiration and generate ideas by seeing great work of theatre. An archive of theatre performance can serve
DAV ID MUSE Artistic Director Artistic Director of Studio Theatre since 2010
as an inspiration bank. Other than production photographs and reviews and memories, our work doesn’t last. We try to embrace that ephemerality, but it is nice to imagine that a record of our work lives on somewhere.
Inclusion, Compassion, Empathy All you have to do is see what Kennedy wrote, on the side of the Kennedy Center. The Arts are a way to connect us with humanity. If we forget our humanity, then the very fabric of what holds us together, shreds. Besides, live entertainment has its own kinetic energy and it’s always fun to go.
NATASCIA DIAZ Performer Productions at Signature Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Arena Stage, MetroStage, Broadway and Off Broadway • Helen Hayes Awards Recipient Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical
It is an exercise in empathy at its core, that’s what theatre is. Otherwise the form of it is actually very strange... you go into a black room and you watch people pretend to do things. If you think about it, it’s actually very strange. But I think it has a holy energy to the form, precisely because it is a place that cultivates and advocates for inclusion, compassion, and empathy.
A Conversation with
John Hudson Odom
JON HUDSON ODOM Actor, Wolly Mammoth Company Member
I’ve witnessed time and time again the power and magic of theatre for students in the DMV area. It has the power to inspire, the passion to ignite change, and the heart to breakdown racial and social barriers.
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hat makes DC a unique community is the amount of new work being workshopped or produced. There is a strong sense of connection to the political and social issues facing us as a nation, as well as a deep respect and admiration for the classic works that came before. With that juxtaposition, comes an active dialogue about where we’ve been and where we are going as a community and a nation. DC audiences are extremely intelligent, and enjoy the challenge of breaking down a new piece of theatre as much as the artists who create the work. There is a safety here in taking risks, and building a play from scratch, which I find inspiring as a theatre maker. The artists in this community are constantly working and creating, which offers a unique opportunity to sharpen and master their skills. The DC community has risen to the challenge of opening the door for other theatres nationwide to tackle innovative new work. It is an incredible community for young artists, and I believe that is one of the ways you change and grow--by investing in young talent and the future of theatre. The DC theatre community is a vibrant asset to the educational system, and I’ve witnessed time and time again the power and magic of theatre
for students in the DMV area. It has the power to inspire, the passion to ignite change, and the heart to breakdown racial and social barriers. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Young Playwrights Theatre, which is a semester-long program in which the students have a chance to write their own short plays and then have professional actors come in to perform their scripts. It is astounding to witness such young minds generating at such a mature level. As we see more and more arts funding being taken out of schools, it is inspiring to witness what can happen when students are allowed to create without boundaries, and use their own artistic voice through the art of storytelling. I believe artistic expression is a vital part of a child’s education, and the DC theatre community is a vital part of the educational system. How can you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been? Theatre is a medium in which the experience for the artists and audiences involved is transient, a fleeting moment in time. By preserving our theatre community, we give these productions an opportunity to live on and inspire generations to come. As theatre makers we need as many research tools as possible in order to create an authentic experience for our patrons: dramaturgy,
direction, music, costuming, design, etc. While I was working on Woolly Mammoth’s 2016 production of Brandon Jacob-Jenkins’ An Octoroon—which is an adaption of Dion Boucicault’s 1859 The Octoroon—I was standing offstage at Ford’s theatre waiting to go on for A Christmas Carol, when I noticed a poster for Boucicault’s The Octoroon. After doing a bit of research I discovered that the play, which was a huge hit on Broadway, was set for production at Ford’s, but was cancelled shortly after Lincoln’s assassination in 1865. So the play was never performed in the DC area. It was astounding to me that over 150 years later the play was finally receiving its DC premiere, through the lens of this modern-day adaption of this historical play. This is just one example of why it is so important to document our theatre community’s rich history. Imagine if we had the technology back then to record the original cancelled production of Boucicault’s The Octoroon, and how much it would have informed not only Jacob-Jenkins’ adaption, but our past history and our current social and political climate. By preserving these productions we offer a window into the ephemeral worlds we create, and a platform for future artists to build upon.
