13 Southwest Waterfront: Oklahoma!

After eating at Cantina Marina, Sam & I walked across the street to Arena Stage to see Oklahoma!, the production Molly Smith, Arena's Artistic Director, chose to kick-off the theatre's return to the newly renovated space.

And what better way to kick it off than with the musical that marked the beginning of a truly authentic, American art form, the musical.

This isn't to say that acting, dancing, and singing had never co-existed on stage, but Oklahoma! marked the first time all three elements worked together to advance the storyline, particularly the dance. This was marked by an epic 15-minute "dream ballet" which was originally choreographed by one of modern dance's matriarchs, Agnes de Mille.

Anyway, you can read more about this milestone in American history elsewhere. Let me move onto the space. The original two stages were preserved and enclosed by the structure you see in the pictures, the undulations of the facade meant to mimic the near-by river. A third stage and administrative spaces meant to house Arena's entire staff under one roof for the first time, were also part of this Capital campaign.

This effort also marks a milestone in theatre history, although this time it marks the end of an era as well as a beginning. This will probably be one of the last, great capital additions to performing spaces in the Metropolitan DC area. Without getting into it, changing trends in audience, fundraising, revenue, and the nature of art and entertainment, along with social media, and not to mention the economy, would make it difficult to see the kind of development we've seen recently (with Woolly, Signature Theatre, the Shakespeare Theatre, and now Arena, to name the ones that come to mind) financially feasible and sustainable anytime in the near future.

This isn't to say that this is a good or a bad thing. If anything, Arena Stage's new space opens at a pivotal time not just for theatre in America, but for the arts. And if their first season is any indication as to how they plan to engage their audience and the community, both local and national, as well as the preservation and creation of significant American theatre, then this opening, and this show, also marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter of arts in DC and the US.


Oklahoma! is on Arena's Fichlander Stage, and has garnered a good bit of attention. Peter Marks, with the Washington Post, wrote a glowing review last week, and Patrick Healy commented on some of the buzz it's been getting on Broadway.

One of the first shows my mom introduced to me growing up, this production of Oklahoma! pays its respect to the musical theatre tradition, by an organization that is dedicated to the stewardship of American theatre, its artists, and its audiences.

See Oklahoma! if you appreciate musical theatre and would like to see a significant work skillfully revived. However, if musicals are not your cup of tea, I encourage you to take a look at the rest of the season, as there is something for everyone.

12 Crystal City: King Arthur

(Flyer from Synetic's website)

So we’re switching things up this time: I’ll review the Arts since the “stage” part of the blog is actually on stage. But I won’t go that far… my forever-hungry stomach was well engaged when I went to see Synetic’s King Arthur. It was a feast of kings!

Location:

Tucked in the middle of Crystal City buildings but very close to the metro station. The venue is more fancy than low-key, and not necessarily charming. But home is home so congrats to the theatre company (led by Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili) for finally finding a permanent venue for their shows!

Seating:

This show uses a “water stage”. The “splash zone” (first two rows for some, apparently first five for others) has been the Talk of the Town. So when you go buy your tickets ask yourself the same questions you do when you go out and dine: do I want a seat in the back and enjoy my meal quietly? Or do I want the exciting spot next to the open kitchen? It all depends on what you’re in the mood for; to be or not to be… splashed.

Starters:

Water is one of the main ingredients in this show. Some might presume that this causes the production to be gimmicky or a monotonous series of splish and splash, but don’t be fooled. The use of water is so creative and dynamic and you come to realize this right at the beginning: Merlin (Alex Mills) walks on stage creating ripples in the lake that are beautifully reflected on the background; a few minutes later, Morgan le Fay (Jodi Niehoff) emerges from that same lake causing a strong splash that disturbs the serenity of the scene.

Entrée #1:

Consistently strong, with a couple of traditional fighting scenes expected from an epic like King Arthur. What impressed me the most however was the cleaver use of lighting and “non-lighting”. Light and darkness, as water, are prominent parts of this production. They are put into great use in a scene where Uther magically morphs into king Cornwall as he sneaks into the castle to sleep with queen Ingraine.

Palate Cleanser:

The dancing sequences are refreshing after all the fighting and drama. The first was served on the Round Table when Arthur (Ben Cunis) is enshrined as king. The guys proved that they are not only good at the fight scenes but also excel at dance during this folklore-esque piece.
   
