September 12, 2022

Celebrating Theatre Week in DC

by Korrea Johnston

Are you a fan of the performing arts? Get ready to celebrate theatre season in the DC region! Starting September 22 to October 9, 2022, the District will launch Theatre Week to kick-off the popular production season by providing discount tickets to over 20 live shows and hosting a community kickoff party, along with dozens of free events to entertain, educate, and inspire. With plenty of participating theaters and productions, Theatre Week is an opportunity to sample diverse and vibrant work throughout the city.

To help you prepare for these plays, musicals, dramas, comedies, and other #DCTheatre productions, goDCgo has highlighted the top 10 venues in the city and the best ways to get there by foot, bike, bus, or Metro.

Arena Stage

As the first integrated theater in the District, Arena Stage has showcased more than 200 productions that are focused on American artists and representative of stories from across the country. This theater keeps the American spirit alive by nurturing new plays and reimagining classics.

Address: 1101 6th Street SW

• Capital Bikeshare:
  • Maine Ave & Water St SW
  • Maine Ave & 7th St SW
  • 4th & M St SW
  • Waterfront Park
• DC Circulator: Eastern Market-L’Enfant Plaza route to 4th & M St SW or 7th & I St SW
• Metrobus:
  • P6 route to 3rd & M St SW or 4th & I St SW
  • 74 route to 6th & M St SW or 6th & K St SW
• Metrorail: Green Line to Waterfront Metro Station

Atlas Performing Arts Center

Housed in a renovated Art Deco movie house, this historic facility and non-profit performing arts venue is home to several arts organizations. The Atlas has four performance spaces for presenting art in film, dance, music, theater, vocal and choral work, spoken word, and beyond. In addition to their own in-house productions, the center often hosts free events in the lobby and frequently shares their space for other artist groups and special events.

Address: 1333 H Street NE

• Capital Bikeshare:
  • 13th & H St NE
  • Bladensburg Rd & Benning Rd NE
• DC Streetcar: Provides free, daily trips along the H Street NE Corridor and Benning Road from Union Station to Oklahoma Avenue. Check the hours of operation.
• Metrobus:
  • B2 route to 15th St & Benning Rd NE
  • X2 or X9 route to 14th & H St NE
  • X8 route to 14th St & Maryland Ave NE

Ford’s Theatre

Infamous for being the site of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Ford’s Theatre offers interactive museum exhibits, live theatre, and immersive learning that explores the legacy of Lincoln. During the Civil War, Ford’s Theatre was one of DC’s top entertainment venues and is now a national historic site and theatre that produces plays and musicals exploring the American experience and celebrating Lincoln’s legacy.

Address: 511 10th Street NW

• Capital Bikeshare:
  • 10th & E St NW
  • 10th & G St NW
  • Metro Center/12th & G St NW
• Metrobus:
  • D6 route to 10th & E St NW
  • 63, 64, P6, or S2 route to 11th & E St NW
• Metrorail: Blue/Orange/Silver/Red Line to Metro Center Station

GALA Hispanic Theatre

“GALA” is an acronym for “Grupo de Artistas Latino Americanos.” A National Center for Latino Performing Arts, GALA Theatre promotes and shares a wide range of Latino arts and cultures with a diverse audience, creating works that represents and engages the Latino community.

Address: 3333 14th Street NW

• Capital Bikeshare:
  • Park Rd & Holmead Pl NW
  • 14th & Newton St NW
  • 14th & Irving St NW
• DC Circulator: Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square route to 14th & Irving St NW
• Metrobus:
  • D32, DC98, H2, H4, H8, or W47 route to 14th & Irving St NW
  • 52, 54, or 59 route 14th & Monroe St NW or 14th & Irving St NW
• Metrorail: Green/Yellow Line to Columbia Heights Metro Station

The Howard Theatre

First opening in 1910, this historic site was once the “largest colored theatre in the world” and was reborn in 2012 after much neglect. In its early days, The Howard Theatre provided a safe place from segregation where dignitaries would gather with regular residents to see stars like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holliday, and Nat King Cole, along with later talents like Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, and James Brown. Today, The Howard Theatre is enjoying a rebirth sharing its stage for musicals, concerts, and other entertainment.

Address: 620 T Street NW

• Capital Bikeshare:
  • 7th & T St NW
  • 7th & S St NW
  • 7th & R St NW/Shaw Library
• Metrobus:
  • 70 route to 7th & S St NW
  • 70, 79, 90, 92, or 96 route to Florida Ave & Georgia Ave NW
  • 90 or 92 route to 6th St & Florida Ave NW
• Metrorail: Green/Yellow Line to Shaw-Howard U Metro Station

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

As the nation’s living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, this cultural campus presents world-class art by today’s artists, delivers powerful arts education opportunities nationwide, and embodies the ideals of President Kennedy in all of its activities. The center presents over 2,200 performances, exhibits, and events each year consisting of classical and contemporary music, opera, drama, dance, and other performing arts from the US and other countries.