These plays are about you Plays are written to be produced, not to be read. I always used to say to my students that these plays aren’t about these people, these people never existed. Ultimately these plays are about you and these plays are about what they say to you.
JACKSON BRY ER President/Professor Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland and President, WAPAVA Board of Directors
All scholars who write about drama, dramatic literature, should in some way be concerned with how that literature is realized on stage. No scholar should be satisfied with simply
reading a play. At WAPAVA, you can find significant productions of plays you might not have a chance to see performed live: by Edward Albee, Tennessee Williams, and Shakespeare of course, and newer artists whose interests and demographics are quite different: now playwrights from all communities and experiences: African-American, Asian, SouthAmerican, LGBT.
An ongoing report of the strength, life and growth People I’ve worked with from out of town are always raving about our community: our quality of work and quality of life and the professionalism of all our local artists. WAPAVA is an ongoing report of the strength, life and growth of the DC theatre scene.
CRAIG WALLACE Actor Ford’s Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Round House Theatre
The more people know it, the more trust and faith they have in what we’re trying to achieve -- the best theatre-going experience we can provide.
Where we’ve been and where we are going DC audiences are particularly smart, even erudite. They know their Shakespeare. They know their avant-garde writers. The conversations you hear after shows are remarkably perceptive. But even regular
JA N E HORW ITZ Arts Journalist/ Theatre & Film Reviewer
theatregoers may not be aware of DC theatre history. So many new people move into and out of Washington, they can’t all be expected to be knowledgeable on the subject. WAPAVA recordings can be invaluable for audiences.
Commitment to local artists and to diversity Washington theatre has provided great opportunities for actors, director, and designers to develop a career in the region and still receive national recognition. Washington theatre is unique because of its breadth and diversity in genres produced, and for its focus on maintaining an intimacy between the artist and the audience.
ABEL LOPEZ Director, Arts Advocate Associate Producing Director, GALA Hispanic Theatre; Chair, Board of Directors, Helen Hayes Awards.
It is important for WAPAVA to preserve Washington theatre to see, document and research its history and evolution in growth and types of theatre produced, nurtured, and developed; evaluate its relevance to and impact on the community and the art form; and to examine its commitment to local artists and to diversity, equity and inclusion in its artistic programs and engagement of audiences.
A Conversation with
Prof. Leslie Jacobsen
LESLIE JACOBSEN Head of Theatre Department, George Washington University
But once a play is over, it’s over. It lives on in our memory, sometimes indelibly, but it’s nothing you can go back to, unless of course, it is recorded. WAPAVA lets people see things that might inspire them to mount a new production, or to write something that responds to a play or its issues, or just to really see the power that theatre can exert.
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heatre replicates human life more fully than any other art form. It’s a wonderful way to get inside the mind and spirit and emotions of other people that you might never meet otherwise, a very powerful tool of storytelling and making people empathize with others and other situations. As a theatre professor, I find that there are a lot of students now who are interested in using theatre to address issues of social injustice, using the arts to affect change. This isn’t propaganda, this is helping us to have deeper understandings of very complicated situations and issues. I think that all art is political if you recognize that it either challenges the status quo in some way or another or supports it. Maybe it’s because Washington is the nation’s capital that we have so many different ideas and cultures coming together. Or maybe it’s just a reflection of the people who wound up coming here over the last several decades. But I think that
what’s exciting about Washington theatre: You can find any kind of work, new work, classical work, musicals, non-musicals, small intimate experiences, larger kind of spectacle experiences. The theatres that evolved and proliferated here have different focal points. They’re not simply different general repertory theatres; we have theatres that do mostly new work, we have theatres that focus mostly on women’s issues, we have GALA Hispanic Theatre doing work that isn’t being done by any other theatre, companies that focus on African-American work, like The African Continuum Theatre. My own theatre company, Horizons Theatre, was in operation from 1977–2007 and we did plays by women playwrights, and with one exception, women directors as well. Theatre J and now Mosaic Theatre do a lot of political theatre looking at the trouble spots in the world. I think that diversity is exciting and practically unique. But once a play is over, it’s over. It lives on in our
memory, sometimes indelibly, but it’s nothing you can go back to, unless of course, it is recorded. WAPAVA and this amazing archive of theatre that has been going on for decades here in DC is a resource for students of theatre. When I teach my Theatre for Social Change class, we read plays and I have the students perform bits and pieces of the play in a staged reading. One year, when Arena was doing Ruined, an amazing play, dealing with the Civil War and Congo, it happened that because it was playing live at Arena, we could all go and see it. But that doesn’t always happen. WAPAVA lets people see things that might inspire them to mount a new production, or to write something that responds to a play or its issues, or just to really see the power that theatre can exert.
