REGRETFULLY THE OCT 29 PERFORMANCE WAS CANCELED DUE TO HURRICANE SANDY.
We are exploring rescheduling options but for now encourage you to support online:
Join d&pdc and these 11 DC theatre companies in representing the District in the national Plays for Presidents Festival:
Faction of Fools | Factory 449 | Flying V
Landless Theatre Company | Longacre Lea
Pinky Swear Productions | Pointless Theatre
Washington Improv Theater
National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts
Grain of Sand | Red Eye Gravy Theatre Co
About the Play
Hailed by the Chicago Sun Times as “zany, clever, ambitious and often surprisingly moving,” 44 Plays for 44 Presidents has garnered a history of sold out audiences and critical praise since its 2002 premiere at The Neo-Futurists Theatre Company (originally 43 Plays for 43 Presidents). 44 Plays for 44 Presidents is a 2-hour show comprised of short, biographical scenes highlighting the lives of all the American presidents. Their mistakes and successes are celebrated by a company of actors who take turns donning a star-spangled coat that symbolizes the presidency. Beginning with George Washington’s almost Eden-like perfection, the scenes shift frequently between the comic and the tragic, from Ben Franklin giving Thomas Jefferson a Borscht Belt-style roast, to the frank portrayal of William Henry Harrison’s life as an “Indian slayer,” and later the grim onset of the Civil War. Act II starts off the twentieth century with the assassination of William McKinley, moves through a Nixon-praising dance number and a George Bush, Sr. mini-musical about dirty campaigning, and arrives at a polarized America in both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama plays. Audience members consider their role in shaping the history they’ve just witnessed, as they are.
About the Festival
The Plays for Presidents Festival 2012 is a national collaboration of theatre and educational artists interested in elevating political discourse and highlighting the impact of history through the production of 44 Plays for 44 Presidents. No fewer than 44 theatres, colleges, and high schools will produce the play in conjunction with the 2012 Presidential Election - culminating in an online composite video production of 44 Plays for 44 Presidents made up of contributions from all 44 productions. “This experiment is a way of uniting the theatre community around something specific,” says Andy Bayiates Festival Co-Chair and Co-Writer of 44 Plays for 44 Presidents. “It puts high school drama kids side-by-side, virtually speaking, with professional
About Taking Care of Our Own
Taking Care of Our Own is a new initiative of theatreWashington and was born to meet a critical need in our community, assisting currently active Washington area theatre professionals and artists in personal emergency situations. Taking Care of Our Own raises funds in a number of ways including: The Bucket Brigade: Following curtain call at performances in participating theatres, artists and staff will hold the buckets to collect audience donations for the fund; Virtual Buckets via this link.