Arena Stage
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Arena Stage is a theatre production house in Southwest Washington, D.C. The theatre company's home is on the DC Waterfront and houses three stages:
- The Fichandler Stage, a theatre in the round
- The Kreeger Theater
- The Old Vat Room (no longer in use)
The nearest metro station is Waterfront-SEU on the Green Line.
The theatre has temporarily moved to Crystal City, a neighborhood in Arlington, VA, while the permanent theatre undergoes renovation.
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[edit] History
The theatre company was founded in 1950. One of its founders, Zelda Fichandler, remained its artistic director until 1990. Its first home was the Hippodrome Theatre, a former movie house. In 1956, the company moved into the gymnasium of the old Heurich Brewery in Foggy Bottom, which was demolished to make way for the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge and the Kennedy Center. In 1960, they moved into their current location.
Arena Stage was not only one of the first not-for-profit theaters in the United States but has served as a pioneer of the regional theater movement. Arena was the first regional theater to transfer a production to Broadway when The Great White Hope, which opened at Arena Stage in 1967 went on to Broadway with its original cast, including James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander. In 1973, it was also the first invited by the U.S. State Department to tour behind the Iron Curtain. In 1976, Arena Stage became the first theater outside of New York to receive a special Tony Award for theatrical excellence.
[edit] Future plans
The theatre is currently planning a major renovation of its facilities. Current plans including leaving the Fichandler Stage and Kreeger Theater both untouched, but tearing down the rest of the building. Once that is done, the new facility will have a large central lobby, a new smaller theater for debuting experimental pieces, and apartments on site for visiting actors and directors.
[edit] Notable actors
[edit] External links
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