Do you have a theater date for this weekend? Just as “Gone Fishin'” signs start popping up in box office windows of DC’s bigger theater houses for the summer, audiences are queuing up for at least three different experimental festivals. What stroke of genius assembled this bill of fare? Is Source the appetizer whetting the community's appetite for Fringe? Would you like some Hip-Hop on the side? Or do some folks fill up on Source and then take a doggy bag for Fringe? I see this as drama tapas, small helpings for everyone at the table to share (and to discuss on the Fringe and Purge blog).

While Fringe and Source are both experimental laboratories and incubators of new talent, they differ in that Fringe is uncurated, whereas Source hand-picks talent from around town to create new, exciting projects. For this final week, Source commissioned one-acts from standout playwrights behind last year’s 10-minute plays. OK, I’ll admit I went to see Group F last night because I’m a huge fan of HBO’s “The Wire” and I wanted to see Delaney Williams (the artist formerly known as Bill Delaney) in Her Love Was Vertigo.

Read More "Festival Frenzy Hits D.C.: Source Festival One-Acts (Group F)" »

More on Carla Harting's bicycle mishap originally reported here.

“Break a leg” is the traditional, if superstitious, pre-curtain benediction for actors. It is not meant to be taken literally. Sadly, one of the stars of Arena Stage’s Legacy of Light, Carla Harting, suffered compound fractures in her left femur and tibia after getting hit by a car while biking near the Jefferson Memorial over the weekend. Coincidentally, just ten days earlier, many DC cyclists met at the Jefferson Memorial to embark on the annual Ride of Silence to commemorate those injured or killed while riding bicycles.

Read More "Update: Arena Stage Loses Legacy of Light’s Carla Harting to Bike Accident" »

Maybe it’s a victim of its own success, but D.C.’s big summer theater party has too many people banging on the door this year. The Capital Fringe Festival, entering its fourth summer, saw a 50 percent increase in artist applications this year. Festival organizers decided to cap the number of hosted productions at 124 shows (slightly higher than last year's 104)* and keep it 18 days long (July 9-26).

And that’s probably a good thing: It was difficult enough last year running around town, reading reviews, and comparing notes with friends to strategize the best way to get a flavor of the festival (believe me, I tried).

More Fringe buzz below the jump, including venue news, metro accessibility, and...button tips!

Read More "Capital Fringe Turns Artists Away for Fourth Season" »

Maybe the recent theater-building frenzy has hit a wall, maybe economic reality has checked in, but D.C. theaters are cutting back a little for the 2009-10 season. In 2007-08, while the paint was still drying on Harman Hall, Shakespeare Theatre Company expanded from five to eight shows; next year they’re down to seven. And Arena Stage, instead of their usual subscription of eight shows, is offering only six.

But with no shortage of theater in DC, audiences value quality over quantity.

Read More "Woolly Mammoth Still Crazy After 30 Years" »

Next to Normal at Arena

D.C.’s Arena Stage has been doing its fair share of boasting lately. In less than two months, goes the hype, not one but two Arena shows will be running simultaneously on Broadway. As if that weren't enough, Arena is calling itself the first regional theater to claim this honor twice, having sent a pair of shows to Broadway in the 1979-80 season as well.

What's their secret? What makes Arena Stage and D.C. in general such an attractive launching pad for a Broadway show?

Read More "With 33 Variations and Next to Normal, Arena Stage Gives Its Regards to Broadway" »