Stage Banter: The Arena Stage Blog

Bucky Art Selections Announced!

By Jamie Gahlon, American Voices New Play Institute Coordinator

This Fall the Crystal City BID issued a call for artists to create Buckminster Fuller inspired art to be displayed throughout Crystal City this Spring, converging with our run of R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE.  Submissions were due in mid-January, and we were blown away by the creativity, ingenuity, and diversity presented within the designs!  Many of the submissions draw inspiration from Bucky's design science principles, but as you will see from the snapshots of the 15 winners below, there really isn't one way to classify these pieces. I can't help but think that Bucky would be proud!

The exhibition will open on April 1st.  For more information on the artists and winning sculptures, go here.  If you are interested in learning about other upcoming events surrounding the Bucky show, email bucky@arenastage.org.

Status Update, Baggy Jeans, and more!

by Amrita Mangus, Institute Fellow

After tireless hours of perusing through play submissions for the 10th annual Student Playwrights Project, the Arena Stage Community Engagement team has declared the winners and honorable mention recipients!

10th Annual Student Playwrights Project Winners:

1) How to Talk Fish and Sing Pretty Songs by Diamante Dorsey, Duke Ellington School of the Arts

2) Status Update by Madison Hartke-Weber, Duke Ellington School of the Arts

3) Clean Up in Aisle Six by Bridget Kulesh, Gaithersburg High School

4) The Beauty of It by Laneisha McCauley, Cardozo Senior High School

5) Lip Stains on the Mirror and Cross-Eyed Space Aliens by Madeline Monk, Woodbridge Senior High School

6) Baggy Jeans by Sam Nottingham, Yorktown High School

7) The Epiphany by Forrest Penrod, Sitar Arts Center

8) A Skipped Breakfast by Eleanor Tolf, Capitol Hill Day School

Honorable Mentions:

Middle School

1) Two Steps Forward, One Step Back by Jena Al-Barzinji, Islamic Saudi Academy

2) Fireflies by Mia De Jesus-Martin, Stuart-Hobson Middle School

3) Tyranny, Tyranny, You Are My Enemy by Augustin Msellati,French International School

4) I, Werewolf by Eddie Perez, Carl Sandburg Middle School

5) Power by Sara Sacher, Rachel Carson Middle School

6) Daisies:  Beautiful Then Wilts by Edward Smith,Capitol Hill Day School

7) The Time Machine by Benjamin Wallace, Grace Episcopal Day School

8) The Big Red Button by Spencer Wallace, Rachel Carson Middle School

High School Honorable Mentions

1) The Pig and the Chicken by Marie Bouhour, French International School

2) The 13^th Floor by Kwasi Brooks, Duke Ellington School of the Arts

3) The Problem With Fathers by John Barton Haslach,Kingsbury Day School

4) Motivation by Madison Jennings, Falls Church High School

5) Bartleby’s Mission by Lucas Napier-Macdonald, French International School

6) Chekhov’s Dinner by Noa Lynn Nir, Yorktown High School

7) Robbie & Janet:  An Undead Love by Lindsey Reeves, Loudoun High School

8) A Sacrifice by Nicolas Trad, French International School

You can watch these wonderful plays come to life in staged readings with professional actors on February 22 and 23rd (for the honorable mentions) and March 14, 15, and 16 (for the winning plays)! Mark your calendars and check the blog for future updates.

And a special congrats to ALL of the students who submitted plays to SPP! Your plays were a joy to read.

 

A Buzz Worthy Stick Fly Salon

by Janine Sobeck

 It's that time again!  The Salon for Stick Fly is this upcoming Monday, February 1st. Starting at 7:00 pm in the Crystal City Theatre, this Salon will focus on the topics of education, wealth and privilege in the Black community.  This engaging and thought provoking discussion will be lead by our special panel of guests, including Arlington Chief Judge William T. Newman, Pamela Pinnock from Busboys and Poets, "Jack and Jill mom" Deboray Henry, and Mickey Thompson from Social Sightings. 

The event is FREE and open to the public.  To reserve your seats, please contact the Arena Stage Box Office at (202) 488-3300.  

Hope to see you there!

Congrats to our Helen Hayes Award Nominees!

We just wanted to take a moment to congratulate the artists from Arena Stage who have been nominated for a Helen Hayes Award:

Outstanding Director, Resident Musical: Amanda Dehnert, The Fantasticks

Outstanding Director, Resident Play: Lisa Peterson, The Quality of Life

Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical: E. Faye Butler, Crowns

Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play: Valerie Harper, Looped

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical: Nate Dendy, The Fantasticks

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical: Laurence O'Dwyer, The Fantasticks

Outstanding Resident Musical: Crowns

Outstanding Resident Musical: The Fantasticks

Outstanding Resident Play: The Quality of Life

The Canadian Embassy Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical: Crowns

The Canadian Embassy Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play: The Quality of Life

We're proud of all of you!

