Audio Described Performances
for Large Theaters in the Washington DC Metro Area
Arranged in Order
Alphabetically by theater
|
Theater, Show Title,
Describer and Program Notes |
Start &End Date |
1st and 2nd Desc. date |
Time |
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Alden Theater – Mclean
Community Players – 1-800-838-3006 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL In a Maine coastal village
toward the end of the 19th century, the swaggering, carefree carnival barker,
Billy Bigelow, captivates and marries the naive millworker, Julie Jordan.
Billy loses his job just as he learns that Julie is pregnant and, desperately
intent upon providing a decent life for his family, he is coerced into being
an accomplice to a robbery. Caught in the act and facing the certainty of
prison, he takes his own life and is sent 'up there.' Billy is allowed to
return to earth for one day fifteen years later, and he encounters the
daughter he never knew. She is a lonely, friendless teenager, her father's
reputation as a thief and bully having haunted her throughout her young life.
How Billy instills in both the child and her mother a sense of hope and
dignity is a dramatic testimony to the power of love. Describer: |
Fri 7/10/20 Sun. 7/26/20 |
Sun 7/19/20 |
2:00 pm |
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Arena Stage Fichandler at the Mead Center - 202-488-3300 MOTHER ROAD As the hardworking and
terminally ill William Joad sets out on an epic journey to pass down his
family farm, he is humiliated to find that the only surviving descendant of
his family is a Mexican-American named Martín Jodes,
an ex-migrant worker. Inspired by John Steinbeck’s classic, The Grapes of
Wrath, the two men take a ride through the Mother Road, traveling from
California back to Oklahoma, all while forging an unlikely bond and coming to
terms with their brutal past. This powerful new play, written by playwright
Octavio Solis (El Paso Blue, Quixote), examines the crossroads of family,
immigration and the American dream. Program Notes: Dennis McCoy Describer: Sylvia Rosenthal |
Fri 2/7 Sun 3/8 |
Sat 2/22 |
2:00pm |
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Arena Stage Fichandler at the Mead Center - 202-488-3300 August Wilson’s SEVEN
GUITARS The 1940s Pittsburgh is
the backdrop for August Wilson’s fifth cycle play and the second production
in the August Wilson Festival. Seven lives are interconnected when old friend
and blues singer Floyd Barton vows to turn his life around after a surprise
windfall leaves him hopeful for a second chance. Infused with deep and
soaring blues rhythms, this “rich and exceptionally vivid” (Variety) play
pits the desire for a better future against the harsh realities ultimately
leading to heartbreaking and inescapable circumstances Program Notes: Rita Tehan Describer: Sylvia Rosenthal |
Fri 4/3 Sun 5/3 |
Sat 5/2 |
2:00pm |
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Arena Stage Kogod Cradle -
202-488-3300 CELIA AND FIDEL Can one woman change the
mind of a man and the fate of a nation? Fidel Castro’s most trusted confidant
and political partner, Celia Sánchez, is never far from his side as he
grapples with how to move his country forward. It’s 1980 and a failing
economy has led 10,000 Cuban citizens to seek asylum at the Peruvian Embassy
in Cuba. Castro must decide what kind of a leader he wants to be: merciful or
mighty. Imbued with magical realism, Arena Stage’s seventh Power Play
imagines a conversation between Cuba’s most influential female revolutionary
and its most notorious political leader in a contest between morality and power.
Program Notes: Sylvia Rosenthal Describer: Larry Heflin |
Fri 2/28 Sun 4/12 |
Sat 4/11 |
2:00pm |
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Arena Stage Kreeger at the Mead Center - 202-488-3300 A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Arena Stage Kreeger at the Mead Center - 202-488-3300 Adapted from the New
York Times bestselling novel by Khaled Hosseini (Kite Runner), the lives of
two Afghan women are inextricably bound together. In the war-ravaged Kabul,
Miriam and Laila become unlikely allies in the face of the insurmountable
odds of a brutal and oppressive way of life. Hopes of a new life lead to an
unselfish and shocking decision, changing the course of their futures
forever. Called “emotionally stirring” (Los Angeles Times), this gripping and
heart-rending fight for survival will keep you on the edge of your seat from
start to finish. Program Notes: Rita Tehan Describer: Patti Wong |
Fri 1/17 Sun 3/1 |
Sat 2/1 |
2:00pm |
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Arena Stage Kreeger at the Mead Center - 202-488-3300 TONI STONE Arena Stage Kreeger at the Mead Center - 202-488-3300 Considered a pioneer,
Toni Stone is the first woman to play baseball in the Negro Leagues, also
making her the first woman to play professionally in a men’s league in the
1950s. Against all odds, Stone blazes a path in the male-dominated sports
world, shattering expectations and creating her own set of rules. Based on
Martha Ackmann’s book Curveball, The Remarkable
Story of Toni Stone, the latest work from award-winning playwright Lydia R.
