Rorschach Theatre’s “Angel Number Nine” Will Rock Downtown D.C. This July

The concert-play mashup introduces an interactive experience honoring D.C. musicians and venues. 

On July 7, The Head and the Heart are playing at The Atlantis. Across town, though, you can catch “Angel Number Nine” at 1020 Connecticut Avenue, near the Farragut North Metro stop. If you’ve never heard of that band, or attended a dive bar concert in otherwise buttoned-up downtown D.C., don’t miss your chance now. 

The fictional band are at the heart of Rorschach Theatre’s ambitious new project, “Angel Number Nine.” The concert-play mashup tells the story of Angel, the group’s hard-living lead singer who meets Cupid while on a small East Coast tour. It’s part road trip, part romance, part rock show, part love letter to the ’90s indie music scene, and all bleeding heart. The production’s director, Rorschach’s Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director Jenny McConnell Frederick, adapted the story alongside its original writer, novelist James L. Rogers III. 

For the production, which will run through July 30, Rorschach has turned a former retail store into a two-story music venue complete with a serving bar, vinyl, merchandise and listening stations with curated playlists from D.C. punk veterans Amanda MacKaye and Dunia Best, among other area aficionados. An exhibit covering historic D.C. musicians and venues — from go-go to jazz to hardcore — will grace the lobby. 

Audience members will sit at tables while the story happens all around them. Rorschach encourages patrons to arrive early and stay late for a fuller experience (the show runs just over two hours). Drinks will be for sale and outside food is allowed. The first three performances are pay-what-you-choose, and the first ten tickets to every subsequent performance are $10 each. 

“I am really interested in Rorschach’s approach to theater, with their usage of weird spaces and new texts,” says Kate Kenworthy, who plays Angel. “It’s been so cool watching the retail space on Connecticut Avenue transform into a bar and music venue.”

Bleached blonde and combat booted, they bring a Courtney Love-brashness mixed with a Winona Ryder-weirdness to the title role.

Rorschach is one of the few theaters that has the guts and know-how to do a project like “Angel Number Nine.” They have a track record of creating theatre that blends history, location and narrative in surprising and satisfying ways. During the height of Covid-19, the company created two narrative “tours” of D.C., known as Pyschogeographies (“Angel Number Nine” is a culmination of that project but is also a standalone event).  

Speaking of tracks, playwright and composer Shawn Northrip wrote original songs for the show. From Arlington, Northrip played in the band Crankcase in his teens.

“This was my scene,” he says. “I actually played Black Cat in the ’90s.”

Northrip found inspiration in punk bands like the Lunachicks and their chic lead singer Theo Kogan, as well as Roger’s original novel.

“I read it and it felt like a flashback: the family-like spats between band members, the making a few dollars at a time per show and the feeling that a two-date tour could change your life,” he says. “I leaned into what he wrote and tried to create music that, at least in my head, fit what he described.” 

Kenworthy and Northrip are eager to share the music and story with an audience.

“It’s been a load of fun putting the show all together,” Kenworthy says. “We have some really talented musicians in the band.”

For the songwriter, there’s only one word which fits the bill.

“The show is awesome, the space is awesome, Kate and the cast are awesome.”

Get your tickets for “Angel Number Nine” now. Your head and your heart will thank you. 

Rorschach Theatre’s “Angel Number Nine” performs at 1020 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC from July 7th to July 30th. Find tickets and info here. Follow Rorschach Theatre at rorschachtheatre.com // @rorschachdc

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Chad Dexter Kinsman