Opening Doors When I was in high school and college I ushered at Arena. Amazing plays, amazing company. I was at Woolly when they were first starting out. Look at them now. I spent 11 years at Round House and watched it turn into an important theatre. So many theatres have grown and
M A RT Y LODGE Actor Round House Theatre, Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth, Studio Theatre, Film and Television
gotten new spaces. More young actors have been coming here and staying here. They’re not using it as a stepping-stone to New York or LA. I just returned this year because this is the best theatre city in the country.
Create the Artistic Life You Want I show up to work every day to ensure that Special Collections in Performing Arts can support inquiry on behalf of any patron of the performing arts: students, scholars, theater professionals, and the whole range of the DCarea theater audience.
VINCENT J. NOVARA Curator, Special Collections in Performing Arts Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library University of Maryland
The WAPAVA Collection offers opportunities to view previous interpretations and stagings of a work; the chance to review a company’s history across the year; the means to compare and contrast how a work was produced by numerous companies. It is great tool for teaching students at UMD and elsewhere about the history of DC theater, and a resource for topics that reach into other disciplines: world literature, cultural history, philosophy, etc. These are productions that feature top-tier performers, premieres of award-winning works
that join the canon, and innovative design that is on par with any major theater community. The theaters in DC find ways to reach all audiences -- majority and minority populations, any age, any gender -- through innovative programming and presenting missions that reach target audiences. The breadth and quality of the programming and productions shows a keen awareness of an urban setting that is a federal city, a diverse community, and a college town. DC theater is a vital part of education in the nation’s capital. DC theater history can help you appreciate what you are witnessing in the present, while building anticipation for the promise of what is to come, and WAPAVA is the place to find that history.
Theatres enliven neighborhoods At the WAPAVA Archive, scholars have the opportunity to see performances and productions that were unique to the Washington area. General audience members get a chance to see productions that they otherwise would have missed, or revisit a production that touched them, focusing on the scene or the performance that produced their reaction.
IRENE WAGNER Theatre Subscriber & Supporter Member, WAPAVA Board of Directors
It’s easy to take for granted the rich and vibrant theatre scene that we have now in Washington. Theatres continue to enliven neighborhoods in ways that nothing else could. When I moved to Washington in 1971 there was very little theatre. Now, with lots of small theatres all over the region, people can see theatre in their own community in addition to the larger theatres that draw from everywhere.
Create the Artistic Life You Want I always tell my mentees and students to think about starting their careers in DC because you can catapult your career to the next level. The community is kind and inviting and it’s not intimidating for an actor to be bold, step out
VA L EK A HOLT Actor & Educator
on faith and email the head honcho in charge. I know this, because I’ve done it. I want creatives and people to know that you can create the artistic life you want.
Our completely human theatre It’s because of DC theatre that I found what was to be my life’s calling. I found it at a time when I desperately needed to find it. I started in the tiniest of theatres and after 35 years find myself satisfied, indeed proud of my contributions and associations.
RICK FOUCHEUX Actor Arena Stage, Olney Theatre Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Source, Studio Theatre, Round House Theatre Helen Hayes Awards, Outstanding Lead Actor and Supporting Lead Actor WAPAVA’s Richard Bauer Lifetime Achievement Award
For theatre professionals, access to the archive provides new ideas and confirmation of old
ones; insight into the strengths and weaknesses of a text for performance; answers to seemingly insoluble rehearsal questions; survey of techniques in acting, directing, and scene design. Why preserve? For people to see what our completely human theatre is and was in our time. The technology begs us to preserve this. Our descendants demand it.
