FREE PERFORMANCES! - 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm, in the Helen Hayes
Gallery.
Information available at 202-783-3372. - Seating is limited!! Tickets are Required,
and are Distributed without charge one Half-Hour Prior to Performance, on a
First-Come First-Served policy. This weekly showcase in the Fall, Winter and
Spring, features local performers, and provides free quality live entertainment
to the Greater Washington Area community. Original plays, singers, musical ensembles,
dance, drama and comedy are on the bill.
Mon - September 26 - THE HEXAGONERS
No holds are barred in the irreverent songs and sketches
of this scintillating political, satirical, musical comedy revue. For 50 years,
this annual original extravaganza has been deflating the pompous, observing
the unusual, and poking riotous fun at national as well as local foibles. Mirth
and melody, insight and hilarity rule with these merry court jesters. http://www.hexagon.org/hexagoners/
Mon - October - 3 - EDGEWORKS DANCE THEATRE - Under the artistic direction of HELANIUS J. WILKINS, this all-male dance company delivers intense, electrifying gymnastic physicality in riveting and viscerally charged works that shatter stereotypes of men, and of men in dance. Arresting patterns and dynamic partnering provoke new insights about the male identity in America from the perspective of African-American men.
Mon - October 10 - NEW WORLD / NEW MAGIC- JAMES KROENER and DAVID LONDON of the KTMA Performing Arts Ensemble lead a journey from the prosaic to the profound to the downright strange, in this evening of performance magic. David is a film-artist and poet who uses magic to transform notions of what is possible. James is a performer and humorist whose work reflects the Interconnectedness of all things.Mon - October 24 - AN EVENING WITH LIZZIE BORDEN AND FRIENDS -Join THE VICTORIAN SOCIETY AT FALLS CHURCH for a pre-Halloween Reading of poesy and poetry. Somewhere between Poe and LeFanu, conversation turns to Lizzie Borden and the unfortunate incident involving the axe. Did she, or didn't’t she? What better way to settle this long debate than to have a seance and ask Lizzie herself? In true Victorian fashion, the lights are dimmed, hands are held, and the spirits are summoned, as a spectral voice warns: "Be careful what you ask for...."!
Mon - October 31 - AFRICAN DRUMS!- Celebrate the musical traditions of West Africa with the UM African Drum Ensemble. Experience the dynamic and enchanting rhythms of the Djembe orchestra as they are being presented by students of the African drumming classes at the University of Maryland. The Ensemble is directed by AMADOU KOUYATE, a 150th generation oral historian in the Djali tradition. Please join us as we embark on a journey of rhythm of the Manding tradition through different regions of West Africa.
Mon - November 7 - THE MONKEY KING - Engaging storytelling, lavish costumes and highly stylized performance characterize this rare presentation of Chinese culture. Pageantry and beauty abound in WASHINGTON CHU SHAN OPERA's production. This is a rare opportunity to see an ancient art brought vibrantly to life by legendary director Zhu Chu Shan, opera star Judy Huang and their marvelous company.
Mon - November 14 - CONCERT FOR A RUSSIAN DRAWING ROOM - Imagine you are in an elegant St. Petersburg palace as you are entertained by the Washington Balalaika Society Orchestra - the largest Russian folk orchestra in the United States. In authentic costumes, some 50 musicians, conducted by SVETLANA NIKONOVA, play Russian, Ukrainian and Eastern European folk music. http://www.balalaika.org/ Mon - November 21 - DEATH, ROCK ME ASLEEP - The Last Hours of Anne Boleyn -Meet a doomed queen of England, imprisoned in the Tower of London under a sentence of death signed by her husband, King Henry VIII. Summoning her last reserves of courage, Anne Boleyn reflects on her once-charmed life, preparing now for its end, accompanied only by a loyal court lutenist. ELLEN McDANIEL-WEISSLER wrote and performs this riveting play, with songs, humor, and the Queen’s own words.
Monday November 28 - JAZZ CITY - Washington, DC - Duke Ellington’s hometown - is percussionist JOHN CUSICK'S Jazz City - a metropolis bristling with live jazz from the clubs of U Street to Georgetown, from Blues Alley to the Bohemian Caverns. John’s trio brings alive the music of classic luminaries like Duke, Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk, with riffs on contemporaries like Chic Corea, in our intimate “Helen Hayes Jazz Club.”
Monday December 5 - SIMPLE GIFTS - LINDA LITTLETON and KAREN HIRSHON plus ten instruments equals one good time as this duo performs on two violins, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, and guitar plus unusual instruments like the bowed psaltery, banjolin, baritone fiddle, and doumbek. Enjoy ethnic folk music, from Irish jigs and down-home American reels to hard-driving Klezmer frailachs, haunting Gypsy melodies, and Balkan dance tunes.Monday December 12 - THE QUEEN'S ROYALCHRISTMAS - Elizabeth I holds court at Windsor Castle for this fourth annual Yuletide celebration. Madrigals, minstrels, juggling, roundelays and instrumental music entertain the dignitaries. At the harpsichord, GARY SCHWARTZ presides as Court Musician Thomas Tallis. In the audience, Renaissance Fair characters add splendor in their elegant finery.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of THE MAX AND VICTORIA DREYFUS FOUNDATION and the Trustees of the National Theatre. The National Theatre is deeply appreciative of this valued assistance. The series is produced by Donn B. Murphy. Todd Clark is MC, with Hosts Hugh Gee and Mickey.