Things To Do
|
Newsletter
|
Fraylife+
|
Fraylife+
  • Play

    Play

    • A Beginner’s Guide to Soccer
    • You Spin Me Right Round: D.C. Roller Skating 101 in 2021
    • Leading the League: The WNBA’s Natasha Cloud on Breaking Barriers + Inspiring D.C.
    • Spring Has Sprung: 10 Ways To Get Outside in the DMV
    • Play Week Combines Games + Social Impact
    • High and Go Seek Illustration
    • O Captain, My Captain: Washington Spirit’s Andi Sullivan
  • Life

    Life

    • Local Entrepreneurs Infuse CBD into Wellness
    • 19 Entrepreneurs Shaping D.C.’s Cannabis + CBD Industries
    • Upcycling in D.C.: Transforming a Culture of Consumption
    • The Green Issue: Experts + Advocates Make Case for Cannabis Legalization + Decriminalization
    • The District Derp Story
    • Grassfed Media Champions Cannabis Clients
    • Nat Geo Explorer Gabrielle Corradino on Plankton, the Anacostia + Conservation
  • Eat

    Eat

    • The State of Takeout in the District
    • A New Twist on Food Delivery: MisenBox
    • Next-Level Home Dining Experiences in D.C.
    • Foxtrot Market Is Officially Open for Business in Georgetown
    • Food Rescue + Assistance Programs Fill the Gaps in a Pandemic Food System
    • Hungry Harvest Helps to End Food Insecurity
    • Notable Summer Bar + Restaurant Reopenings to Try this Spring
  • Drink

    Drink

    • Pandemic Drinking: Derek Brown Leads the Way to Low-ABV Future
    • D.C.’s St. Vincent Wine Creates Covid-Conscious Experience
    • A New Way to Binge: Sobriety Anchors Business + Being for Gigi Arandid
    • King’s Ransom + The Handover in Alexandria Celebrate a First Year Like No Other
    • Wines of the World Are Just Around the Corner
    • Open-Air Drinking + Cocktail Delivery Changes in the DMV
    • Denizens Brewing Co.’s Emily Bruno: Brewing Change for Community + Industry
  • Culture

    Culture

    • The Artistry Behind D.C.’s Cannabis Culture
    • The Best Movies of 2021…So Far
    • The Survival of the Brutalist: D.C.’s Complicated Concrete Legacy
    • Plain Sight: A Street-Front Revolution in Radical Arts Accessibility
    • A Touch of Danger in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “Romeo & Juliet”
    • Artgence + Homme: Where There’s Art, There’s a Story to Share
    • 21 D.C. Makers + Curators to Follow
  • Music

    Music

    • Emma G Talks Wammie Nominations and the D.C. Music Community
    • J’Nai Bridges: A Modern Mezzo-Soprano in a Changing Opera Landscape
    • Punk Legends The Go-Go’s Talk Four Decades of Sisterhood, Resilience + Zero Fucks Given
    • Ellen Reid “Soundwalk:” Exploring the Sonic Landscape at Wolf Trap
    • SHAED Releases First Full-Length Album in a “High Dive” of Faith
    • Obama + Springsteen Present “Renegades”
    • Christian Douglas Uses His “Inside Voice” on Pandemic-Inspired Debut Album
  • Events

    Events

    • Play Week 4.17-4.25
    • Midnight at The Never Get 4.30-6.21
    • Cannabis City Panel Presented by BĀkT DC + District Fray
    • Browse Events
    • DC Polo Society Summer Sundays 5.9
    • National Cannabis Festival’s Dazed & Amused Drive-In Party
    • Vinyl + Vinyasa 4.30
  • Fraylife+

Fraylife+
The Avett Brothers Return Under the Stars at Wolf Trap
Turn Up Your Thursdays: Carlyle Crossing’s Happy Hour Concert Series is Your Summer Soundtrack
Summer Vibes Only: Why Your Next Sunday Funday Should Be with the DC Polo Society
DelFest 2025: Music and Mountains Make Magic Again!
Spring ’25 Spirit Week: Spring Break
People gathering for Union Market's outdoor movie series.
The Complete D.C. Outdoor Movie Guide
Home » Articles » Culture » Love Colors All in Theater J’s Upcoming Premiere of “The Chameleon”

Culture

(l to r) Jenny Rachel Weiner and Ellie Heyman. Photo Courtesy of Theater J.