A Conversation with
Paata Tsikurishvili
PAATA TSIKURISHVILI Founding Artistic Director, Synetic Theatre Helen Hayes Awards, Outstanding Director Educator, Movement Training and Physical Technique
I’d like people to see that in a community like this, anything’s possible.
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’d like my story to be an inspiration to others. I’d like people to see how, after the Soviet Union collapsed, after the chaos and war that followed, I was able to come to this country, pretty much with nothing, settle in DC, and go on to found a theatre company that’s earned 130 nominations and won nearly 30 Helen Hayes Awards, was recognized by the American Theatre Wing (the founders of the Tonys), has toured nationally and internationally, performed at the Kennedy Center for 5 years, and at The Shakespeare Theatre Company. I’d like people to see that in a community like this, anything’s possible. We’ve gone on national tours to New York, Philadelphia, Connecticut, New Hampshire, where we presented DC theatre. We’ve also gone on international tours to Georgia and Mexico, where we presented not only DC theatre, but a new kind
of American theatre. But the productions we’ve toured have all begun in DC, and would never have existed without the artistic environment that it offered us. King Lear, Host and Guest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream—these are all shows we’ve performed abroad, showing to international audiences how DC theatre is such a diverse artistic and cultural melting pot. This city has a rich theatre history, dating back 150 years, and I think the more people see of DC theatre, the more they will want to see. WAPAVA is key to letting audiences experience what DC theatre has been capable of, over the course of its whole history. It’s tragic to think that the great Hamlets and Lears and Cleopatras from a century-and-a-half ago are gone; all we have are descriptions. But it’s thrilling to think that, due to WAPAVA, future generations of audiences will be able to see our work and learn about our
culture, that it will be preserved exactly as it was, like a Chaplin film or an original recording of Caruso. By preserving a record of productions, WAPAVA is essentially writing DC theatre history. Future generations of theatre artists can now look to the past to build the future. It will be here that directors, dramaturgs, choreographers, and performers can research and learn about the impact of physical theatre on DC. Art is the truest representation of culture, and culture is the face of a nation. After all, when civilizations have gone, what remains? Their art. It’s the soul of any civilization, so it’s essential to not just preserve DC theatre, but to nurture it and further develop the artistic melting pot that exists here in the nation’s capital. A show, after all, is only “alive” for a few weeks. WAPAVA gives it immortality.
Photo Credits COVER FIRST ROW (L-R): Photo #1: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre, The Pajama Game, Bridget Riley (Doris), Casey Wenger-Schulman (Carmen), Alexandra Frohlinger (Sandra), Nancy Anderson (Gladys), Gabi Stapula (Mae) and Heidi Kershaw Quick (Virginia). Photo by Margot Schulman. Photo #2: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre from 6th Street. Photo by Nic Lehoux; Courtesy of Bing Thom Architects. Photo #3: Folger Theatre, The Conference of the Birds. Photo by Scott Suchman.
THIRD ROW (L-R) Photo #1: Woolly Mammoth, Botticelli, with Woolly company member Cody Nickell. Photo by Scott Suchman. Photo #2: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre, The Book Club Play, with Rachael Holmes as Lily, Tom Story as Will, Eric Messner as Rob and Kate Eastwood Norris as Ana. Photo by Stan Barouh. Photo #3: Folger Library, Front from 3rd St. Courtesy of Folger Library. Photo #4: Folger Theatre, Henry IV, Part 1, directed by Paul Mason Barnes, with Tom Story (Prince Hal) and Rick Foucheux (King Henry IV). Photo by Carol Pratt. FOURTH ROW (L-R)
Photo #4: Imagination Stage, 101 Dalmatians. Photo courtesy of Imagination Stage
Photo #1: Ford’s Theatre exterior image. Photo by Maxwell MacKenzie
Photo #5: Arena Stage, Death of a Salesman, with Rick Foucheux as Willy Loman (center), with his two sons Hap (left) and Biff (right). Photo by Scott Suchman.