Address: 2700 F Street NW

• Capital Bikeshare:
  • Kennedy Center
  • 25th St & Virginia Ave NW
• DC Circulator: Georgetown-Union Station route to 22nd St & Pennsylvania Ave NW or 24th St & Pennsylvania Ave NW
• Metrobus:
  • 42 or 43 route to Kennedy Center Roadway
• Metrorail: Blue/Orange/Silver Line to Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro Station*

* The Kennedy Center operates a FREE shuttle from the Foggy Bottom Metro Station. Please note that face masks are mandatory while on the bus, buses will be disinfected in between routes, and hand sanitizing stations have been installed on each bus.

Lincoln Theatre

Initially conceived and built 100 years ago as a segregated movie house for DC’s African American community, this 1,250-seat neoclassical-style theater quickly established itself as the cultural epicenter of what came to be known as “Black Broadway” — what we know today as U Street NW. The building has catered to artists, presidents, cinema stars, boxers, and hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians alike. Similar to The Howard Theatre, performers at the Lincoln Theatre included luminaries such as Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and many more. Since its new management in 2013, the Lincoln Theatre has maintained a complete calendar of events and hosted 1,000 shows, attracting more than 600,000 patrons.

Address: 1215 U Street NW

• Capital Bikeshare:
  • 10th & U St NW
  • 11th & V St NW
  • 12th & U St NW
  • 13th & U St NW
• DC Circulator: Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square route to 14th & U St NW
• Metrobus:
  • 52, 54, 59, or DC98 route to 14th & U St NW
  • 90, 92, or 96 route to 13th & U St NW
• Metrorail: Green/Yellow Line to U Street Metro Station

National Theatre

Established in 1835, the National Theatre is the nation’s oldest venue still presenting touring Broadway shows, the oldest continuously operating business on Pennsylvania Avenue, and the second oldest theatre in the nation!  While this historic site holds many titles, the 1,676-seat venue is also home to over 6,000 productions.

Address: 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

• Capital Bikeshare:
  • Metro Center/12th & G St NW
  • 14th & D St NW/Ronald Reagan Building
  • 14th & G St NW
  • 15th St & Pennsylvania Ave NW
• Metrobus:
  • 16E or 52 route to 14th St & Pennsylvania Ave NW
  • 32, 33, or 36 route to 13th St & Pennsylvania Ave NW or 14th St & Pennsylvania Ave NW
  • 54 or 59 route to 14th & F St NW
  • D6 route to 13th & F St NW
• Metrorail:
  • Blue/Orange/Silver Line to Federal Triangle or Metro Center Station
  • Red Line to Metro Center Station

Warner Theatre

Did you know the Warner Theatre got its name from owner Harry Warner, one of the Hollywood’s Warner Brothers? Originally opening in 1924, this 1,950-seat space was hailed as a building of beauty, featuring a spectacular marble and gold leaf lobby and large auditorium with gold leaf ceilings and chandeliers. Today, having undergone a $10 million restoration, the Warner Theatre hosts a variety of Broadway productions, comedy, dance, film, and music concerts.

Address: 513 13th Street NW

• Capital Bikeshare:
  • Metro Center/12th & G St NW
  • 14th & D St NW/Ronald Reagan Building
  • 14th & G St NW
• Metrobus:
  • 16E or 52 route to 14th St & Pennsylvania Ave NW
  • 32, 33, or 36 route to 13th St & Pennsylvania Ave NW
  • 54 or 59 route to 14th & F St NW
  • D6 route to 11th & E St NW or 13th & F St NW
• Metrorail:
  • Blue/Orange/Silver Line to Federal Triangle or Metro Center Station
  • Red Line to Metro Center Station

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

This 265-seat, courtyard-style theater in the heart of downtown DC has an inclusive culture of provocation, producing new and risk-taking work to radically redefine theatre as a catalyst for an equitable, creative, and engaged society.

Address: 641 D Street NW

• Capital Bikeshare:
  • 6th St & Indiana Ave NW
  • 7th & F St NW/National Portrait Gallery
  • 8th & D St NW
• Metrobus:
  • 32, 33, 36, 70, 74, 79, DC2, P6, or S2 route to 7th St & Pennsylvania Ave NW
  • D6 route to 7th & E St NW
• Metrorail: Green/Yellow Line to Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Station