Christopher Henley News

Tom Prewitt, Avant Bard's current artistic director, knew who he wanted to take on this monumental role: Rick Foucheux. A 35-year veteran of stages large and small in the Washington, DC area, Foucheux has played everything from realism to the avant garde; modern and the classics. Capping off his storied career as he is about to leave the limelight to spend time as a grandfather and to travel, Foucheux taking on Lear is a match made in heaven. Effortlessly commanding the stage, Shakespeare's words and the arc of the tragedy seem newly minted in Foucheux's skillful hands.

An epic parent-child drama and then some. Check out photos from the show below!

Avant Bard proudly announces the last production of its 2016/2017 season, Shakespeare's masterpiece King Lear starring local acting legend Rick Foucheux as Lear.  

Like a sepia-toned photo from the pages of a family album, Avant Bard's production of HOLIDAY MEMORIES evokes seasonal joys untouched by commercialism and cynicism - two mortal enemies of the true spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas, in my opinion. Taken from two personal short stories by the iconoclastic author Truman Capote, this stage adaptation deserves to become an annual tradition.

In Stuff, playwright/performer John Feffer introduces his most personal play yet. Playing the roles of his mother, his aunt, and his distant relative Soviet poet Yitzik Feffer, he tells the story of a woman who gives away her most cherished possessions and reveals her most closely guarded secrets. Other real-life characters describe their own stuff: a filled-to-bursting storage unit of train memorabilia, an art collection lost to the wrecker's ball in lower Manhattan, a Moscow meeting with Paul Robeson, and a long-lost file box of knowledge. Audience members participate in the experience by receiving and passing around the stuff they're handed at the outset of the play.

Countess Aurelie and her fellow madwomen are back to save Chaillot, Paris and the world in a stylishly realized theatrical tour-de-force. As directed by Christopher Henley, WSC Avant Bard's THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT is a feast for the eyes and ears. The production, in an exciting and vibrant translation by Laurence Senelick, also feeds the soul as a reminder of how precious our fragile earth really is and how important it is for someone, anyone, to take a stand to protect it. This MADWOMAN is also brilliantly acted from the members of the quirky ensemble to the queen bee herself, Countess Aurelie, effortlessly brought to life by Avant Bard company member Cam Magee.

Returning for its fifth year, The Theatre Lab's Dramathon, May 15 at 10:30 p.m. at Theater J, once again joins together the talents of some of the DC area's most well-known actors and accomplished playwrights - along with Theatre Lab students and alumni - in world premiere staged readings of short plays written for that night. All proceeds generated by the event go toward The Theatre Lab's scholarship fund.

Tonight before a crowd of 150 theatre makers and theatre lovers, theatreWashington announced the nominees for the 2015 Helen Hayes Awards. One of the country's most prestigious cultural honors, The Helen Hayes Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in professional theatre throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Watch the full announcement below, and scroll down for the list of nominees!

theatreWashington will announce the 2015 Helen Hayes Awards nominees on Monday, January 26th, 2015 in the National Theatre's Helen Hayes Gallery. Artists and audiences, both local and international, will be able to watch the nomination announcements live via webcast for the third consecutive year. This year's Awards will mark the first results from new rules and guidelines that were implemented for the 2014 theatre season.

The American Century Theater will present the Abby Mann stage adaptation of his classic film and teleplay, Judgment at Nuremberg, May 30 - June 28, 2014 at Gunston Arts Center, Theatre Two, in Arlington.

Opening as it does to coincide with the 70th anniversary of D-Day, Joe Banno's moving production reminds us just how much we are still haunted by the ghosts of World War II, and the horrific moral dilemmas of those days. With a large cast that is mostly up to the material Banno has given us a memorable evening of theater that challenges us. Forget plays that give you a cozy, morally superior perch, Mann the playwright and Banno the director force us to think about how we contributed to the monster that was Adolf Hitler.

The American Century Theater will present the Abby Mann stage adaptation of his classic film and teleplay, Judgment at Nuremberg, today, May 30 - June 28, 2014 at Gunston Arts Center, Theatre Two, in Arlington.

The American Century Theater will present the Abby Mann stage adaptation of his classic film and teleplay, Judgment at Nuremberg, May 30 - June 28, 2014 at Gunston Arts Center, Theatre Two, in Arlington.

The Quotidian Theater's production of Brian Friel's FAITH HEALER, features excellent acting and direction, a top-notch set, and costumes that are perfectly suited to the personality of each character and the time period. However, the play is unrelentingly sad.

The Rainbow Theatre Project presents Say You Love Satan by D.C.-native Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa in the third slot of their inaugural season of concert readings. Directed by John Moletress, Satan plays at Source in D.C. on Monday, February 24, 2014 at 7:30 p.m., and will be preceded by a reading of Frank Anthony Polito's short play, White Room w/ Red Door, directed by The Rainbow Theatre Project's Producing Artistic Director, H. Lee Gable.

If your appetite for Shakespeare's history plays was whetted by PBS's recent series "The Hollow Crown," be of good cheer; King John is now receiving a solid production by the WSC Avant Bard. A rare gem, King John is a must for Shakespeare enthusiasts, not least because the play's complex plot renders it extremely difficult to stage. You will have the rare treat of seeing this unjustly neglected piece in fine form.

Tickets are now on sale for 'THE ARISTOCRATS' at Warehouse Theater, located at 645 New York Ave NW

Tickets are now on sale for 'THE ARISTOCRATS' at Warehouse Theater, located at 645 New York Ave NW

DC Theatre Scene, the premiere website for theater coverage in metro-Washington, will present the first-ever Gary Lee Maker Audience Award to longtime theatre afficianado David Tannous on Saturday, June 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Washington Shakespeare Company.