Photo #2: Woolly Mammoth, The Octoroon, with Erika Rose and Shannon Dorsey. Photo by Scott Suchman.
Photo #6: Shakespeare Theatre Company, Kiss Me Kate, directed by Alan Paul, with cast. Photo by Scott Suchman. SECOND ROW (L-R): Photo #1: Woolly Mammoth, Botticelli, with Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan. Photo by Scott Suchman. Photo #2: Signature Theatre, Arch. Photo courtesy of Signature Theatre. Photo #3: Studio Theatre, Belleville, with Jacob H. Knoll, Joy Jones and Maduka Steady. Photo by Igor Dmitry. Photo #4: Theatre J, Copenhagen, by Michael Frayn, with Tim Getman, Michael Russotto and Sherri L. Edelen. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.
Photo #3: Imagination Stage, Charlotte’s Web. Photo courtesy of Imagination Stage. Photo #4: Folger Theatre, The Winter’s Tale, with Katie deBuys, Daven Ralston. Photo by Teresa Wood. FIFTH ROW (L-R): Photo #1: Imagination Stage, The Smartest Girl in the World. Photo courtesy of Imagination Stage. Photo #2: Exterior of Sidney Harman Hall. Photo by Scott Suchman. Photo 3#: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre, Native Gardens, with Dan Domingues as Pablo Del Valle, Steve Hendrickson as Frank Butley and Sally Wingert as Virginia Butley. Photo by Dan Norman for Guthrie Theatre.
Photo #4: Shakespeare Theatre Company, Hamlet, directed by Gale Edwards, with Sybil Lines as Gertrude, Wallace Acton as Hamlet and Ted van Griethuysen as Claudius. Photo by Carol Rosegg Photo #5: Shakespeare Theatre Company, Hamlet, directed by Gale Edwards, with Sybil Lines as Gertrude, Wallace Acton as Hamlet and Ted van Griethuysen as Claudius. Photo by Carol Rosegg. Photo #6: Folger Theatre, As You Like It. Photo courtesy of Folger Theatre.
WRITING DC THEATRE HISTORY Top left: Source Theatre. Photo by Chris Spielmann of Spielmann Studios. Top right: Shakespeare Theatre Company, Hamlet, directed by Gale Edwards, with Sybil Lines as Gertrude, Wallace Acton as Hamlet and Ted van Griethuysen as Claudius. Photo by Carol Rosegg. Bottom left: Shakespeare Theatre company, Othello, directed by Jude Kelly, with Franchelle Stewart Dorn as Emilia, Ron Canada as Iago, Patrick Stewart as Othello and Patrice Johnson as Desdemona. Photo by Carol Rosegg. Bottom right: Arch. Courtesy of Signature Theatre.
WAPAVA AT 25 Bottom left: Studio Theatre, Belleville, with Jacob H. Knoll, Joy Jones and Maduka Steady. Photo by Igor Dmitry. Bottom right: Ford’s Theatre, The Laramie Project, directed by Matthew Gardiner. Photo by Carol Rosegg. Right: Folger Theatre, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, with The Player (Ian Merrill Peakes, and (l-r): Stephen Russell Murray, Romell Witherspoon, Jacob Yeh, Rachel Zampelli, Adam Wesley Brown. Photo by Teresa Wood.
MOLLY SMITH PAGE Bottom left: Theatre J, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide, with Michael Anthony Williams, Josh Adams, Lou Liberatore. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.
Top right: Theatre J, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide, with Tom Wiggin and Susan Rome. Photo by C. Stanley Photography. Bottom right: Imagination Stage, Set Design, Anime Momotaro. Photo courtesy of Imagination Stage.
Top left: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre, The Book Club Play, with Rachael Holmes as Lily, Tom Story as Will, Eric Messner as Rob and Kate Eastwood Norris as Ana. Photo by Stan Barouh.
Left: Signature Theatre, Karma Camp is rehearsing Gypsy. Photo courtesy of Karma Camp.
Top right: Folger Theatre, District Merchants, with Craig Wallace. Photo by Teresa Wood.