The second followed soon as Arthur and Guinevere (Brynn Tucker) celebrate their marriage. This seemed to be a favorite scene for many, including the actors themselves. The brilliant Celtic-Modern fusion music that infuses the ambient is most apparent here.

Entrée #2:

More fighting and drama. You also start to see the creative versatility of the set: a scene which introduces Lancelot (Vato Tsikurishvili) uses the “rocks” on stage as a bridge; before that, they were the Round Table; and later on, they will be turned into a mountain. Another showcase of creativity is in the “ménage a trios” scene between Arthur, Morgan, and Guinevere. Like a great complex dish, this scene plays with your senses as the three stand apart performing a series of well coordinated movements. Flavors then smoothly blend into one another; love and sensuality becomes hate and anger as Morgan rapes Arthur towards the end of the scene.

Dessert:

After this amazing feast of senses you are left looking forward to dessert. Unfortunately, there is no grand finale. However the lack of a powerful final impact is compensated by an elegant artistic touch. The final scene mirrors the first scene when Merlin appears with the Excalibur. This time around, the wizard disappears in darkness as the legendary sword returns back to the water, creating a full circle that marks the end of the show.

Final Comments:

King Arthur is as fantastic as previous shows that I’ve seen by Synetic. Although the “water stage” is a new concept to the company, they manage to make it work so well and so artistically that it doesn’t detract from the group’s amazing performance. If you are not yet convinced, I’ll leave you with this amazing trailer.

11 Chinatown: The Vibrator Play

So, this post is unbelievably late, and for that I apologize.

"In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play" was actually extended at Woolly Mammoth, and closed a couple of weekends ago. So while reading this might not serve as a review of a show you might see, hopefully it will give you an idea of what Woolly has in store for its audiences, this season.

The Vibrator Play by Sarah Ruhl, kicks of a season intended to provide a "striptease of the subconscious". The essence of the season is to be "a focused and poignant exploration of our attitudes toward gender, age, race, and sexuality in a manner that's uniquely Woolly". I could try to sum up the piece, by Woolly's synopsis will do just fine:

"At the dawn of the electrical age, a new medical device is developed to pacify “hysterical” women, but it produces a shockingly different result. Pulitzer Prize-finalist Sarah Ruhl, creator of Dead Man’s Cell Phone and The Clean House, returns with a richly textured comedy about marriage, motherhood, and the charged energy between our bodies"

Now, Woolly is by far one of my favorite theatre companies. Part of what I love (and this is the Arts Management lens coming in) is their mission:

. . . to ignite an explosive engagement between theatre artists and the community by developing, producing, and promoting new plays that explore the edges of theatrical style and human experience, and by implementing new ways to use the artistry of theatre to serve the people of Greater Washington, DC.

LOVE IT!!

And I definitely believe that's what they're continuing to do, and have done with this show.

Walking in, the set is definitely interesting, with some heavy duty medical lights hanging from the ceiling, as if saying that the stage is this giant operating table, yet the bulk of the scenic design incorporating wood, from walls to furniture. And just to add the audience into the mix, a viewing gallery of sorts, serves as the second floor of the house on stage.

Although the title of the piece is "In the Next Room", the only thing separating the living room from the...'operating' room is a door and its frame, which provides for some very interesting scenes with action and dialogue occurring in both rooms simultaneously.

The highlight of the play for me is the dialogue between two women, the doctor's first patient and the doctor's wife, when describing the completely different experiences each had upon treatment of the device. The insightful yet hilarious writing is the essence of what really drives the first act.

The second act, is less entertaining, which isn't to say it is less artful. It leaves the lofty and light-hearted canopy of the subject matter addressed in the beginning, and becomes mired in the weeds, trying to make philosophical and logical sense of emotional and sexual well-being and health.

Some of the musings it left me with were as universal and general as people not wanting to be alone, but then as personal as what do individuals look to for companionship.

All-in-all, a worthwhile evening, and a great start to an exciting season.

10 Penn Quarter: "The Sleeping Beauty - A Puppet Ballet" and "Avenue Q"

It's our 10th blog and this is a puppet special, apparently, although not intentionally.