Diamond (Smart People, The Bluest Eye) tells the dynamic and uplifting story
of Stone’s journey of perseverance and resilience just to do what she loved
the most — play baseball. Program Notes: Sylvia Rosenthal Describer: |
Sun 4/23 Sun 5/31 |
Sat 5/30 |
2:00pm |
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Ford’s Theatre: 202-347-4833 SILENT SKY A decade before women
gained the right to vote, Henrietta Leavitt and her fellow women “computers”
transformed the science of astronomy. In the Harvard Observatory, Leavitt
found 2,400 new variable stars and made important discoveries about their
fluctuating brightness, enabling fellow scientists to map the Milky Way and
beyond. This inspiring drama explores the determination, passion and
sacrifice of the women who redefined our understanding of the cosmos.
Director Seema Sueko (Arena Stage’s The Heiress)
makes her Ford's Theatre debut with this compelling story dubbed “sheer
magic” by The San Francisco Chronicle. Program Notes: Karen Payne Describer: Marianne Metz |
Fri 1/24 Sun 2/23 |
Tues 2/4 Sat 2/15 |
7:30pm 2:00pm |
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Ford’s Theatre: 202-347-4833 Guys and Dolls In this beloved 1950s
musical comedy, dice-slinging gamblers, pious missionaries and glamorous show
girls come together for a light-hearted romp through New York. It’s a high
stakes game of love as brash but charming Nathan Detroit bets Sky Masterson
$1,000 to woo missionary Sarah Brown. Meanwhile, cabaret singer Adelaide
tries to convince Nathan, her fiancé of 14 years, to finally tie the knot. Program Notes: Bob Coley & Janet Carsetti Describer: Bob Coley & Janet Carsetti |
Fri 3/13 Wed 5/20 |
Tues 3/31 Sat 5/9 |
7:30pm 2:00pm |
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Hexagon - Woodrow Wilson
High School Theater, 3950 Chesapeake Street NW, Washington, DC 20016 (Between
Nebraska Avenue and 40th Street) 202-333-7469 Nothing at this time |
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National Theater: 1-800-514-3849 THE KING’S SPEECH is
based on the true story of King George VI’s struggle with a speech impediment
and the friendship he formed with his unconventional speech therapist, Lionel
Logue. With the Nazi threat looming and civil unrest at home, royal secrets
explode around the King as he’s thrust onto the world stage. David Seidler’s
original play – which inspired the 2010 Oscar-winning film starring Colin
Firth and Geoffrey Rush – will make its long-awaited U.S. debut in a
production The Mail proclaims “A right royal treat.” Program Notes: Patti Wong Describer: |
Tues 2/11 Sun 2/16 |
Sun 2/16 |
2:00pm |
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National Theater: 1-800-514-3849 From three-time Tony®
winner and Hamilton choreographer, Andy Blankenbuehler, comes a
poignant and inspiring new American musical that explodes with infectious
music and high-octane, heart-stopping dancing. It’s 1945. As America’s
soldiers come home to ticker-tape parades and overjoyed families, Private
First Class Donny Novitski, singer and songwriter,
struggles to rebuild the life he left behind. When NBC announces a national
competition to find the nation’s next great musical superstars, Donny sees a
lifeline for himself and some fellow veterans that gives them the purpose
they so desperately need. Together, they form a band unlike any the nation
has ever seen. Along the way, they discover the power of music to face the
impossible, find their voice, and finally feel like they have a place to call
home. BANDSTAND is “both a
peppy celebration of can-do spirit and a more somber exploration of what
American servicemen experienced when they marched home from World War II.
It’s a great argument for why theater can sometimes tell a story more boldly
and more viscerally” (The New York Times). Program Notes: Describer: Fran Bowie |
Tues 3/3 Sun 3/8 |
Sun 3/8 |
2:00pm |
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National Theater: 1-800-514-3849 ROALD DAHL’S CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
April 7 - 26, 2020 Roald Dahl’s amazing
tale is now D.C.’s golden ticket! It’s the perfect recipe for a delectable
treat: songs from the original film, including “Pure Imagination,” “The Candy
Man,” and “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket,” alongside a toe-tapping and
ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of Hairspray. Willy Wonka is
opening his marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory… to a lucky few. That
includes Charlie Bucket, whose bland life is about to burst with color and
confection beyond his wildest dreams. He and four other golden ticket winners
will embark on a mesmerizing joyride through a world of pure imagination.