Right: Signature Theatre, Hairspray. Photo courtesy of Karma Camp.
Bottom right: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre, Oklahoma!, with the company. Photo by Carol Rosegg.
DAVID MUSE PAGE
KAREN ZACARIAS PAGE Bottom left: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre, Destiny of Desire, with Esperanza America as Pilar Castillo, Elia Saldaña as Victoria del Rio and Fidel Gomez as Dr. Diego Mendoza. Photo by C. Stanley Photography. Top right: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre, Native Gardens, with Steve Hendrickson as Frank Butley, Jacqueline Correa as Tania Del Valle, Dan Domingues as Pablo Del Valle and Sally Wingert as Virginia Butley. Photo by Dan Norman for Guthrie Theatre. Bottom right: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre, Native Gardens, with Dan Domingues as Pablo Del Valle, Steve Hendrickson as Frank Butley and Sally Wingert as Virginia Butley. Photo by Dan Norman for Guthrie Theatre.
CHARLIE LINK PAGE Bottom left: Woolly Mammoth, Mr. Burns. Cast photo by Scott Suchman. Top left: Woolly Mammoth, Mr. Burns. Cast photo by Scott Suchman.
KARMA CAMP PAGE
Bottom left: Studio Theatre, Belleville, with Jacob H. Knoll and Gillian Williams. Photo by Igor Dmitry. Top center top: Studio Theatre, Constellations, with Tom Patterson and Lily Balayincz. Photo by Igor Dmitry. Top right: Studio Theatre, Circle Mirror Transformation, with Jeff Talbot, MacKenzie Meehan, Kathleen McElfresh, Jennifer Mendenhall and Harry A. Winter. Photo by Carol Pratt. Bottom right: Studio Theatre, Belleville, with Jacob H. Knoll, Joy Jones and Maduka Steady. Photo by Igor Dmitry.
NATASCIA DIAZ PAGE Left: Signature Theatre, West Side Story, with Natascia Diaz and Sean Ewing. Photo by Christopher Mueller. Right: Signature Theatre, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, with Natascia Diaz and company. Choreography by Karma Camp. Photo by Scott Suchman.
JACKSON BRYER PAGE Bottom left: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for
American Theatre, Destiny of Desire, with Esperanza America as Pilar Castillo, Elia Saldaña as Victoria del Rio and Fidel Gomez as Dr. Diego Mendoza. Photo by C. Stanley Photography. Top center: Folger Theatre, Antony and Cleopatra, with Shirine Babb as Cleopatra and Cody Nickell as Mark Antony. Photo by Teresa Wood. Top right: Woolly Mammoth, Botticelli, with Jon Hudson Odom and James Crichton. Photo by Scott Suchman. Bottom right: Studio Theatre, Torch Song Trilogy, with Alex Mills, Todd Lawson, Brandon Uranowitz and Sarah Grace Wilson. Photo by Teddy Wolff.
CRAIG WALLACE PAGE Left: Ford’s Theatre, Death of a Salesman, directed by Stephen Rayne, with Craig Wallace (Willy Loman) and Kimberly Schraf (Linda). Photo by Carol Rosegg. Right: Ford’s Theatre, The Laramie Project, directed by Matthew Gardiner, with the cast. Photo by Carol Rosegg.
JANE HORWITZ PAGE Bottom left: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre, Mother Courage and Her Children, with Nehal Joshi as Swiss Cheese, Erin Weaver as Kattrin, Kathleen Turner as Mother Courage and Nicholas Rodriguez as Eilif. Photo by Teresa Wood. Top center: Folger Theatre, As You Like It, with Rosalind (Lindsay Alexandra Carter, Kimberly Chatterjee, Cody Wilson, Aaron Krohn, Brian Reisman. Photo by Teresa Wood. Top right: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre, Dear Evan Hansen, with Laura Dreyfuss as Zoe and Ben Platt as Evan. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Bottom right: Folger Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with Desmond Bing, Kim Wong, Betsy Mugavero, Adam Wesley Brown, Eric Hissom and Caroline Stefanie Clay. Photo by Teresa Wood.