Sam and I haven't seen performances as often as we'd like (much less to blog about) as things have been busy. I'm currently actually working on finishing my thesis, as partial requirement for AU's Arts Management program. I've also started my own production company and produced a show as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival. This actually leads us to the first of two shows we caught today, as part of our 10th blog..."special".

We caught an 11am of Pointless Theatre Company's "Sleeping Beauty - A Puppet Ballet". This is actually only the 2nd Capital Fringe show I've caught this year, and the 2nd one I've seen at the Mountain in the Mountain at the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church. One of the more traditional stages, companies and performers that win the luck of the draw get a proscenium stage with curtain and permanent air conditioning. Don't get me wrong, part of the charm of the festival, are the temporary spaces set up in otherwise unused spaces.

[more pics to come once I get them from Sam, not of the show, of course, just of the venue]

Anyway, this production hold's a special place in my heart because it was produced by a company which was started last year, Pointless Theatre Company, by a collective of UMD Theatre students. Part of their mission including creating spectacle that was accessible and affordable, and they are part of a growing collective of next generation theatre companies in the DC area. Now even though I was a Dance major, once a Terp (UMD's mascot), always a Terp, I suppose?

As a dancer, though, this play was particularly fascinating as the puppets, which actually danced, utilized the coordination of three actors to appropriately locomote (I looked it up, and this seems like an appropriate use of the verb), the legs, the torso and head, and the arms. The pinnacle of these dance sequences was the pas de deux between the sleeping beauty and her prince, thus involving six puppeteers.

Puppet dancing aside, the story was also skillfully executed by a cast that was obviously having fun. You can check out more about the piece in DC Theatre Scene's review. What touched me was after the show, meeting the parents that traveled into town to support their kids, whether or not they see shows other than their kids' on a regular basis. What even touches me more is the community sentiment one of the cast members shared with me one previous night at the tent. He expressed no desire to go anywhere else, because it just didn't make sense, when he had an established community of actors that he wanted to work with and support.

Maybe this is the sign of change within the theatre company, feelings become less about how "I" can be successful, but more about how "we" can be successful.

Anyway, I'm getting in to thesis mode. You, however, can rsvp at their FB event page and buy tickets for the 3 remaining shows, on the 21st and the 22nd @ 6pm, or the 24th @ 1:15pm

So after grabbing brunch at Busboys & Poets' Penn Quarter establishment, we headed over to Shakespeare Theatre Company's older space, the Landsburgh Theatre, to catch the touring production of Avenue Q. This is actually the 2nd time I've seen it, and I probably can't really write anything about it that you don't either already know, or can't find out.

I will say, it's nice to see how it's grown since the original Broadway production. Having memorized that soundtrack by heart, the edits keep the experience of it fresh, and it's also interesting to see what choices were made for the good of the show. Also, the last time I saw it was when the touring production came through the National Theatre, and it was great experiencing it in a smaller space, actually.

Ultimately, it's content and messages were still timely and relevant, whether it was about racism, love, or internet porn, and more than once I was relatively emotional. Especially since the last time I saw it was back in 2008 (I think), it was interesting to see how important the thought of doing something you love was, but also (on a personal note) there were a certain reference to our previous president which would've been edited, and I was wondering how. All I can say is that I was thoroughly satisfied and laughing for a while that the show still has the balls to go there.

Whoever thinks that art can't be entertaining and isn't political, hasn't scene this show. Anyway, they've got the social media down, as you can like their Facebook Fan Page, subscribe to their YouTube channel, or follow them on Twitter.

What I loved about today was that this really is a perfect example of the two extremes of the artistic spectrum that we have available in DC. We have these Nationally known shows which tour and stop through but we've also got a local, homegrown scene that is thriving and just as deserving, if not more so, of the same support. After all, even shows like Avenue Q have to start somewhere. Theatre companies like Pointless Theatre Company and other noobs like it are definitely part of a growing number of organizations that will probably define the state of the performing arts for the next generation of theatre goers.

9 Shirlington: [Title of Show] at Signature Theatre

So we had another Plate 2 Stage outing a little sooner than we thought.

I received an email sent to alumni from Signature Theatre's Overtures program with a ticket offer to see their production of [Title of Show] a couple of weekends ago.

I suggested to Sam we turn it into a "blogging" afternoon, and that we eat at T.H.A.I. Shirlington beforehand.

