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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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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 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.


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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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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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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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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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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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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.


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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.


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The silver screen has found a new home in the Little City.

Paragon Theaters is set to open a new two-story theater with seven auditoriums, a bar, dining service and seating for over 600 moviegoers at 112 Founders Avenue next month.


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A new hub for the performing arts has opened its doors in Falls Church.

Longtime arts nonprofit Creative Cauldron cut the ribbon on its new location this past Thursday, Feb. 13 — the organization’s 24th anniversary — before debuting “Steel Magnolias,” the group’s first performance in the new space. The organization was previously located inside a smaller space in Pearson Square at 410 S. Maple Avenue.


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