Signature Theatre
Encyclopedia
Signature Theatre is a Greater Washington D.C. Area
Tony Award–winning regional theater company based in Arlington, Virginia. Its declared mission is "to produce contemporary musicals and plays, reinvent classic musicals, develop new work, and reach its community through engaging educational and outreach opportunities." In the 20 years since its formation its productions have received numerous local and national awards.
s and librettists who are developing new works for musical theater. The Theatre is especially well known for its productions of Broadway-quality musicals and daring new plays performed in an intimate space. Now in its 21st season under the leadership of Artistic Director Eric D. Schaeffer
and Managing Director Maggie Boland, the company has staged 32 world premiere productions.
Cameron Mackintosh
, Terrence McNally
, John Kander
, and Fred Ebb
are among the talents that have presented works here. Since 1991, Signature has enjoyed a long relationship with Stephen Sondheim
, producing 19 of his musicals, revues and concerts.
. In 2007, however, in partnership with Arlington County Virginia, Signature moved into a new $16 million theater complex built in The Village at Shirlington
. The first floor of the building houses the Shirlington Branch of the Arlington County Public Library. The upper three floors house the theater. The complex has an industrial decor, with exposed particle board, pipes and metal sheeting. It includes two state-of-the-art black box theaters. The larger, christened "Max" in honor of Maxine Isaacs, seats 275 and can expand to accommodate 350 patrons. The smaller "Ark", named in honor of Arlene and Robert Kogod, can hold 99. The theaters are built as "square box within a square box, floating on hockey pucks. At $30 a puck. It is built like a soundstage" In addition to the two performance spaces, the complex contains a spacious lobby, meeting rooms, three rehearsal spaces, four individual dressing rooms, three shared dressing rooms, three showers, a cast greenroom, a separate orchestra greenroom, three kitchen areas, scene, prop, and costume shops. The large lobby was named by donors Gilbert and Jaylee Mead in honor Gilbert's late son Rob Mead.
^ - World Premiere
, Urinetown
, Side Show
, Grand Hotel
, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
, The Rink, The Witches of Eastwick
, and The Visit
, starring Chita Rivera
.
In the 2007-08 season, The Signature presented a Kander and Ebb
Celebration. It began in March 2008 with Kiss of the Spider Woman
starring Natascia Diaz, Will Chase, and Hunter Foster
, then The Happy Time
, and finally The Visit
which starred Chita Rivera
and George Hearn
.
Signature's 2008-2009 season featured a Broadway-bound season opener - the musical Ace
, The Little Dog Laughed, The Lieutenant Of Inishmore
, a world premiere musical with music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, Giant
, See What I Wanna See
, and Les Misérables
.
For a complete production history see http://www.sig-online.org/pro_hist.htm
275 Helen Hayes
Nominations with 69 Awards (as of 2009) including the following
Signature Theatre is a member of League of Resident Theatres (LORT) using the League administered collective bargaining agreements with Actors' Equity Association
(AEA), the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), and United Scenic Artists
(USA).
Signature Theatre is a member of the League of Washington Theaters
(LOWT).
Washington Metropolitan Area
The Washington Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The area includes all of the federal district and parts of the U.S...
Tony Award–winning regional theater company based in Arlington, Virginia. Its declared mission is "to produce contemporary musicals and plays, reinvent classic musicals, develop new work, and reach its community through engaging educational and outreach opportunities." In the 20 years since its formation its productions have received numerous local and national awards.
Mission and History
Signature is renowned for reinventing classic musicals and presenting brand new ones. Founded in 1990, Signature serves as a home for both emerging talents and established composerComposer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s and librettists who are developing new works for musical theater. The Theatre is especially well known for its productions of Broadway-quality musicals and daring new plays performed in an intimate space. Now in its 21st season under the leadership of Artistic Director Eric D. Schaeffer
Eric D. Schaeffer
Eric D. Schaeffer is a theater director and producer based in Arlington, Virginia.He is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Signature Theatre., and is well known nationally for his re-invention of large American musicals for small black box venues...
and Managing Director Maggie Boland, the company has staged 32 world premiere productions.
Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
, Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally is an American playwright who has received four Tony Awards, an Emmy, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has been a member of the Council of the...
, John Kander
John Kander
John Harold Kander is the American composer of a number of musicals as part of the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb.-Life and career:Kander was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Bernice and Harold S. Kander...
, and Fred Ebb
Fred Ebb
Fred Ebb was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera....
are among the talents that have presented works here. Since 1991, Signature has enjoyed a long relationship with Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
, producing 19 of his musicals, revues and concerts.
