Washington Drama Society Inc

ARENA STAGE IS A CENTER FOR THE PRODUCTION,PRESENTATION,DEVELOPMENT & STUDY OF THE AMERICAN THEATER.

THE 2020-2021 SEASON WAS ARENA STAGE'S 71ST YEAR IN OPERATION. ARENA STAGE IS THE VOICE OF AMERICAN THEATER RESIDENT IN OUR NATION'S CAPITAL. FOCUSED ON AMERICAN ARTISTS, OUR PRODUCTIONS ARE INNOVATIVE AND REPRESENTATIVE OF STORIES FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE NURTURE NEW PLAYS AND REIMAGINE CLASSICS. WE CELEBRATE OUR DEMOCRACY AND DIVERSITY THROUGH A MULTITUDE OF VOICES IN OUR PRODUCTIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO ACTION. WE PRODUCE ALL THAT IS PASSIONATE, EXUBERANT, PROFOUND, ENTERTAINING, DEEP AND DANGEROUS IN THE AMERICAN SPIRIT. THERE WERE NO ONSTAGE PRODUCTIONS AT ARENA STAGE DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. HOWEVER, ARENA PRODUCED A "LOOKING FORWARD" SEASON FEATURING MORE THAN 100 VIRTUAL EVENTS AND PROGRAMS TO ENGAGE WITH AND RESPOND TO BOTH LOCAL AND NATIONAL AUDIENCES. FIRST UP, ARENA PREMIERED ITS THIRD FILM, "THE 51ST STATE", INSPIRED BY THE PROTESTS AND MOVEMENT AFTER GEORGE FLOYD'S MURDER AND THE QUEST FOR SOVEREIGNTY FOR WASHINGTON, D.C. THE WORLD-PREMIERE FEATURED 10 STORIES WRITTEN BY 10 AREA PLAYWRIGHTS BASED UPON INTERVIEWS WITH THOSE IMPACTED BY THE PROTESTS AND DC'S JOURNEY TO HISTORIC STATEHOOD. ARENA'S FALL EDUCATION SERIES CONTINUED WITH MASTERCLASS SESSIONS, INCLUDING SOME SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR PRESCHOOLERS TO ADULTS. LED BY ARENA FAVORITE ARTISTS, SESSIONS COVERED HIP-HOP THEATER, CHOREOGRAPHY, PLAYWRITING, AND COSTUME DESIGN. ADDITIONALLY, BILINGUAL MOVING STORIES, MUSICAL THEATER DANCE, AND ACTING SESSIONS WERE LED BY ARENA'S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STAFF. ARENA STAGE, THE FORUM FOR CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT, AND THE GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LABORATORY FOR GLOBAL PERFORMANCE AND POLITICS AND THEATER AND PERFORMANCE STUDIES PROGRAM, COLLABORATED WITH THE LUBIMOVKA YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL, THE CENTER FOR MODERN DRAMA IN YEKATERINBURG AND THE U.S. EMBASSY IN MOSCOW TO PRESENT "FLASH ACTS", A 6-DAY ONLINE FESTIVAL FEATURING NEWLY COMMISSIONED SHORT PLAYS BY TWENTY PRE-EMINENT AMERICAN AND RUSSIAN PLAYWRIGHTS. PREMIERING IN OCTOBER, IT FEATURED ZOOM PRODUCTIONS IN RUSSIAN AND ENGLISH.THE SPRING FEATURED AN AMBITIOUS FILMED MUSICAL SERIES, "ARENA RIFFS", A THREE-PART COMMISSIONED MUSICAL SERIES THAT PRESENTED THREE DIFFERENT COMPOSER AND LYRICIST TEAMS, FREE TO CREATE WHATEVER INSPIRED THEM. THEMES INCLUDED THE GRIEF AND VOID CREATED BY THE PANDEMIC, THE NATIONWIDE RECKONING ON RACIAL INJUSTICE, FINDING JOY IN DIFFICULT TIMES, AND THE EXPLORATION OF ONE'S RELATIONSHIP TO THE COUNTRY. ARENA'S SPRING VIRTUAL CLASS SERIES CONTINUED WITH OFFERINGS CATERED TO FAMILIES, THEATER LOVERS, STUDENTS, ADULTS, AND EMERGING THEATER ARTISTS. MASTERCLASSES INCLUDE AUDITION PREPARATION, DIALOGUE WRITING, STAGE MANAGEMENT, MONOLOGUE WRITING, AND SCRIPT ANALYSIS. THE INSIDER LECTURE SERIES GIVES PARTICIPANTS A GLIMPSE INTO THE OFFSTAGE WORK THAT HELPS CREATE THE MAGIC SEEN ONSTAGE. "WAITING ROOM: A NEW FILM BY ARENA STAGE'S VOICES OF NOW ENSEMBLES" DEBUTED IN JUNE, EXPLORING HOW REMOTE LEARNING AND SOCIAL ISOLATION HAVE IMPACTED STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY OVER THE LAST YEAR, WHILE ALSO ADDRESSING THE ADJUSTMENT OF RESUMING IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES AND LOOKING AHEAD TO WHAT LIFE MAY LOOK LIKE POST PANDEMIC. IN ITS 18TH SEASON, ARENA STAGE'S VOICES OF NOW ENSEMBLES, AGES 11 TO 24, HAVE PROVIDED A VITAL THEATRICAL PLATFORM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO USE THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES TO INVESTIGATE THE WORLD AROUND THEM AND POSE QUESTIONS VITAL TO THEIR COMMUNITIES. THE FILMS MADE DURING THE PANDEMIC SERVE AS A THEATRICAL ARCHIVE FOR THIS UNPRECEDENTED MOMENT IN HISTORY.INSPIRED BY KEN LUDWIG'S "DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE", PATRONS WERE ABLE RELIVE OR EXPERIENCE FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE JOYOUS, HEARTFELT DRAMA THROUGH A SERIES OF MAILINGS THAT FOLLOW THE LOVE STORY OF LUDWIG'S PARENTS. THE "LOVE LETTER EXPERIENCE" INCLUDED LETTERS, PERSONAL PHOTOS AND TELEGRAMS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED AND HANDCRAFTED WITH PERIOD DETAILS BY ARENA'S PROP SHOP AND SENT TWICE A WEEK OVER A SIX-WEEK PERIOD. OUR ARTISTS MARKETPLACE CONTINUED TO FEATURE THE WORK OF MORE THAN 35 ARTISTS AND ARTISANS WHO HAVE GRACED ARENA'S STAGES, PROVIDING AN OPPORTUNITY TO SELL ITEMS AND EXPERIENCES. PATRONS RESPONDED ENTHUSIASTICALLY, COMMISSIONING OR PURCHASING HUNDREDS OF GIFTS - GENERATING MUCH-NEEDED FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS DURING THE PANDEMIC. THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MOLLY SMITH CONTINUED TO HOST WEEKLY MOLLY'S SALONS, A SHORT-FORM INTERVIEW SHOW FEATURING A VARIETY OF ARTISTS AND LEADERS TO DISCUSS NEW IDEAS THEY ARE EXCITED ABOUT, LIFE IN THE PANDEMIC, AND GLIMMERS OF HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.