Justin “Yaddiya” Johnson, or Yaddi to the initiated, is a local star on the rise in D.C.’s arts community. He’s the founder of Long Live GoGo, a local organization committed to advancing racial equity, and a member of the Kennedy Center’s Culture Caucus, which works alongside the center’s social impact team to design events at… Read more »
Read Our September 2021 Issue
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CUE THE LIGHTS. After many, many months of eagerly awaiting the return of the performing arts, they are officially back in the District — welcoming locals with open arms, a jam-packed schedule of star-studded performances, and the most reassuring set of Covid protocols (proof of vaccination before walking through the doors) we could hope for as we face the latest wave of pandemic concerns. From highly anticipated Britney Spears musical “Once Upon a One More Time” at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harman Hall this winter to the crowd-pleasing “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Hamilton” at the Kennedy Center next summer to innovative takes on classics like “Teenage Dick” (“Richard III” reinvented) at Woolly Mammoth this fall, the options run the gamut for theatergoers chomping at the bit to take their seats on opening night. And what better place for us to celebrate this collective sigh of relief for arts & culture enthusiasts in the DMV than the most prestigious arts institution on the East Coast? We spent a stunning afternoon in early August with the Kennedy Center’s senior vice president of artistic planning, Robert van Leer, and our cover subject Justin “Yaddiya” Johnson, the founder of Long Live GoGo. Yaddiya is a definitive voice for D.C.’s go-go community and a member of the Kennedy Center’s Culture Caucus, and our managing editor Andrew J. Williams III spent time with him both in his new arts space in Capitol Hill and at the Kennedy Center picking his brain about remaining true to his D.C. roots and embracing the go-go scene as it continues to evolve.
Writers Kristen Schott and Trent Johnson dove into the Kennedy Center’s 50th anniversary season and social justice programming, respectively, and Amanda Weisbrod picked the brain of the center’s archivist to put together a stunning infographic chronicling some of the center’s most memorable moments. Kristen Page-Kirby spoke with Signature Theatre’s new leadership, Weisbrod reported on Shakespeare Theatre Company’s exciting season, Jamie McCrary chatted with artistic directors about their theaters’ pivots during the pandemic, Chad Kinsman handpicked his top 20 must-see shows of the upcoming theatre season, our editorial assistant Nicole Schaller geeked out with local theaters’ costume design departments and got real with local actor, comedian and model Joe Marshall, and Ingrid Harbo talked sport ball with Arena Stage. Plus: new food hall Western Market, cocktail bar Silver Lyan’s reopening, Broccoli City Festival’s latest iteration, new Capitol Hill events venue Capital Turnaround, “Disco to the Go-Go” at Union Market, Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival’s latest lineup, weekend getaways worth the drive, yoga for all levels and much more. Thank you as always to our readers for picking up a copy and to our beloved city for giving us hope in the face of an ongoing time of uncertainty. Happy theatre season, everyone.
Monica Alford
Editor-in-Chief
FEATURED
Curtain Call: Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary Season
There’s nothing like live theatre: hearing the step-ball-change of a tap dancer’s feet or the soprano hit that high note, laughing so hard it hurts, and being moved by the characters, their stories and their strength. It’s a thrill, one we’ve missed over the last year and a half. So, it’s with much applause that… Read more »
Play On: 20 Must-See Performances
After a nearly 18-month intermission, DMV venues are announcing a slate of in-person events, ranging from familiar favorites to bold new ventures. Although the reopenings are cause for celebration, apprehensions remain for many. Audiences and venues’ implicit pact of mutual safety is now front-of-mind for all. As many of the season’s offerings attest, though, resilience,… Read more »
CULTURE
Impact in Action: The Kennedy Center’s Evolution
Visiting the Kennedy Center, you may believe all the beauty of the nation’s foremost cultural institution lies within its sterling appearance — from the decadent stages to the blood-red carpet of the lobby. Or perhaps, you’re more enamored by its new(ish) REACH facilities, complete with outdoor sculptures and platforms for both local and national artists… Read more »
Signature Theatre Is On The Precipice of Something New
Local curtains are starting to rise again — a little slowly, a little cautiously, but up they go as performers and audiences alike adjust to a new way of producing and enjoying live theatre. It’s a new world for nearly every theater, and even more so for Arlington’s Signature Theatre. After over a decade as… Read more »
Shakespeare Theatre Company Raises the Curtain
This fall, the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) is raising its curtain to welcome audiences back to the electric connection one can only experience at a live theatrical performance. Simon Godwin, STC’s artistic director, says the title of the company’s 36th season is Play On!, calling back to the famous opening phrase in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” … Read more »
MORE CULTURE
Nothing Is Taboo with Artist Joe Marshall
