Arena Stage (Washington, D. C.). Founded in 1950 by Zelda Fichandler, Edward Mangum, and others, the company gave its first performances arena style in an old movie house called the Hippodrome, then moved to a converted brewery. In 1961 the company moved to its current complex where, over the years, it established three performance spaces: the 827‐seat arena house called the Fichandler, the 514‐seat proscenium Kreeger; and a small basement semicabaret, the Old Vat. Its repertory has balanced classics with new plays, among them premieres of several works that later moved to Broadway, including The Great White Hope, Indians, Moonchildren, K‐2, and Tintypes. The company toured the Soviet Union under State Department aegis in 1973, and later performed in Hong Kong. In 1976 it was the first regional theatre to receive a Tony Award for services to its community. Fichandler served as artistic director for forty years, succeeded by Douglas C. Wager who took over in 1991. The Arena is not only the largest nonprofit theatre in the Washington area, it remains one of America's oldest and most consistently outstanding theatre organizations.
Arena Stage
| American Theater Guide: Arena Stage |
| Wikipedia: Arena Stage |
| Arena Stage | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Name: | Arena Stage | |
| Formed: | 1950 | |
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| Location(s): | 1101 Sixth Street SW, Washington DC | |
| Artistic Director: | Molly Smith | |
| Website: | www.arenastage.org | |
| Genre(s): | American Plays & Playwrights | |
Arena Stage is a theater production company in Southwest Washington, D.C. The theater company's home is on the DC waterfront, at 1101 Sixth Street, SW. Until its current and ongoing expansion, it consisted of three stages:
- The Fichandler Stage, a theater in the round seating 650.
- The Kreeger Theater, a modified thrust stage theater seating 514.
- The Old Vat Room, a small performance space since demolished.
The theater company has temporarily moved to Crystal City, a neighborhood in Arlington, VA, while it renovates and expands its permanent DC facilities. Additional works will be staged at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC.
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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 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.
One of its founders, Zelda Fichandler, was its artistic director from its founding through the 1990/91 season. Dougles 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[1].
Renovation 2008 - 2010
A major renovation of its facilities is currently underway, designed by Bing Thom Architects of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. These plans leave the Fichandler Stage and Kreeger Theater themselves largely untouched, but call for demolition of the theaters' connecting structures, including lobbies and offices. Once this is done, the two remaining stages will be surrounded by a glass curtain wall and incorporated into a larger building that will also contain a new smaller theater to be called "The Cradle," intended for debuting experimental pieces. This new "black box theater" will seat 200. The new building will also include a much larger lobby and a cafe. Earlier plans to include apartments on site for visiting actors and directors will not be realized.
The entire complex will be re-named "The Arena Stage Mead Center for American Theater"[2] in honor of supporters Gilbert and Jaylee Mead.
Notable actors
See also
External links
References
- ^ "1948 Tony Award Winners". BroadwayWorld. http://www.broadwayworld.com/tonyawardsyear.cfm?year=1948. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
- ^ Marks, Peters."Arena Stage to Expand Its Season From Eight to 10 Plays This Fall",Washington Post April 10, 2008
Coordinates: 38°52′38″N 77°01′13″W / 38.87722°N 77.02034°W
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 | American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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