Facilities
In 1990 Signature Theatre began production in the Arlington County Gunston Arts Center.. This original home was in the the library of a former middle school which had been converted to a black box theater. They rapidly outgrew this facility and in 1993 acquired a defunct Auto Bumper Plating shop, AKA "The Garage", which they converted into a 136 seat black box. In 2007, however, in partnership with Arlington County Virginia, Signature moved into a new $16 million theater complex built in The Village at Shirlington
The Village at Shirlington
The Village at Shirlington opened as Shirlington Shopping Center in 1944, and was the first large shopping center to open in the Washington, D.C. suburbs and one of the earliest in the United States. It is located along Campbell Avenue at the intersection of Shirley Highway and Quaker Lane /...
. The first floor of the building houses the Shirlington Branch of the Arlington County Public Library. The upper three floors house the theater. The complex has an industrial decor, with exposed particle board, pipes and metal sheeting. It includes two state-of-the-art black box theaters. The larger, christened "Max" in honor of Maxine Isaacs, seats 275 and can expand to accommodate 350 patrons. The smaller "Ark", named in honor of Arlene and Robert Kogod, can hold 99. The theaters are built as "square box within a square box, floating on hockey pucks. At $30 a puck. It is built like a soundstage" In addition to the two performance spaces, the complex contains a spacious lobby, meeting rooms, three rehearsal spaces, four individual dressing rooms, three shared dressing rooms, three showers, a cast greenroom, a separate orchestra greenroom, three kitchen areas, scene, prop, and costume shops. The large lobby was named by donors Gilbert and Jaylee Mead in honor Gilbert's late son Rob Mead.
Current (2009-2010) Season Productions
- Dirty BlondeDirty Blonde (play)Dirty Blonde is a play by Claudia Shear.Conceived by Shear and James Lapine and featuring songs from I'm No Angel and She Done Him Wrong, it explores the phenomenon of the legendary Mae West, one of America's most enduring and controversial pop culture icons...
by Claudia Shear; August 11 – October 4, 2009 in the Ark; reviewed by The Washington Post
- Show BoatShow BoatShow Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber; November 10, 2009 – January 17, 2010 in the Max; reviewed by The Washington Post
- I Am My Own WifeI Am My Own WifeI Am My Own Wife is a play by Doug Wright based on his conversations with German transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. The one-man play premiered Off-Broadway in 2003 at Playwrights Horizons. It opened on Broadway later that year. The play was developed with Moisés Kaufman and his Tectonic...
by Doug Wright; January 12 – March 7, 2010 in the Ark; reviewed by The Washington Post
- Sweeney Todd by Hugh Wheeler and Stephen Sondheim; February 9 – April 4, 2010 in the Max (third Signature production); reviewed by The Washington Post
- [title of showTitle of show[title of show] is a one-act musical, with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and a book by Hunter Bell. The show chronicles its own creation as an entry in the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and follows the struggles of the author and composer/lyricist and their two actress friends during the...
] by Hunter Belland Jeff Bowen; March 30 – June 20, 2010 in the Ark
- Sycamore Trees by Ricky Ian Gordon; May 18 – June 20, 2010 in the Max (world premier)
Next (2010-2011) Season Productions
- ChessChess (musical)Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;...
Book by Richard NelsonRichard Nelson (playwright)Richard Nelson is an American playwright and librettist. He wrote the books for the musicals James Joyce's The Dead and the Broadway version of Chess.-Personal life:Nelson was born in Chicago, Illinois....
Music by Björn UlvaeusBjörn UlvaeusBjörn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
and Benny AnderssonBenny AnderssonGöran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
Lyrics by Tim RiceTim RiceSir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
; August 10 – September 26, 2010 in the Max
- ^A Fox On The Fairway by Ken LudwigKen LudwigKen Ludwig is an American playwright and theatre director.Born in York, Pennsylvania, Ludwig was educated at the York Suburban Senior High School, York PA Haverford College , Harvard Law School, and Trinity College at Cambridge University...
; October 12 – November 14, 2010 in the Max
- ^Walter Cronkite Is Dead by Joe Calarco; October 26 – December 19, 2010 in the Ark
- Sunset BoulevardSunset Boulevard (musical)Sunset Boulevard is a musical with book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Based on the 1950 film of the same title, the plot revolves around Norma Desmond, a faded star of the silent screen era, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the...
Book and Lyrics by Don Black and Christopher HamptonChristopher HamptonChristopher James Hampton CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, screen writer and film director. He is best known for his play based on the novel Les Liaisons dangereuses and the film version Dangerous Liaisons and also more recently for writing the nominated screenplay for the film adaptation of...