The Gospel Truth with Marva Hicks

Arena Stage in partnership with Howard University present the workshop presentation of

Gospel Truth
Starring Marva Hicks
By Pearl Cleage and Marva Hicks
Musical Director and Original Music By e'Marcus Harper
Directed by Denise Burse-Fernandez

Join Arena favorite and Howard University alum Marva Hicks as she traces her life through Gospel music. Watch her start as a young girl in rural Virginia and become the Broadway and Hollywood sensation that she is today. Hear some of your favorite Gospel pieces and learn that all things are possible

Presented at Howard University's Ira Aldridge Theater January 30, 2010 at 8:30 PM.

Please RSVP to the Arena Stage box office at 202-488-3300. General seating and free admission.

Directions: The Ira Aldridge Theater is on 6th Street above Howard Drive. Drive past the Cramtom Auditorium, then turn right into the drive (you'll see a guard booth). Parking is available in the lot behind the theater.

Some Light on the Piazza

by David Dower

As the buzz around Stick Fly continues to build, we're also moving into full production mode on The Light in the Piazza.

Casting was recently announced. A whole bevy of Broadway performers joins a bevy of DC actors and musicians on this production. That's Hollis Resnik, our Margaret.

Earlier this week Janine Sobeck, our Literary Manager, interviewed director Molly Smith in what's become a standard practice in our production schedule: The "Page One" meeting. These meetings are an early opportunity for the whole staff at Arena to hear from the artists at the helm of our productions-- about their vision, their priorities, and their passion for the piece we are all about to produce together. Molly expressed her vision in terms of "compression"-- she's hoping to make the audience viscerally experience the compressed timeframe and heightened passions of the story.

Even those who have seen the musical may have missed the sense that it all takes place in a single week! The love story at the center, and the swirling emotions it evokes in everyone concerned, ignites and reaches its fever pitch over the course of a few days. Molly's hope is that we create a production that sweeps the audience into that sense of urgency and breathlessness-- life altering decisions having to be made on a dime. Love overwhelms in this play. What would you do if it struck you with this much force?

Telling their stories: Black Playwrights at Arena Stage

by Janine Sobeck

This weekend was, well, somewhat awe-inspiring.  As part of the American Voices New Play Institute, Arena hosted (with Georgetown University) a convening for Black Playwrights that was specifically focused on the stories that are being told: in their plays, in their lives, and in the field.  

 

 We've started to chronicle some of the main themes, ideas, suggestions and highlites from the weekend over at the Institute blog - and there's still a lot more to come.  You can check it all out HERE.

The final part of the convening was a public performance of new works by 6 of these playwrights (Lydia Diamond, Paul Anthony Notice, Rha Goddess, Daniel Beaty, Katori Hall and Marcus Gardley).  If you were at the event, or watched it on the livestream, we'd love to hear about your experience.  The comment box is open!

 

 

Stick Fly Salon: Monday, February 1st.

If you are like most of the audience at Stick Fly,the performance left you buzzing and wanting to keep the discussion going. Join us in the Crystal City theater on Monday, February 1st to talk about it.  We'll have Arena artistic staff and guests from the audience to keep the conversation lively, but mostly we're making a space for you to share your thoughts with others still abuzz.

The conversation kicks off at 7pm in the same theater as the performances.

Lydia Diamond speaks

by Janine Sobeck

Stick Fly's playwright Lydia Diamond has been everywhere this past weekend.  Other than the Black Playwright's convening where she read from her new play (more on the whole event is coming, I promise), Lydia also talked with NPR and DC Theatre Scene about Arena's production of Stick Fly.  If you missed either one, then check them out.  Trust me, Lydia is so delightful, you're not going to want to miss a word.

 
  

Don't Forget - Black Playwrights convening this weekend!

by Janine Sobeck

So we're all pretty excited about the gathering of some of the leading black playwrights in America that will be happening this weekend as part of the American Voices New Play Institute.  If you haven't already RSVPed for the public portion Sunday night - where 6 of the playwrights (including Stick Fly's Lydia Diamond) will be reading from there new work, plus a Q&A session with all the participants - then make sure you get your name on the list because seats are going FAST.  Click HERE for full info on the event and how to RSVP.  See you on Sunday night!