Joe Marshall speaks the language of sinners. As an artist, he is drawn to discussing and unpacking what is deemed off limits. Growing up as — and still — an active member of his church community, Marshall’s parents hoped he would be a preacher. “My parents are pastors,” Marshall says. “I’ve been trained in ministry,… Read more »
DMV Costume Departments: A Sense of Community + Innovation
On my first day as a volunteer with Shakespeare Theatre, I drank in the excitement. The palpable jitteriness backstage during a live show, playing charades and gesturing to avoiding making a sound — it’s what theatre geeks like me live for. Few things have a more intoxicating orbit than a theater stage. It was March… Read more »
For The Joy of Disco
For SWATCHROOM co-founders Maggie O’Neill and Warren Weixler, disco is a conduit for joy. The creative duo sees the genre as medium for connection and delight — for audiences and artists alike. This concept is the driving force behind Disco DC, their new interdisciplinary arts space at Union Market. Launching in mid-September, Disco DC will… Read more »
MORE CULTURE
A Deepening, Not a Pivot
Typically, actors don’t build their own sets — especially at home in their garages. The Covid-19 pandemic fueled a lot of out-of-the-box thinking, however, especially for D.C. area theaters. The Zoom-commissioned play “This is Who I Am” by playwright Amir Nizar Zuabi is one inventive instance of creative workaround. Presented by Woolly Mammoth Theatre at… Read more »
Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival Celebrates 30 Years
Watching oil painters set up a canvas for an en plein air painting, observing textile artists weave at their looms — these are some of the many engaging and intimate moments shared between artists and art lovers at the annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival. Now celebrating its 30th year, more than 200 artists from… Read more »
Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary Season Infographic
Since its opening in 1971, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has served as one of the nation’s premiere creative hot spots. This timeline highlights a brief history of the center, showcasing renovations, improvements and legendary performances of the past. Print the downloadable PDF here. Enjoy this piece? Consider becoming a… Read more »
EAT
Western Market: D.C.’s Newest Culinary Destination
Western Market, Foggy Bottom’s new food hall, is set to open later this summer. When it does, expect to find an exciting variety of creative dining concepts and a new, vibrant destination for food, drink and entertainment. The Location Situated at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. near George Washington University’s (GWU) campus, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)… Read more »
DRINK
Unfolding the Magic Behind the Award-Winning Silver Lyan
Ahead of our rendezvous, I sit patiently in the corner gathering my notes, before he appears, flashing a bright disarming smile and offering a warm apology for keeping me waiting. Ryan Chetiyawardana, the man standing over me now, is the same bouncy, unassuming figure I’d later observe moving through the moody Silver Lyan space, greeting… Read more »
MUSIC
Broccoli City Festival Returns After Year Hiatus
See our most current coverage here. An old adage often spoken between innocent children and their crusty parents is, “Good things come to those who wait.” Another one is, “Eat your vegetables,” although admittedly it lacks the panache of the first. For the past year-plus, we’ve all had to wait for concerts, hangouts, movies and…. Read more »
Turn Around, Bright Eyes: D.C.’s Newest Events Venue Opens as Symbol of Hope
Situated at the end of Barracks Row in Southeast D.C., Capital Turnaround, the District’s newest performing arts venue, is a turnaround in more than one sense. The venue, which opened its doors in August, is a revival of the historic Navy Yard Car Barn: a symbol of hope for the creative industry and the community… Read more »
LIFE
One Bus + Seven Stories
Leah Judson is a visionary storyteller and community builder. She’s also a badass, one-woman wrecking crew with a heart of gold, who is intensely focused on rewriting the stories society tells itself about what young people are capable of and what they can contribute to the world. Judson will soon embark on a three-month voyage… Read more »
Six Fall Weekend Getaways Worth the Drive
After the couple of years we’ve had, the restlessness is real — and so are the mounting concerns that we might be in for another cooped-up winter. But luckily, while fresh air and gorgeous fall temps remain, we still have the freedom to get outside and enjoy every bit of fun our diverse region has… Read more »
PLAY
Theatre + Baseball Collide: “Toni Stone” Slides Into Nationals Park
One of baseball’s greatest untold stories will soon hit the field at Nationals Park. On September 26, Arena Stage’s production of “Toni Stone,” the true story of the first woman to play professionally in a men’s baseball league, will be simulcast live from Arena’s Kreeger Theater to the stadium. The production, by the Roundabout Theatre… Read more »
Yoga 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Flexibility, Flow + Poses
My introduction to yoga was for college credit. I was required to take one physical fitness class to graduate and thought yoga would be the perfect excuse to take a nap midday. As I rested on my college gym floor in a pose I later learned was called savasana, I gained a lifelong activity that… Read more »
