Arts & Culture in Fairfax

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The Shakespeare Theatre Company is devoted to both reinterpreting and staging traditional renditions of plays from the Bard and those who were influenced by him. Since its first production of Romeo and Juliet in 1986, the company has blossomed into a diverse, highly practiced proponent and preservationist of the playwright’s works.

Last year on Broadway, The Normal Heart won three Tony Awards for its honest, moving revival of playwright Larry Kramer's 1985 onstage wake-up call that alerted America to the urgency of the AIDS epidemic. Even with more than 25 years of history padded onto its premiere, the production still "blasts you like an open, overstoked furnace," the New York Times declares, aided by performances from The Good Wife's Patrick Breen, Brothers and Sisters' Luke MacFarlane, and thirtysomething's Patricia Wettig. The human consequences of the crisis unfold onstage as a doctor seeks answers for the growing number of sick gay men on her patients' list; a writer looks to warn the community about the epidemic; and a mayor's aide aims to deflect the political consequences of the disease. George C. Wolfe, a two-time Tony Award winner for Angels in America and Bring in da Noise, directs the drama, brewing up a stirring performance that shouts of anger, love, and hope.

Established as the Washington Shakespeare Company in 1990, WSC Avant Bard is dedicated to updating classic theater for modern audiences, revitalizing well-worn drama with challenging interpretations. Under the leadership of newly appointed artistic director Tom Prewitt, the theater treats audiences to daring productions of established classics, new works, and little-known Shakespeare fan-fiction about him teaming up to fight crime with Queen Elizabeth I.

From the great heights of the Windows over Washington restaurant, a rotation of comedians float nationally toured and tested routines toward dinner and late-night audiences. The Comedy Zone DC keeps punch lines rolling with its regularly stuffed calendar of established and up-and-coming jokesters. Windows over Washington backdrops the onstage uproar with the clinking of wineglasses, aromas wafting from steak and seafood dishes, and stunning views of the cityscape and the Potomac River.

Founded in 1951, Adventure Theatre MTC has been the longest-running children’s theater in the Washington area and has earned a mantel-overloading amount of awards throughout the decades. Alongside professional and student productions, the theatrical powerhouse hosts camps and workshops to expand the performance arts, instill the love of the stage in children, and help teens to act like they care about the SATs.