Love Colors All in Theater J’s Upcoming Premiere of “The Chameleon”

Share:

October 11, 2023 @ 12:00pm | Chad Dexter Kinsman

Jenny Rachel Weiner and Ellie Heyman come together once again for the world premiere of “The Chameleon.”


“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life,” goes the old saw. But what about working with someone you love? For Jenny Rachel Weiner and Ellie Heyman, about to open the world premiere of “The Chameleon” at Theater J, that also makes work more like play. 

“I’m literally obsessed with Jenny and her writing, both in terms of the work itself and how she works on it,” Heyman, the play’s director, says. 

“The Chameleon” is the fourth time the writer and director have worked together, a partnership that stretches back to Weiner’s very first play in undergrad at Boston University.

“I sent her my first play ever—we didn’t know each other but I had seen her work—and I said, ‘I think you [should] direct this,’” Weiner says. 

That play, “Diventare,” went on to win a national student playwriting award at the Kennedy Center in 2009.

“Ellie was the first person to believe in my writing,” Weiner says. “I learned how to be a playwright in that room.”

“We have a similar interest in a full-body, full-hearted way of living and problem-solving,” Heyman says. 

The shared approach helps when working on a new play, a process Weiner likens to chiseling a sculpture out of a rock. “The Chameleon” tells the story of Riz (played by the always luminous Dina Thomas), an actress starring in a new superhero franchise that comes under threat. After working on multiple drafts over the summer, Weiner arrived at the first day of rehearsal in mid-September feeling confident. 

“One of the actors turns to me and was like, ‘Are there going to be a lot of rewrites?’” Weiner says. “I said, ‘No, this is the play.’ And then I showed up the next day having cut 20 pages and rewritten multiple scenes.” 

For Heyman, navigating such changes with actors is like playing a sport.

“I’m preparing the company so there’s a nimbleness and a flexibility as things change and grow, so there’s a comfort and ease in the room,” she says. “And Jenny writes about these gushy, big-hearted families. There’s conflict, but it’s largely out of love. All of the actors have really been able to embody and advocate for their character. It’s been a wild, wonderful time seeing all of these people collide.”

The love doesn’t stop in the rehearsal room.

“When I read the play, I was blown away by Jenny’s unique theatrical voice and how she uses comedy to discuss contemporary, relevant themes around assimilation, identity, and antisemitism,” says Hayley Finn, Theater J’s artistic director since April. 

“I’m so excited about the collaboration between Jenny and Ellie,” Finn continues. “Seeing them work with some of D.C.’s most beloved actors has been thrilling, and I’m honored for Theater J to premiere the play as the kick-off to the season.”

“The Chameleon” runs through November 5. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here. 

Theater J: 1529 16th St. NW, DC; theaterj.org // @theaterjdc 

Want the latest on plays hitting D.C. stages? Join the District Fray community for exclusive access to guides and recommendations. Become a member and support local journalism today.

Chad Dexter Kinsman

Interests

Live performances, Performing arts

Neighborhood

Dupont Circle

Share with friends

Share:

Related Articles

<h3>No Articles</h3>
COMPANY
About United Fray Team Hiring: Join Our Team!
GET INVOLVED
Become A Member Corporate Wellness Contact: Media Pitches + Advertising Inquiries
EXPLORE
Eat Drink Music Culture Life Play Events Calendar
OUR CITIES
Washington D.C. Jacksonville Phoenix United Fray
Sign Up

Get the best of D.C. delivered to your inbox with one of our weekly newsletters.

Sign Up

© 2025 District Fray – Making Fun Possible.