Arena Stage
Encyclopedia
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest
Washington, D.C.
Its declared mission
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. The theater company's home is on the Washington, D.C. waterfront, at 1101 Sixth Street, SW.
One of the founders, Zelda Fichandler
, was its artistic director from its founding through the 1990/91 season. Douglas C. Wager succeeded her for the 1991/92 through 1997/98 seasons. The current artistic director, Molly Smith
, assumed those duties beginning with the 1998/99 season.
Arena Stage was one of the first not-for-profit theaters in the United States and was 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 second theater outside of New York to receive a special Tony Award
for theatrical excellence. (The first went to Robert Porterfield of the Barter Theatre in 1948.)
of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. These renovations leave the Fichandler Stage and Kreeger Theater largely untouched, but involved demolition of the theaters' connecting structures, including lobbies and offices. The two remaining stages are surrounded by a glass curtain wall and incorporated into a larger building. This also contains a new smaller theater, called "The Kogod Cradle," intended for debuting experimental pieces. This new "black box theater
" seats 200. The new building also includes an expansive central lobby and Next Stage, a cafe run by D.C. chef José Andrés
.
The entire complex has been re-named "Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater" in honor of supporters Gilbert and Jaylee Mead. Beginning in October 2010, the company is performing at the Mead Center for American Theater a more-than $125 million, 200000 sq ft (18,580.6 m²) buildingon the DC waterfront. The Mead Center resulted from a renovation of the prior 90000 sq ft (8,361.3 m²) Arena Stage complex with the removal of the "Old Vat Room" performance space and offices. The Mead Center has three theaters:
The three theaters are connected by a large central lobby, and the Center includes restaurants, rehearal rooms, classrooms and offices.
The new, three stage, $125 million, theater complex is now the second largest performing arts center in Washington, DC after the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Hal Miller
David Connell
Roz Cash
Washington, D.C. (southwest)
Southwest is the southwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located south of the National Mall and west of South Capitol Street. It is the smallest quadrant of the city. Southwest is small enough that it is frequently referred to as a neighborhood in and of...
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Its declared mission
"is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics to charged dramas to robust musicals. Our focus is on theater of the Americas; we produce American classics, premieres of new plays and contemporary stories. Our Arena is a forum, a coliseum, a place for audiences to argue, discuss and meet each other over the theatrical divide. At the center is art; all other programs thrive in concentric circles supporting the art."In the 60 years since its formation, its productions have received numerous local and national awards, including the Tony Award for best regional theater.
History
The theatre company was founded in 1950. Its first home was the Hippodrome Theatre, a former movie house. In 1956, the company moved into the gymnasium of the old Heurich BreweryHeurich Brewery
Heurich Brewery was a Washington, D.C., brewery founded by Christian Heurich in 1894 and closed in 1956, after which production was moved to New York State. The brewery was located along the Potomac River at 26th and D streets where the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts now stands...
in Foggy Bottom
Foggy Bottom
Foggy Bottom is one of the oldest late 18th and 19th-century neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. The area is thought to have received the name because its riverside location made it susceptible to concentrations of fog and industrial smoke, an atmospheric trait that did not prevent the neighborhood...
, which was demolished to make way for the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge
Theodore Roosevelt Bridge
The Theodore Roosevelt Bridge is located in Washington, D.C. It carries Interstate 66 and U.S. Highway 50 over the Potomac River near the Kennedy Center, connecting the Rosslyn area of Arlington, Virginia, with Washington...
and the Kennedy Center. In 1960, they moved into their current location. The theater company's home is on the Washington, D.C. waterfront, at 1101 Sixth Street, SW.
One of the founders, Zelda Fichandler
Zelda Fichandler
Zelda Fichandler is an American stage producer, director, and educator, best known as cofounder and longtime artistic director of the Arena Stage theatre in Washington, D.C....
, was its artistic director from its founding through the 1990/91 season. Douglas C. Wager succeeded her for the 1991/92 through 1997/98 seasons. The current artistic director, Molly Smith
Molly Smith
Molly Smith is the artistic director of Arena Stage in Washington D.C.. She has been focused on new play development for the past 30 years while at Arena Stage as well as Perseverance Theatre on Douglas Island in Juneau, Alaska, the theater she founded and led for 19 years...
, assumed those duties beginning with the 1998/99 season.
Arena Stage was one of the first not-for-profit theaters in the United States and was a pioneer of the regional theater movement. Arena was the first regional theater to transfer a production to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
when The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope is a 1967 play written by Howard Sackler, later adapted in 1970 for a film of the same name. The play was first produced by Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on October 3, 1968 for a run of 546 performances, directed by Edwin Sherin...
, which opened at Arena Stage in 1967, went on to Broadway with its original cast, including James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
and Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
. In 1973, it was also the first invited by the U.S. State Department to tour behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
. In 1976, Arena Stage became the second theater outside of New York to receive a special Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for theatrical excellence. (The first went to Robert Porterfield of the Barter Theatre in 1948.)