Music by Andrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
; December 7, 2010 – February 13, 2011 in the Max
- ^Wheatley's Folly Book by Michael Slade Music by Joseph Thalken Lyrics by Mark Campbell; March 15 – April 10, 2011 in the Max
- Art'Art' (play)‘Art’ is a French language play by Yasmina Reza that premiered on 28 October 1994 at Comédie des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The English language adaptation, translated by Christopher Hampton opened in London's West End on 15 October 1996, starring Albert Finney. It played on Broadway in New York...
by Yasmina RezaYasmina RezaYasmina Reza is a French playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter. Her parents were both of Jewish origin, her father Iranian, her mother Hungarian.-Career:...
Translated by Christopher HamptonChristopher HamptonChristopher James Hampton CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, screen writer and film director. He is best known for his play based on the novel Les Liaisons dangereuses and the film version Dangerous Liaisons and also more recently for writing the nominated screenplay for the film adaptation of...
; March 29 – May 22, 2011 in the Ark
- Side By Side By SondheimSide By Side By SondheimSide by Side by Sondheim is a musical revue featuring the songs of Broadway and film composer Stephen Sondheim. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from Company.-History:...
Music and Lyrics by Stephen SondheimStephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
; April 26 – June 12, 2011 in the Max
^ - World Premiere
Recent Productions
Recent productions include Over and OverAll About Us (musical)
All About Us is a musical with a book by Joseph Stein, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander. The musical has been produced in regional theatres but not in New York City....
, Urinetown
Urinetown
Urinetown: The Musical is a satirical comedy musical, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and municipal politics...
, Side Show
Side Show
Side Show is a musical about Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who make a change from being a circus act to becoming famous stage performers in the 1930s. The show was written by Bill Russell and Henry Krieger . The show starred Alice Ripley as Violet and Emily Skinner as Daisy...
, Grand Hotel
Grand Hotel (musical)
Grand Hotel is a musical with a book by Luther Davis and music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, with additional lyrics and music by Maury Yeston....
, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a rock musical about a fictional rock and roll band fronted by an East German transgender singer. The text is by John Cameron Mitchell, and the music and lyrics are by Stephen Trask. The musical premiered in 1998 and has been performed throughout the world in hundreds...
, The Rink, The Witches of Eastwick
The Witches of Eastwick (musical)
The Witches of Eastwick is a 2000 musical based on the novel of the same name by John Updike. It was adapted by John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe , directed by Eric Schaeffer, and produced by Cameron Mackintosh....
, and The Visit
The Visit (musical)
The Visit is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander.Based on Friedrich Dürrenmatt's 1956 satirical play about greed and revenge "Der Besuch der alten Dame," it focuses on one of the world's wealthiest women, Claire Zachanassian, who returns to her...
, starring Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
.
In the 2007-08 season, The Signature presented a Kander and Ebb
Kander and Ebb
Kander and Ebb were a highly successful songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb . Known primarily for their stage musicals, Kander and Ebb also scored several movies including their most famous song, the theme song from Martin Scorsese's New York, New York...
Celebration. It began in March 2008 with Kiss of the Spider Woman
Kiss of the Spider Woman (musical)
Kiss of the Spider Woman is a musical with music by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with the book by Terrence McNally. It is based on the Manuel Puig novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña...
starring Natascia Diaz, Will Chase, and Hunter Foster
Hunter Foster
Hunter Foster is an American musical theatre actor/singer, librettist and playwright.-Early life:Foster was born in Lumberton, North Carolina, but raised in Augusta, Georgia and Troy, Michigan. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Studies from the University of Michigan in 1992...
, then The Happy Time
The Happy Time
The Happy Time is a 1952 movie directed by the award-winning director Richard Fleischer, based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Robert Fontaine, which Samuel A. Taylor turned it into a hit play. A boy, played by Bobby Driscoll, comes of age in a close-knit French-Canadian family. The film...
, and finally The Visit
The Visit (musical)
The Visit is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander.Based on Friedrich Dürrenmatt's 1956 satirical play about greed and revenge "Der Besuch der alten Dame," it focuses on one of the world's wealthiest women, Claire Zachanassian, who returns to her...
which starred Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
and George Hearn
George Hearn
George Hearn is an American actor and singer, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.-Early years:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hearn studied philosophy at Southwestern at Memphis, now Rhodes College before he embarked on a career in the theater, training for the stage with actress turned acting...
.
Signature's 2008-2009 season featured a Broadway-bound season opener - the musical Ace
Ace (musical)
ACE is a musical with a book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker, and music by Oberacker. The story is about a boy, separated from his mother, who discovers his past and himself through a series of dreams about a flying ace...
, The Little Dog Laughed, The Lieutenant Of Inishmore
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
The Lieutenant of Inishmore is a black comedy by playwright Martin McDonagh, first produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company in London in 2001.-Plot:...
