Signature Theatre

Coordinates: 38°50′27.2″N 77°5′24.38″W / 38.840889°N 77.0901056°W / 38.840889; -77.0901056

Signature Theatre
Company logo
Background information
Name:	Signature Theatre
Formed:	1990
Location(s):	Arlington County, Virginia
Artistic Director:	Eric Schaeffer
Website:	http://www.sig-online.org/
Genre(s):	contemporary musicals&plays, classic musicals, new works,

Signature Theatre is a Greater Washington D.C. Area Tony Award winning regional theater company based in Arlington, Virginia. Its declared mission is "to produce contemporary musicals and plays, reinvent classic musicals, develop new work, and reach its community through engaging educational and outreach opportunities."^[1]. In the 20 years since its formation its productions have received numerous local and national awards.

History

Signature is renowned for reinventing classic musicals and inventing new voices. Founded in 1990, Signature serves as a home for both emerging talents and established composers and librettists who are developing new works for musical theater.^[2] The Theatre is especially well known for its productions of Broadway-quality musicals and daring new plays performed in an intimate space. Now approaching its 20th season under the leadership of Artistic Director Eric D. Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland, the company has staged 25 world premiere productions.

Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, John Kander, and Fred Ebb are among the talents that have presented works here. Since 1991, Signature has enjoyed a long relationship with Stephen Sondheim, producing 18 of his musicals, revues and concerts.^[3]

Current Facilities

Exterior of Signature Theatre above the Shirlington Library. The doors to the library are on the right, the theater entrance on the left. The lobby is behind the 14' high by 140' long second floor glass wall

In 2007, in partnership with Arlington County Virginia, Signature moved into a new $16 million theater complex built in The Village at Shirlington.^[4][5] The first floor of the building houses the Shirlington Branch of the Arlington County Public Library.^[6] The upper three floors house the theater. The complex has an industrial decor, with exposed particle board, pipes and metal sheeting. It includes two state-of-the-art black box theaters. The larger, christened "Max" in honor of Maxine Isaacs, seats 275 and can expand to accommodate 350 patrons. The smaller "Ark", named in honor of Arlene and Robert Kogod , can hold 99. The theaters are built as "square box within a square box, floating on hockey pucks. At $30 a puck. It is built like a soundstage" In addition to the two performance spaces, the complex contains a spacious lobby, meeting rooms, three rehearsal spaces, four individual dressing rooms, three shared dressing rooms, three showers, a cast greenroom, a separate orchestra greenroom, three kitchen areas, scene, prop, and costume shops.^[4][7]. The large lobby was named by donors Gilbert and Jaylee Mead in honor Gilbert's late son Rob Mead.^[4]

Current Season Productions

• DIRTY BLONDE by Claudia Shear; August 11 – October 4, 2009 in the Ark

• SHOW BOAT by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber; November 10, 2009 – January 17, 2010 in the Max

• I AM MY OWN WIFE by Doug Wright; January 12 – March 7, 2010 in the Ark

• SWEENEY TODD by Hugh Wheeler and Stephen Sondheim; February 9 – April 4, 2010 in the Max (third Signature production)

• [title of show] by Hunter Belland Jeff Bowen; March 30 – June 20, 2010 in the Ark

• SYCAMORE TREES by Ricky Ian Gordon; May 18 – June 20, 2010 in the Max (world premier)

Recent Productions

Recent productions include Over and Over, Urinetown, Side Show, Grand Hotel, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Rink, The Witches of Eastwick, and The Visit, starring Chita Rivera.

In the 2007-08 season, The Signature presented a Kander and Ebb Celebration. It began in March 2008 with Kiss of the Spider Woman starring Natascia Diaz, Will Chase, and Hunter Foster, then The Happy Time, and finally The Visit which starred Chita Rivera and George Hearn.^[8]

Signature's 2008-2009 season featured a Broadway-bound season opener - the musical Ace, The Little Dog Laughed, The Lieutenant Of Inishmore, a world premiere musical with music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, Giant, See What I Wanna See, and Les Miserables.^[9]

Significant Past Productions

• SWEENEY TODD By Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler; August 27 - September 21, 1991. This production was significant because it was the first of the Sondheim musicals produced by Signature and the critical acclaim established the company

• ASSASSINS By Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman; August 20 - October 3, 1992. This production was significant because it was attended by Stephen Sondheim and began a long term relationship between the theatre and Sondheim

• THE FIX by John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe; March 17 - May 10, 1998. This production was significant because it began a long term relationship between the theatre and Cameron Mackintosh

• GRAND HOTEL, By Luther Davis, Robert Wright, George Forrest, Maury Yeston; August 21 - October 7, 2001. This production was significant because it was running on 9/11 and resonated so well with the mood of the country afterwords

• LES MISÉRABLES by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. Based on a novel by Victor Hugo; December 2, 2008 – February 22, 2009. This production was significant because established the ability of Signature Theatre to adapt large musical productions to a small stage.

For a complete production history see http://www.sig-online.org/pro_hist.htm

Awards

• 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award^[10]
• 2002 - Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation grant for The Unknown: a silent musical by Janet Allard, Jean Randich and Shane Rettig. It was ultimately produced by Page 73 Productions at Joe's Pub as part of The Public Theater's New Work Now Festival 2004, and in the New York Musical Theater festival in 2005.^[11][12]

275 Helen Hayes Nominations with 69 Awards (as of 2009) including the following

• 2009 Outstanding Resident Musical Canadian Embassy Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical - Les Misérables. ^[13]
• 2006 Outstanding Resident Musical - Urinetown.^[13]
• 2005 Outstanding Resident Musical - Allegro.^[13]
• 2001 Outstanding Resident Musical - Side Show.^[13]
• 1999 Outstanding Resident Play - Nijinsky's Last Dance.^[13]
• 1997 Outstanding Resident Musical - Passion.^[13]
• 1995 Outstanding Resident Musical - Into the Woods.^[13]
• 1993 Outstanding Resident Musical - Assassins.^[13]
• 1992 Outstanding Resident Musical - Sweeney Todd.^[13]

Other Items Of Note

The Signature Theatre offers a number of programs beneficial to both writers and performing artists, and to the community.

• The New Play Festival develops new work by local and national writers.
• Signature in the Schools is a program designed for Arlington County high school students, culminating in an annual all-student production.
• Signature Sings Broadway in Ballston presents a series of free summer concerts.
• Signature in the City mounts productions in Washington, DC.
• Overtures, a two-week musical theater course for performers age 15 and older, is held to encourage young musical theatre performers in the area.
• The Cabaret series features professional cabaret singers from Washington and New York City.

Signature Theatre is a member of League of Resident Theatres (LORT) using the League administered collective bargaining agreements with Actors' Equity Association (AEA), the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), and United Scenic Artists (USA).^[14].

Signature Theatre is a member of the League of Washington Theaters (LOWT).^[15]

See also

Theatre portal

• Helen Hayes Award
• Theater in Washington, D.C.

References

External links

• Official website
• arlingtonunwired article, date unknown