ABEL LOPEZ PAGE Left: Exterior of Gala Hispanic Theatre. Photo courtesy of Gala Hispanic Theatre. Right: Interior of Woolly Mammoth. Photo courtesy of Woolly Mammoth.
MARTY LODGE PAGE Left: Exterior of Round House Theatre. Photo courtesy of Round House Theatre. Right: Exterior of Gala Hispanic Theatre. Photo courtesy of Gala Hispanic Theatre.
IRENE WAGNER PAGE Left: Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Keith Baxter, with
Gregory Wooddell as Jack and Anthony Roach as Algernon. Photo by Scott Suchman. Right: Ford’s Theatre, Come From Away. Photo by Carol Rosegg.
VALEKA HOLT PAGE Left: Source Theatre. Photo by Chris Spielmann of Spielmann Studios Top right: Woolly Mammoth. Photo courtesy of Woolly Mammoth. Bottom right: Woolly Mammoth, Familiar, with Inga Ballard, Sharina Martin, Drew Kopas, Woolly company member Shannon Dorsey, Kim Sullivan, Twinkle Burke, Cheryl Lynn Bruce. Photo by Scott Suchman
RICK FOUCHEUX PAGE Left: Photo #1: Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Government Inspector, directed by Michael Kahn, Rick Foucheux as the Mayor. Photo by Scott Suchman.
BACK COVER
Othello in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s 1990 production of Othello. Photo by Joan Marcus.
FIRST ROW (L-R):
Photo #5: Woolly Mammoth, Botticelli, with Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan. Photo by Scott Suchman.
Photo #1: Arena Stage, Death of a Salesman, with Fred Shiffman (left) as Uncle Ben and Rick Foucheux as Willy Loman (right). Photos by Scott Suchman. Photo #2: NextStop Theatre. Photo by Key In Films. Photo #3: Folger Theatre, The Conference of the Birds, featuring Jens Rasmussen and Tiffany Stewart. Photo by Scott Suchman. Photo #4: Shakespeare Theatre Company, Othello, with André Braugher as Lago and Avery Brooks as
Photo #6: Woolly Mammoth, The Octoroon, with James Konicek (left), Kathryn Tkel (center left), Jon Hudson Odom (center right), Erika Rose (right). Photo by Scott Suchman. SECOND ROW (L-R): Photo #1: Woolly Mammoth, Interior of Theater Stage Right. Photo courtesy of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
Left: Photo #2: Arena Stage, Death of a Salesman, with Rick Foucheux as Willy Loman. Photo by Scott Suchman. Right: Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Government Inspector, directed by Michael Kahn, with Derek Smith as Hlestakov and Rick Foucheux as the Mayor. Photo by Scott Suchman.
VINCENT NOVARO PAGE Photo #1: WAPAVA Presents: Ford’s Theatre’s Come From Away Video Screening and Panel Discussion with Director of Artistic Programming Patrick Pearson and Cast Member Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan at the Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library on 9/28/17. Photo courtesy of WAPAVA. Photo #4: WAPAVA Presents: Folger Theatre’s District Merchants, with Playwright Aaron Posner and Cast Member Craig Wallace at the Southeast Branch Library of Washington, DC on 6/26/1. Photo courtesy of WAPAVA.
Photo #2: Woolly Mammoth, Familiar, with Inga Ballard (left), and Woolly company member Shannon Dorsey (center) and Kim Sullivan (right). Photo by Scott Suchman. Photo #3: Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Importance of Being Earnest, with Gregory Wooddell as Jack and Anthony Roach as Algernon. Photo by Scott Suchman Photo #4: Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Government Inspector, with Derek Smith as Hlestakov and Rick Foucheux as the Mayor. Photo by Scott Suchman.
Photo #5: Signature Theatre, Exterior of Signature Theatre. Photo courtesy of Signature Theatre.
Photo #3: Arena Stage, Sovereignty, with Kyla García as Sarah Polson. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.
Photo #6: Signature Theatre, The Threepenny Opera, with Natascia Diaz and Mitchell Jarvis. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Photo #4: Woolly Mammoth, Interior of Lobby. Photo courtesy of Woolly Mammoth Theater Company.