Renovation 2008 - 2010
A major renovation of the facility was undertaken from 2008 through 2010. The designer is Bing Thom ArchitectsBing Thom Architects
Bing Thom Architects was founded in 1981 and is located in Vancouver, British Columbia.The firm includes 2 principals, Bing Thom and Michael Heeney, 6 Associate Directors, 28 registered, graduate and student architects, urban designers and planners, in addition to a support staff of 5.The firm...
of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. These renovations leave the Fichandler Stage and Kreeger Theater largely untouched, but involved demolition of the theaters' connecting structures, including lobbies and offices. The two remaining stages are surrounded by a glass curtain wall and incorporated into a larger building. This also contains a new smaller theater, called "The Kogod Cradle," intended for debuting experimental pieces. This new "black box theater
Black box theater
The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...
" seats 200. The new building also includes an expansive central lobby and Next Stage, a cafe run by D.C. chef José Andrés
José Andrés
José Ramón Andrés Puerta , known as José Andrés, is a Spanish chef often credited for bringing the small plates dining concept to America...
.
The entire complex has been re-named "Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater" in honor of supporters Gilbert and Jaylee Mead. Beginning in October 2010, the company is performing at the Mead Center for American Theater a more-than $125 million, 200000 sq ft (18,580.6 m²) buildingon the DC waterfront. The Mead Center resulted from a renovation of the prior 90000 sq ft (8,361.3 m²) Arena Stage complex with the removal of the "Old Vat Room" performance space and offices. The Mead Center has three theaters:
- The FichandlerZelda FichandlerZelda Fichandler is an American stage producer, director, and educator, best known as cofounder and longtime artistic director of the Arena Stage theatre in Washington, D.C....
Stage, a theater in the round seating 680. - The Kreeger Theater, a modified thrust stageThrust stageIn theatre, a thrust stage is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its up stage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between performers and the audience than a proscenium, while retaining the utility of a backstage area...
theater seating 514. - The Kogod Cradle, an intimate theater with basket-weave permeable walls seating 200.
The three theaters are connected by a large central lobby, and the Center includes restaurants, rehearal rooms, classrooms and offices.
The new, three stage, $125 million, theater complex is now the second largest performing arts center in Washington, DC after the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Notable Performers
- Jane AlexanderJane AlexanderJane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
- Debbie AllenDebbie AllenDeborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities...
- Stanley AndersonStanley AndersonStanley Anderson is an American actor.-Biography:Anderson was born in Billings, Montana. A Theatre Masters Degree graduate of San Jose State University in the sixties, he began his professional acting career in 1967...
- Angela BassettAngela BassettAngela Evelyn Bassett is an American actress. She has become well known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, including singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and...
- Ned BeattyNed BeattyNed Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
- Blair BrownBlair BrownBonnie Blair Brown is an American theater, film, and television actress. She has had a number of high profile roles, including a Tony Award-winning turn in the play Copenhagen on Broadway, as well as a run as the title character in the television comedy-drama The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd,...
- Hume CronynHume CronynHume Blake Cronyn, OC was a Canadian actor of stage and screen, who enjoyed a long career, often appearing professionally alongside his second wife, Jessica Tandy.-Early life:...
- Ruby DeeRuby DeeRuby Dee is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist, perhaps best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun and the film American Gangster for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Early years:Dee was born Ruby...
- Jill EikenberryJill EikenberryJill Eikenberry is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is best known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey in L.A. Law...
- Robert FoxworthRobert FoxworthRobert Heath Foxworth is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life and career:Foxworth was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Erna Beth , a writer, and John Howard Foxworth, a roofing contractor...
- Morgan FreemanMorgan FreemanMorgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
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- ME Hart
- Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. JacksonSamuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
- James Earl JonesJames Earl JonesJames Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
- Raul JuliaRaúl JuliáRaúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was a Puerto Rican actor.Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing in the local scene for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson...
- Kevin KlineKevin KlineKevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
- Robert ProskyRobert ProskyRobert Prosky was an American stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:Prosky, a Polish American, was born Robert Joseph Porzuczek in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Helen and Joseph Porzuczek. His father was a grocer and butcher...
- Phylicia RashadPhylicia RashadPhylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
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- Roy ScheiderRoy ScheiderRoy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
- Stephen SchnetzerStephen SchnetzerStephen Schnetzer is an American actor.After playing the role of Julie Olson Williams' brother, Steven Olson on the California-based serial Days of our Lives, he joined the cast of ABC soap opera One Life to Live as fitness expert Marcello Salta. He later played attorney Cass Winthrop on Another...
- Yeardley SmithYeardley SmithYeardley Smith is a French-born American actress, voice actress, writer and painter. She is best known for her long-running role as Lisa Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons....
- Jean Stapleton
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- Rip TornRip TornElmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
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- Dianne WiestDianne WiestDianne Wiest is an American actress. She has had a successful career on stage, television, and film, and has won two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Wiest has also been nominated for a BAFTA Award.-Early life:...
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Hal Miller
David Connell
Roz Cash