Now’s your chance to experience the wonders of Wonka like never before – get
ready for Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator, and
more, more, more at this everlasting showstopper! Program Notes: Describer: David Berkenbilt |
Tues 4/7 Sun 4/12 |
Sun 4/12 |
2:00pm |
|
National Theater: 1-800-514-3849 SUMMER:
THE DONNA SUMMER MUSICAL She was a girl from
Boston with a voice from heaven, who shot through the stars from gospel choir
to dance floor diva. But what the world didn’t know was how Donna Summer
risked it all to break through barriers, becoming the icon of an era and the
inspiration for every music diva who followed. With a score featuring
more than 20 of Summer’s classic hits including “Love to Love You Baby,” “Bad
Girls” and “Hot Stuff,” this electric experience is a moving tribute to the
voice of a generation. Program Notes: John Weber Describer: Fran Bowie |
Wed 7/22 Sun 8/2/20 |
Sun 8/2 |
2:00pm |
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Olney Theatre Center –
Historic Stage 301 924 3400 Nothing at this time |
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Olney Theatre Center –
Mainstage 301-924-3400 MISS YOU LIKE HELL From the Pulitzer
Prize-winning co-creator of In the Heights comes a new musical as big as
America and as intimate as love between a mother and her daughter. Beatriz
arrives in Philadelphia to convince her estranged 16 year-old daughter Olivia
to join her on a road trip to California. Along the way, they encounter a
mosaic of characters as diverse and weird as America itself, but the hard
truth of Beatriz’s undocumented status and pending deportation to Mexico
threatens to build a wall between them. With sharp comedy and a winning
acoustic score by folk-rock star Erin McKeown, Miss You Like Hell is an
American story for our time. Program Notes: Describer: Karen Payne |
Wed 1/29 Sun 3/1 |
Wed.2/12/20 |
8:00
pm |
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Olney Theatre Center –
Mainstage 301-924-3400 THE HUMANS By turns hilarious and
haunting, the Tony-winning play The Humans tells the story of the Blakes, a
middle-class American family celebrating a most unusual Thanksgiving. This
year, they gather in New York City at youngest daughter Brigid’s Chinatown
apartment - a basement duplex that would feel like a bargain if not for the
lack of sunlight and the sudden, unexplained, loud noises coming from
upstairs. Normally they celebrate in Scranton, but the break with tradition
is just one of many disruptions with which they’re forced to contend. Stephen
Karam’s brilliant play delivers both the warm comfort of family and a
thoroughly modern anxiety about what’s on the other side of the wall. Program Notes: Bob Coley & Janet Carsetti Describer: Pattie Wong |
Wed 4/1 Sun 5/3 |
Wed. 4/15 |
8:00 pm |
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Olney Theatre Center –
Mainstage 301-924-3400 PIPPIN We’ve got magic to do in
the Summer of 2020! This classic musical about a young man in search of his
purpose features some of music-theater’s best-loved songs and most theatrical
moments. From the battlefield to the bedroom, from intrigues political to
intrigues romantical, Pippin just can’t figure out how to be extraordinary.
Director Eleanor Holdridge (I And You, The Crucible) gives OTC a production
of the canon's most beloved coming-of-age musical. Program Notes: Bob Coley & Janet Carsetti Describer: Bob Coley & Janet Carsetti |
Wed 6/10/20 Sun 7/19/20 |
Wed. 6/24 |
8:00 pm |
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Olney Theatre Center – Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab 301-924-3400 THE AMATEURS It’s the 14th Century, the
Black Death is ravaging Europe, and a traveling troupe of actors is
performing the story of Noah. Everything is going about as well as can be
expected until the actress playing Noah’s Wife stops to ask why her character
would get on the boat with all those smelly animals. And by the way, doesn’t
she deserve a name other than “Noah’s Wife”? Jordan Harrison, the theatrical
mastermind behind Marjorie Prime, takes us on another mind-bending journey
from the 14th Century to the present day, as he creates a meta-theatrical
hall of mirrors about storytelling, illness and loss, as well as a love
letter to the stories that help us persevere. Program Notes: John Weber Describer: Bob Coley & Janet Carsetti |
Wed 3/4 Sun 4/5 |
Wed 3/18 |
7:45
pm |
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Round House Bethesda: 240
644 1100 Spring Awakening Book & Lyrics by Steven
Sater
Music by Duncan Sheik “Exhilarating … a fresh
breeze of true inspiration.” – The New York Times For a repressed group of
teenagers, the road to adulthood is fraught with suffocating confusion in
Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s Tony-winning
adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s prescient
19th-century drama. As the adults in their lives exert control but withhold
guidance, Melchior, Wendla, Moritz, Ilse, and their
friends navigate blindly through the enigma of their burgeoning sexuality.