THIRD ROW (L-R): Photo #1: Theater J, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide, with Tom Wiggin and Susan Rome. Photo by C. Stanley Photography. Photo #2: Studio Theatre, Belleville, with Jacob H. Knoll and Gillian Williams. Photo by Igor Dmitry. Photo #3: Round House Theater, Exterior Front. Courtesy of Roundhouse Theatre. Photo #4: Imagination Stage, The BFG. Photo courtesy of Imagination Stage.
Photo #5: Woolly Mammoth, Botticelli, with Chris Wallace. Photo by Scott Suchman. Photo #6: Woolly Mammoth, The Octoroon, with Jon Hudson Odom. Photo by Scott Suchman. FIFTH ROW (L-R): Photo #1: Folger Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with Erin Weaver and Eric Hissom. Photo by Teresa Wood. Photo #2: Woolly Mammoth, The Octoroon, with Jon Hudson Odom. Photo by Scott Suchman.
Photo #5: Shakespeare Theatre Company, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Ethan McSweeny. Photo by Scott Suchman.
Photo 3#: Folger Theatre, As You Like It, with Lindsay Alexandra Carter as Rosalind, Kimberly Chatterjee, Cody Wilson, Aaron Krohn, and Brian Reisman. Photo by Teresa Wood.
Photo #6: Source Theater, Exterior of Front. Photo by Chris Spielmann of Spielmann Studios.
Photo #4: Woolly Mammoth, Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play. Cast photo by Scott Suchman.
FOURTH ROW (L-R):
Photo #5: Signature Theater, West Side Story, with Natascia Diaz and Sean Ewing. Photo by Christopher Mueller.
Photo #1: Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Oedipus Plays, with Aleah Windham as Young Ismene, Avery Brooks as Oedipus and Mercedez Mitchell as Young Antigone. Photo by Carol Rosegg. Photo #2: Arena Stage, Death of a Salesman, with The Loman family (l-r): Rick Foucheux as Willy, Tim Getman as Hap, Nancy Robinette (back) as Linda and Jeremy S. Holm as Biff. Photo by Scott Suchman.
Photo #6: Woolly Mammoth, The Octoroon, with Jon Hudson Odom, Maggie Wilder and Kathyrn Tkel. Photo by Scott Suchman.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PAGE Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, Carousel, the cast. Photo by Maria Baranova.
Whether you are a theatre professional, a scholar, a student or a theatre-goer, we invite you to view one of our archived productions. The Archive is a treasure trove of information waiting for you!
Acknowledgments We hope you enjoy this publication and that you will share it widely with your network. It was created to serve as a tool for engaging theatre-goers, developing new audiences, and extending the reach and use of the James J. Taylor Collection, the WAPAVA archive. Highlighting the wonderful productions and talent within the DC theatre community during our quarter-century of operation, Reel Time: A Historical Look at 25 Years of DC Theatre will be distributed widely through websites, social media platforms, colleges and universities, community groups, and media outreach. WAPAVA thanks all of the theatre representatives who participated in this project. We very much appreciate your sharing your ideas and thoughts with us, and we especially thank you for all that you do to uplift the performing arts in the nation’s capital.
The Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive’s Reel Time: A Historical Look at 25 Years of DC Theatre is a Humanities DC Council-funded project. On behalf of the board and staff of the Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive (WAPAVA), we want to thank the Humanities DC Council for providing us with the grant funds to share the perspectives of DC theatre professionals, as well as WAPAVA’s unique mission in preserving and archiving DC’s theatre productions for 25 years. We also want to thank the project team for their hard work and commitment to make this project possible: Carole Bernard, WAPAVA Executive Director, who served as project director Amy Benson, WAPAVA Administrative Assistant, who served as manager of the project funds
Justin Bost from DesignBold, LLC, our Graphic Designer John Doolittle, who served as one of our scholars John Douglass, who served as one of our scholars Stephen Jarrett from White Dog Video, who created our accompanying video Bernard Welt, who served as our lead scholar