[Title of Show] was originally presented in 2004, at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. In a nutshell, it's a musical about two guys trying to write a musical. Metro Weekly reviewed it back in April, and there's also a blog you can check out.

So instead of rehashing information that's already out there, I'll just share some personal thoughts.

First, this is one of those shows that puts me in my musical place. I think I know musical theatre, and then I see a piece like this and realize how little I know. That being said, even if you aren't aware of come of the conceits that might be used (such as choreography from the opening of A Chorus Line use in the opening number, appropriately titled "Untitled Opening Number") the actually plot and dialogue remain engaging, as Sam shared with me.

And the script doesn't just brake the fourth wall, they hit it out of the ballpark. Kudos to the cast, particularly their music director. There were so many moments, and choices which made each character particularly quirky, and endearing in different ways.

Also, after a good deal of what might seem like predictable and entertaining jokes and singing and dancing, for me in particular, the show dug a little deeper than I expected. Maybe it is because of my current endeavors in grad school for Arts Management, but genuine conflict started to creep in between characters, shifting from the initial struggle in the joint endeavor of simply getting a show up.

But when the show starts addressing what happens when success starts to beckon and you realize that not only do you have different understandings of success, but the different paths that you might have to take from partners and friends once thought to be quintessential and an inseparable part of your vision and life.

Not only looking at the danger when friendships are endangered by the professional relationships, but on a larger scale, look at the state of artists and new work in America, and the struggle between doing what we love and doing what we have to do to live. The irony is that while ideally the two are the same, until the arts are valued and supported the way that they should be, artists and the art that we create will be subject to the whims of economic hardship, paying bills, rent, health care, retirement, and all those things other sectors until recently might have taken for granted.

The ironic part is that the economic situation, while affecting arts organizations, have probably affected artists less than others, because we're used to juggling multiple jobs, of having to hustle to make ends meet, to stay busy and pay rent, of living within our means.

Yes, whether you realize it or not, if you've seen [Title of Show] and didn't understand the state of the artist before...well you learned a little something new, and maybe even had fun too.

And you have until June 27th to catch this; you can buy tickets here.

525,600 miles from DC: RENT

So we weren't really that far out of DC. We were just in Kensington, MD (right outside the beltway) catching Kensington Arts Theatre's production of RENT.

Now RENT's dear to me. I specifically have memories of my junior year being the Sound Board Op for my high school's winter play, The Misanthrope. If you're familiar with the show, as you might imagine there weren't too many sound cues. The running time was also just a little longer than the soundtrack of RENT. However it came about, I ended up listening to the full soundtrack on my headphones (without missing my 5 sound cues from my Stage Manager)*.

*Let me add a bit of a disclaimer as well...this was a good 12 years ago. Operating boards now, I would not be listening to anything but the production AND my stage manager...but I digress.

Anyway, this is actually the first Kensington Arts Theatre mainstage production I've seen, and they presented the work wonderfully. I definitely saw why KAT is one of the better known community theatres in the DMV area.

There's really not much else to say about the production. It was just a fun evening with a full house with high energy performances all around, directed well and with great choreography. While outside of La Vie Boheme, there's not much "dance" dance, there's a lot of musical blocking.

RENT definitely is one of those shows you either love or you don't. However, particularly with recent studies regarding the above average rate of HIV infection, issues regarding affordable housing, same-sex relationships, class issues, life purpose...it's story and context are just as relevant (if not more so) today, than ever.

3 Way Affair: Antony & Cleopatra

Disclaimer: As a dancer and someone who has performed with Synetic Theater in their production of Carmen, this post is going to be a bit more subjective than usual :-)

With 13 Helen Hayes Nominations this year, Synetic Theater reinforces its presence as a performing force to be reckoned with. Sam and I caught this performance before dinner at a venue new to Synetic for this production, the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Landsburgh Theatre. Normally in residence at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre, with a once a year appearance at the Kennedy Center's Family Theater, "DC's premier physical theatre", has raised its profile with expanding its partnerships to include producing a show at Georgetown University with students from its Theatre program, and now its most recent work, Antony & Cleopatra, which just closed at the Shakespeare Theatre.

Synetic Theater is the product of a dynamic husband and wife team, Paata Tsikurishvili (Artist Director and Founder) & Irini Tsikurishvili (Resident Choreographer and Founder). Founded in 2001. The name comes from combining elements of the words synthesis and kinetic, which pretty much describes a Synetic production, the merging of various elements with dynamic motion to create a whole new experience.