Both haunting and high-octane, the score bristles with anthems to adolescence
like “Mama Who Bore Me” and “The Bitch of Living,” and is infused with a
blend of folk, pop, and rock that gives this tale unexpected soul. With
generational gaps growing wider than ever, the angst and defiance at the
heart of this boundary-pushing musical act as a bridge between our deeply
personal yet wholly universal experiences. Program Notes: Describer: Phyllis Greer |
Wed 1/22 Mon 2/24 |
Sat 2/1 |
2:00pm |
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Round House Bethesda:
240 644 1100 Cost of Living By Martyna
Majok “Immensely haunting … [with] tremendous
emotion.” – The New York Times After thrilling Round
House audiences with the premiere of her Helen Hayes
Award-winning Ironbound in 2015, Martyna
Majok returns with another prize in tow—the Pulitzer! Two parallel narratives
intersect as a wealthy graduate student with cerebral palsy and his newest
caretaker build an uneasy trust, while a truck driver struggles to reconnect
with his estranged wife, recently left paralyzed by a car crash. Though each
is wounded, the four continue to fight for the tantalizing possibility of
human connection, even in the face of physical, mental, and emotional defeat.
Both humorous and heartbreaking, Cost of Living illustrates the
redemptive possibilities of reaching out to others despite the
sometimes-devastating costs. Program Notes: John Weber Describer: Rita Tehan |
Wed 4/1 Sun 4/19 |
Sat 4/11 |
2:00pm |
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Round House Bethesda:
240 644 1100 Big Love By Charles Mee “Comedic, gymnastic, musical, sensual,
shocking and redemptive.” – The New York Times Based on one of the
world’s oldest known Greek dramas, our first play in the LOVE/HATE REP truly
is a tale as old as time. Fifty Greek maidens flee across the sea to Italy
and claim refugee status to escape fifty arranged marriages; fifty Grecian
men follow in pursuit. In spectacular, theatrical fashion, it all comes to a
head at a wedding ceremony that would make even the drunkest uncle run for
the seven hills. Full of music and mirth, Charles Mee’s
famed adaptation pits independence against expectation, and frames the
seemingly never-ending battle of the sexes as both a wild romp and an all-out
war. Content Advisory: This production contains nudity. Program Notes: John Weber Describer: Rita Tehan |
Wed 5/20 Sun 6/21 |
Sat 5/30 |
2:00pm |
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Round House Bethesda:
240 644 1100 HateF*ck By Rehana Lew Mirza “Smart [and] sexy … Mirza is a sharp writer
and a savvy thinker.” – The New York Times Layla and Imran are both
Muslim-American… and that’s pretty much where the similarities end. The two
authors—one a literature professor, the other a novelist—have wildly
differing opinions on everything, from faith and politics, to
relationships and cultural clichés. After some fiery verbal sparring they
manage to find common ground in the bedroom; but are these lovers coupling
because of their mutual loathing, or in spite of it? Rehana Lew Mirza’s
highly anticipated Off-Broadway debut finishes off our LOVE/HATE REP with
smoldering sexual tension as it tests the limits of just how far we’re
willing to go to keep the fire burning. Program Notes: Rita
Tehan Describer: |
Wed 6/10 Fri 7/3 |
Sat 6/20 |
2:00pm |
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Roundhouse Silver
Spring: 240 644 1100 Nothing at this time |
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Shakespeare Lansburgh
Theatre: 202 547 1122 Timon of Athens By William Shakespeare Artistic Director Simon
Godwin makes his directorial debut at Shakespeare Theatre Company with a
restaging of his recent, acclaimed production of Timon of Athens,
featuring Olivier Award-winner Kathryn Hunter in an “astonishing performance”
(The Guardian). Timon lives in a golden world of opulence and generosity
throwing wild parties attended by politicians, artists and the celebrities of
Athens. When she loses her wealth and her friends abandon her, Timon takes to
the forest, exchanging her luxurious gowns for sackcloth and plotting revenge
against the city she loves. Godwin’s daring take on this rarely-produced play
yields “a parable for our times … and perhaps a nifty touchstone for spiritual
renewal.” (Daily Telegraph) Program Notes: Patti Wong Describer: Dennis McCoy |
Thur 2/20 Sun 3/22 |
Saturday 3/14 |
2:00pm |
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Shakespeare Lansburgh
Theatre: 202 547 1122 Romantics Anonymous Book by Emma Rice A recipe for sweet
romance: Whisk together two painfully timid chocolatiers with a dollop of
social anxiety and a dash of whimsy in a Parisian setting. The result is a
