Editor’s Pick: Round House’s National Capital New Play Festival
Round House Theatre presents world premieres of two timely, compelling plays in rep over the next month.
Two decades ago, a group of Chechen insurgents, seeking vengeance after Putin had brutally crushed a rebellion in the territory of Chechnya, decided to hijack the Dubrovka Theater in the middle of a performance of a hit musical, taking everyone inside hostage, from nearly 800 patrons to the show’s full cast and crew.
Playwright Tim J. Lord focuses on the aftermath of that real-life tragic night in We declare you a terrorist…, a taut political thriller combining live-action with video projections.
“We are taking what we learned about digital media during the pandemic and adding it to the work we did on previous collaborations…to create a new way of exploring character, [specifically] to take you inside the mind of the lead character,” says Round House Theatre’s Ryan Rilette.
Co-directed by multimedia designer Jared Mezzocchi, We declare you a terrorist… stars Cody Nickell, Elliot Bales, Ava Eisenson, and Bekah Zornosa and is presented as part of the inaugural National Capital New Play Festival at Round House.
Lord’s play will run in rep over the next month with another World Premiere — it’s not a trip it’s a journey.
This celebration of “Black femme friendship” from playwright and TV writer Charly Evon Simpson follows four wildly different women as they embark on an impromptu cross-country road trip to the Grand Canyon. Dezi Bing, Afua Busia, Erin Margaret Pettigrew, and Cristina Pitter star in a production directed by Nicole A. Watson.
Previews begin April 5. Runs in rep through May 8.
Round House is at 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Md. Tickets are $41 to $68, with various discounts available. Call 240-644-1100 or visit www.roundhousetheatre.org.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
