theater | ARLnow.com

Published May 8, 2026 at 8:30AM

Signature Theatre in Shirlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Signature Theatre will try to top its own record-breaking year with a 2026-2027 season featuring a world premiere musical, two Stephen Sondheim productions and the Shirlington theater’s first co-production with Shakespeare Theatre Company.

The lineup, unveiled Tuesday by Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner and Managing Director Maggie Boland, follows a 2025 in which Signature broke sales records alongside fellow Arlington stage Synetic, amid turmoil at the Kennedy Center across the river. The Kennedy Center is set to close for two years of renovations starting in July.

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Encore Stage and Studio stays true to its roots as it approaches 60th anniversary

By Scott McCaffrey

Published April 24, 2026 at 3:45PM

Students in Encore Stage & Studio programs perform at benefit breakfast (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

As its 60th birthday approaches, Encore Stage & Studio is expanding its reach while remaining true to its core beliefs.

“We’ve worked hard to advance Encore’s mission,” the organization’s board chair, Lisa Sullivan, said at an April 22 benefit breakfast at Washington Golf & Country Club.

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Arlington-based inclusive theater troupe opens new show this weekend

By Scott McCaffrey

Published April 10, 2026 at 3:45PM

Cast and crew of ArtStream Company A (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

An Arlington-based inclusive theater troupe is about to bring its latest creation to life.

“Rooted in Unity” will be among two productions presented by ArtStream’s local theater companies during performances this weekend at the James Lee Community Center in Falls Church.

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Encore Stage & Studio debuts youth production of ‘Sherlock in Wonderland’

By Scott McCaffrey

Published March 27, 2026 at 2:45PM

Sherlock Holmes, portrayed by Wanjiru Ogonji, considers a clue (courtesy Cindy Kane Photography)

A youth production combining the worlds of Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland is debuting at Arlington’s Encore Stage & Studio.

“Sherlock in Wonderland” opened last Friday at Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 S. 2nd Street), marking the second collaboration between Encore and playwright Lynne Streeter Childress.

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Signature Theatre leads all D.C.-area theaters in Helen Hayes Award nominations

By ARLnow.com

Published March 2, 2026 at 8:30AM

Signature Theatre in Shirlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Signature Theatre earned more Helen Hayes Award nominations than any other theater company in the Washington region this year.

The Shirlington-based theater received 28 nominations across five productions, leading all 38 theaters recognized by Theatre Washington for the 42nd annual Helen Hayes Awards, announced last Monday (Feb. 23). Its most-nominated production was “The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical” with eight nominations, followed by “Play On!” with seven and “Fiddler on the Roof” with six.

News

Amid Kennedy Center turmoil, two Arlington theater companies broke sales records in 2025

By Dan Egitto

Published December 22, 2025 at 3:45PM

A performance of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" at Signature Theatre earlier this year (via Signature Theater/Instagram)

During a year of shake-ups and flagging sales at the Kennedy Center, several performing arts groups in Arlington enjoyed significant success in 2025.

Leaders of local groups say that it’s difficult to tell whether they’ve directly benefited from this year’s upheaval across the Potomac, which most recently included a vote to rename D.C.’s premier performing arts center as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” last week.

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Workshop offers teens, tweens tips and techniques for Halloween transformations

By Scott McCaffrey

Published October 27, 2025 at 11:30AM

Olivia Wolfe transforming herself into a Halloween jack-o-lantern (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

They entered as a typical group of Arlington teens and tweens. Within 90 minutes, they had been transformed into, among others, a monster, princess, a pumpkin and a unicorn.

The metamorphosis came courtesy of Encore Stage & Studio, which on Oct. 25 hosted its first-ever Halloween-makeup workshop at Cherrydale United Methodist Church.

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‘Gilded Age’ actor to star in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at Signature Theatre

By Katie Taranto

Published October 7, 2025 at 1:15PM

Douglas Sills in "The Gilded Age" (via Douglas Sills)

A Tony Award-nominated actor from HBO’s “The Gilded Age” will play the lead role in Signature Theatre’s rendition of “Fiddler on the Roof” this fall.

The Shirlington theater has cast Douglas Sills as Tevye, a Jewish peasant and the musical’s narrator who endures rising antisemitism alongside his family and neighbors in Czarist Russia. The actor is known for his role as chef Monsieur Baudin on “The Gilded Age.”

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New yacht rock cabaret debuts at Signature Theater in Shirlington this week

By Katie Taranto

Published July 21, 2025 at 2:45PM

Signature Theatre in Shirlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Sounds of summer are coming to Shirlington this week with the start of a new yacht rock cabaret.

“Sailing: Yacht Rock” premieres tomorrow night (Tuesday) at Signature Theatre, featuring the melodies of Christopher Cross and quintessential yacht rock tunes like “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” and “What a Fool Believes.”

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Arlington Players kicks off 75th season with outdoor ‘Peanuts’ show

By Scott McCaffrey

Published June 12, 2025 at 8:30AM | Updated June 12, 2025 at 2:20PM

Jonathan Mulberg and Emily Carbone in "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" (photo courtesy Tyler McGee for The Arlington Players)

The Arlington Players has launched its 75th-anniversary season with a celebration of the beloved “Peanuts” characters, who are also marking their 75th year.

Weather conditions were accommodating for two of the opening weekend performances as the group brought the musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” outdoors to audiences at Lubber Run Amphitheater.

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Arlington Drafthouse owners step down, handing reins to longtime manager

By Katie Taranto

Published May 27, 2025 at 2:45PM

Arlington Cinema Drafthouse (staff photo by Pia Kramer)

After 20 years at the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse, the beloved Columbia Pike venue’s owners are passing the torch to the business’s longtime manager.

Pete Fejeran, who has managed the comedy club and theater at 2903 Columbia Pike for the past 12 years, has taken ownership alongside his wife Kathryn McAbee. Former owners Tim Clark and Greg Godbout are stepping down to pursue “other opportunities,” Fejeran said.

News

New county fees raise concerns for Arlington performing arts groups

By Scott McCaffrey

Published April 18, 2025 at 8:15AM

The Arlington Cultural Affairs building at 3700 S. Four Mile Run (via Arlington County)

Arlington County is changing the way it bills performing arts groups for services, raising concerns among some advocates.

Beginning July 1, the county will shift from charging groups a 10% surcharge for tickets to charging an hourly fee for each staff member or contractor who provides services at a county- or school system-owned theater facility.