, a world premiere musical with music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, Giant
Giant (musical)
Giant is a musical based on the 1952 Edna Ferber novel of the same name, with music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa and book by Sybille Pearson. The musical premiered at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia in 2009...
, See What I Wanna See
See What I Wanna See
See What I Wanna See is a musical by Michael John LaChiusa based on three short stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa: "Kesa and Morito", "In a Grove" and "The Dragon". The story is told in two parts with two prologues. Each prologue involves the medieval lovers/killers Kesa and Morito...
, and Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
.
Significant Past Productions
- SWEENEY TODD By Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler; August 27 - September 21, 1991. This production was significant because it was the first of the Sondheim musicals produced by Signature and the critical acclaim established the company
- ASSASSINS By Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman; August 20 - October 3, 1992. This production was significant because it was attended by Stephen SondheimStephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
and began a long term relationship between the theatre and Sondheim
- THE FIX by John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe; March 17 - May 10, 1998. This production was significant because it began a long term relationship between the theatre and Cameron MackintoshCameron MackintoshSir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
- GRAND HOTEL, By Luther Davis, Robert Wright, George Forrest, Maury Yeston; August 21 - October 7, 2001. This production was significant because it was running on 9/11 and resonated so well with the mood of the country afterwords
- LES MISÉRABLES by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. Based on a novel by Victor Hugo; December 2, 2008 – February 22, 2009. This production was significant because established the ability of Signature Theatre to adapt large musical productions to a small stage.
For a complete production history see http://www.sig-online.org/pro_hist.htm
Awards
- 2009 Regional Theatre Tony AwardRegional Theatre Tony AwardThe Regional Theatre Tony Award is a special non-competitive Tony Award given annually to a regional theatre company in the United States. Initially presented in 1948 to Robert Porterfield of the Virginia Barter Theatre for their Contribution To Development Of Regional Theatre, the Regional Theatre...
- 2002 - Jonathan Larson Performing Arts FoundationJonathan Larson Performing Arts FoundationThe Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation was a foundation started in 1997 by the family and friends of Jonathan Larson, composer of the musical Rent. From 1997 to 2008, the foundation awarded grants to musical theatre composers, lyricists and book writers. Following the 2008 grants, the...
grant for The Unknown: a silent musical by Janet Allard, Jean Randich and Shane Rettig. It was ultimately produced by Page 73 Productions at Joe's Pub as part of The Public Theater's New Work Now Festival 2004, and in the New York Musical Theater festival in 2005.
275 Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Award
A Helen Hayes Award is a theater award named for the famed actress Helen Hayes to recognize excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are managed by Linda Levy Grossman. and presented by the Washington Theatre Awards Society.-Awards:The Helen Hayes...
Nominations with 69 Awards (as of 2009) including the following
- 2009 Outstanding Resident Musical Canadian Embassy Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical - Les Misérables.
- 2006 Outstanding Resident Musical - Urinetown.
- 2005 Outstanding Resident Musical - Allegro.
- 2001 Outstanding Resident Musical - Side Show.
- 1999 Outstanding Resident Play - Nijinsky's Last Dance.
- 1997 Outstanding Resident Musical - Passion.
- 1995 Outstanding Resident Musical - Into the Woods.
- 1993 Outstanding Resident Musical - Assassins.
- 1992 Outstanding Resident Musical - Sweeney Todd.
Other Items Of Note
The Signature Theatre offers a number of programs beneficial to both writers and performing artists, and to the community.- The New Play Festival develops new work by local and national writers.
- Signature in the Schools is a program designed for Arlington County high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students, culminating in an annual all-student production. - Signature Sings Broadway in Ballston presents a series of free summer concerts.
- Signature in the City mounts productions in Washington, DC.
- Overtures, a two-week musical theater intensive course for performers age 18 and older, is held to encourage young musical theatre performers in the area. A separate, 'pre-Overtures' program (for ages 14-17) exists for younger students, called "Stage One".
- The Cabaret series features professional cabaretCabaretCabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
singers from Washington and New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Signature Theatre is a member of League of Resident Theatres (LORT) using the League administered collective bargaining agreements with Actors' Equity Association
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
(AEA), the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), and United Scenic Artists
United Scenic Artists
United Scenic Artists local USA 829, is a United States labor union of designers and artists in the entertainment industry. It is a nationwide autonomous Local of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes...
(USA).
Signature Theatre is a member of the League of Washington Theaters
League of Washington Theaters
The League of Washington Theaters is an association of non-profit professional theaters and theater-related organizations in and around the Washington, DC area. Its programs include an annual area-wide audition, Free Night of Theater, and Stages For All Ages...
(LOWT).