musical comedy that is utterly delectable. Conceived by the brilliant mind of
theatrical provocateurEmma Rice (Brief
Encounter) and sprinkled with the passionate songs of Kooman
and Dimond, this gorgeous musical hailed as “a multifaceted gem, chock-full
of love, generosity and joy” (The Guardian) is an effortless confection that
will melt your heart. Program Notes: Patti Wong Describer: Marianne Metz |
Tues 4/7 Sun 5/17 |
Saturday 5/2 |
2:00pm |
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Shakespeare: Sidney Harman Hall : 202-547-1122 The Amen Corner By James Baldwin In a 1950s storefront
church in Harlem, Pastor Margaret Alexander rails at her congregation and her
teenaged son for their vices. With a gospel choir singing of redemption in
one room and her son bonding with his ailing father over their love of jazz
in the next, Margaret must face the music herself when a figure from her own
troubled past returns. James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner tackles the
role of the church in the African American community in this landmark work,
written immediately after his breakthrough novel Go Tell It on the
Mountain. Whitney White, winner of the Susan Stroman Director Award, makes
her Washington, D.C. directorial debut in this powerful production rich with
music, humanity and Baldwin’s lyrical prose. Program Notes: Karen Payne Describer: Rita Tehan |
Tues 2/11 Sun 3/15 |
Saturday 3/7 |
2:00pm |
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Shakespeare: Sidney Harman Hall : 202-547-1122 Much Ado About Nothing By William Shakespeare The course of true love
never did run smooth. Shakespeare’s quintessential romantic comedy finds
soldiers returning home and trading their military uniforms for wedding
bands, their pistols for love letters. With the kingdom at peace there’s now
time for the “merry war” between Beatrice and Benedick to rage once more. But
to bring the witty ex-lovers together will require outrageous rumors, a
disrupted wedding, a faked death, the supreme incompetence of the local law
enforcement and the outright double-dealing of their dearest friends. Helmed
by Simon Godwin, who “combines a contemporary eye with a fastidious ear for
Shakespeare’s language” (The Guardian), Much Ado is a sparkling
screwball comedy and a deep affirmation of love. Program Notes &
Describer: Bob Coley & Janet
Carsetti |
Tues 5/5 Sun 6/14 |
Saturday 5/30 |
2:00pm |
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Studio Theatre:
202-332-3300 Pipeline Nya is a single mom and
dedicated teacher at a high-poverty city school, determined to give her
teenaged son Omari opportunities that her students will never have. When an
altercation with a teacher at his private school threatens Omari’s future,
Nya has to fight a system that’s against him in any environment. A
searing, eloquent, and deeply compassionate look at a broken education
system, the moments we are pushed to our limits, and the ferocity
of one parent’s love. Program Notes: Sylvia
Rosenthal Describer: Rita Tehan |
Wed 1/15 Sun 2/16 |
Sun 2/16 |
2:00pm |
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Studio Theatre:
202-332-3300 Pass Over Kitch and Moses seem stuck on their street
corner, but it don’t matter. They joke,
dream, and throw down about the promised land they’re
heading to just as soon as they get up off the block—what they’ll
eat, who they’ll see, whether today’s the day they’ll pass over. Allegorical
and immediate, humorous and chilling, Nwandu’s collision
of the Exodus saga and Waiting for Godot probes the
forces that have marooned these young Black men, and the power
and limitations of their personal resilience. Program Notes: Describer: Rita Tehan |
Wed 3/4 Sun 4/5 |
Sun 4/5 |
2:00pm |
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Studio Theatre:
202-332-3300 Fun Home Alison is 9, begging her
father to play with her. She is 19, overcome by the aching and joyous pain of
first love. She is 43, an out lesbian hunting for the
truth of her brilliant, volatile, and closeted father’s life
and death. She is all three at once, trying to untangle the
central mystery of her childhood: How did she survive their shared
hometown, when her father could not? With a score that ranges from
exuberant 70s pop to aching melodies and dissonant harmonies of characters
longing to be known, Fun Home is the Tony
Award-winning story of a daughter and father, of coming out and
coming to terms with a life shaped by a family’s secrets. Program Notes: Describer: |
Wed 5/13 Sun 6/14 |
Sun 6/14 |
2:00pm |
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The Washington Revels GW Lisner
Auditorium Nothing at this time |
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