Now I didn't give Sam any background as to what to expect, as I didn't want to take away any of the wonder of experiencing a Synetic show for the first time, when you don't know anything about it. And fortunately Sam didn't do what the group behind us felt the need to do with the lack of text. Although these productions are in the minority, as most of their shows have text and dialogue of some kind, Antony & Cleopatra was done with just the score and the sound created by movement on stage. Therefore those sitting right behind us did what some tend to do when they don't know how to react and just take the experience in...they talked to each other and tried to explain what was going on during the show which, needless to say, was slightly distracting. At least wait until intermission, if not the end of the show, to clarify whatever you need to figure out.

But I digress...

I won't bore you with too much, as this is not a review, merely my reaction. So on that note, I'll highlight some of the moments that stuck out most in my mind.

One is a scene where Cleopatra (performed by Irina), is showing her Roman visitors the map of the Mediterranean, as an offering. The map is made of 8 pieces held by ensemble members. At one point, she strikes the map and it shatters slightly, the pieces separating and off-angle. Another moment with the map has the 8 pieces (and ensemble) circling Antony & Cleopatra, producing a somewhat hypnotic effect, and an interesting visualization one might normally expect abstracted and visualized in a film.

This speaks to Paata's own training and background. He holds an MFA in Film Directing from Tbilisi State University and a BFA in Acting from State Institute of Theater and Film, Tbilisi, Georgia. The score and the story are very much highlighted by certain pictures and moments, with the transitions and dialogue effectively underscored and actualized through Irina's choreography.

Another moment ingrained in my memory is a pas de deux, of sorts, between Cleopatra and Antony (played by Ben Cunis), at the apex of the pyramid that is the centerpiece of the set, a set that could not exist in their residence space at the Rosslyn Spectrum. If sex looked as good as it felt (because we all know that there's a reason we keep the lights off at times, right?), it would've looked like the duet between Antony & Cleopatra.

One final moment (out of a night of moments, I might add), is one which Alex Mills owned as Cleopatra's right hand man, Mardian. In a moment of pure and simple genius, Alex in one flowing movement, sinks into the floor with his arms propping him up, forearms straight out, and suddenly embodies the sphinx. Again, it's just one of many moments, but one example of the precision in which Synetic finds both these moments to highlight, and joins them with fantastic movement whisking you from one to the next. All while including elements of sensuality that never gets obscene...well, unless it's on purpose, of course.

The rest of the cast is just as much of an asset, and is definitely part of the reason the Synetic has been nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble with at least one of its productions, every year since 2007. You can check out the exact history of Synetic's various nominations and awards here.

One final note...I'd never been to a show where the fire alarm went off before!! And it happened in the middle of one of Synetic's signature fight scenes. Before you know it the lights were on, the stage manager, was on the god mic, and the cast maintained is composure, exited the stage, and the audience existed the building as we waited for firetrucks to come and turn the alarm off.

As soon as we were back in our seats, without missing a beat, the actors took to the stage with applause from the audience. They started from the top of the fight scene and went on with the show.

Anyway, I'm going to stop there. Sorry for the rambling, and apologies for the tardiness. Will definitely try to stay up with not waiting too long, although it was only a week ago, so I guess it's not that bad. Definitely will try to see their next production, Metamorphosis.

If you didn't get to see Antony & Cleopatra, you can at least watch the trailer at Synetic Theater's YouTube channel.

Here's some other media outlets, with actual reviews:

• Peter Mark's review, from the Washington Post
• Jayne Blanchard's review at DC Theatre Scene
• Kate Wingfield's review, from Metro Weekly
  
• Joe Adcock's review at ShowBizRadio
  
• Barbara Mackay's review, from the Washington Examiner
  
• Jenn Larsen's review at We Love DC

Episode I: Beauty of the Father

Hey there,

Welcome to our blog, although I had to drag Sam (the 'plate' portion of this blog) kicking and screaming, a bit, into the blogosphere. Hope you enjoy our escapades throughout DC.

After dining at RedRocks Firebrick Pizzeria, our first adventure took us to see a production of Beauty of the Father / La belleza del padre by Nilo Cruz, at the GALA Hispanic Theatre, the National Center for Latino Performing Arts. GALA is an acronym which stands for Grupo de Artistas Latino Americanos. It's website is in both English and Spanish. We managed to get there just in time, before the house lights went out and the show started, mostly thanks to the proximity of RedRocks & the theatre.

The Tivoli Theatre is located in Columbia Heights. It's an area that has been a site of revitalization or gentrification, depending on how you want to look at it, and who you are talking to. Either way, the GALA Hispanic Theatre as been a cornerstone in the neighborhood since it made the move to the Tivoli in 2005.

GALA Hispanic Theatre's current Associate Producing Director, Abel Lopez, directed this production of Beauty of the Father / La belleza del padre. He has been a cornerstone in his own right, both as an essential part of the GALA family and the arts and Latino communities at large. In 2001, Americans for the Arts gave him with the Selina Roberts Ottum Award, given annually to recognize "outstanding contributions in the local arts agency field". Among the multiple organizations he has been involved with in various capacities, he currently sits on the board of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture.

Many of GALA's productions are performed in Spanish with English supertitles, but for this production, the languages were reversed. And although I didn't need to, I tried to see how much of the Spanish I learned in high school and college I remembered. The bilingual environment is an essential part of the culture and community GALA has cultivated with its work.

Beauty of the Father / La belleza del padre takes place in Granada, and tells the story of a modern family, a painter who tries to reconnect with his daughter after being separated by time and distance, a daughter who tries to deal with the death of her mother and the father she has never really known, a man who doesn't know what he wants or from whom, and a woman who does what she can to make the ones she loves happy. Oh yeah, and there's a dead guy, García Lorca, who befriends the painter as he wanders among the living, and makes things really interesting in the second act.

Issues of culture, class, race, sexuality, fidelity, and family are all addressed in an engaging tale with Lorca providing a sense of levity and gravity all at the same time. What was wonderful about seeing the production with Sam was that the young man, who is a bit of a sexually confused character as he ends up charming the daughter of his older sometime-lover, is from Morocco and speaks Arabic at times. In general, even with the English vs Spanish translation, it's interesting to see the artistic liberty taken with some of the word choice, but this additional lingual layer and Sam's personal translations in my ear made the experience that much more interesting.

Wonderfully directed and performed, with an excellently selected score and soundtrack, one other wonderful element was the set, designed by Elizabeth McFadden, one of my favorite scenic designers in the area. A simple set portraying a beach which covered the entire down stage, there was a boardwalk which started center stage and, while the beach and the set ended on the sides, went to the upstage wall and curved up until the boards became a depiction of the sky, painted a baby blue with patches of white, and even the outlines of clouds cut into the backdrop. Downstage elements included a well which doubled as a fire pit for part of the second act and two boxes with actual sand which characters dug their feet into in a couple of scenes.

On a side note, Elizabeth McFadden was the DC PAL of the month, November of '09; the DC Performing Arts League, a group I started almost 3 years ago, is merely a means to recognize the work of individual artists, and use Web 2.0 tools to further raise awareness of DC's thriving performing arts scene.

Anyway, I'd definitely recommend this show. The complexity of its characters and the story seems to appeal to multiple communities and people on different levels, from various perspectives. But the theme that I ended up being engaged with, both in the Lorca character, and in dealing with the death of the mother, is really taking a look at how we respect and remember our dead. And how we honor their memory with the lives we live and the people we've become because of their presence in our lives, however long or short that might have been.

That being said, if you're on Facebook and you are engaged by what you've read, become a Fan of GALA Hispanic Theatre, and if you have time check out the show before it closes on Feb 28th.

And small world...when Sam had first moved to DC he stayed with a wonderful, hippy family and the mom's brother was at last night's performance. He ended up introducing me to Victor Shargai, Chairman of the Helen Hayes Awards, and Jaylee Mead, Vice President of the Mead Family Foundation, a staunch supporter of the arts in the area. I was hoping to say hi to Abel Lopez, whom I had met merely hours earlier at a Spring Colloquium that AU's Arts Management Program (which I'm in) hosted on Boards & Governance, but sangria called and the other Arts Management Majors were already gathered in the lobby. A special thanks to Laura, who is in the program and interning at GALA, for organizing the evening and getting the tickets!!

Oh, also check out Michael O'Sullivan's Washington Post review from Feb 5th on the production.

Until next time :-)