Round House Theatre: Coming to Silver Spring in 2012

[Howard Hartman]

See you in Silver Spring in 2012 RHT's Silver Spring Series RHT's Sarah Play Forum Theatre presents Artistic & community partners At our Education Center See you in Silver Spring in 2012 2012 brings more exciting programming to RHT Silver Spring. Our eclectic Silver Spring Series continues with more music and dance, including the return of Dance Exchange and Helen Hayes Award-winner Will Gartshore. Contradiction Dance, our dance company-in-residence, is onstage in April with a program based on "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. Forum Theatre returns as theatre company-in-residence with three compelling productions. There’s more, including Round House’s annual Sarah Play in March. Take a look at the lineup and join us. Round House Theatre Silver Spring 8641 Colesville Road (next to AFI) Metro: Silver Spring (3 blocks) RHT's Silver Spring Series lost, left, found & borrowed Commissions of the MetLife Foundation Healthy Living Initiative at Dance Exchange Presented as part of Round House’s Silver Spring Series By Dance Exchange January 13 - 15 Commissioned by the Dance Exchange and MetLife Foundation, these works feature intergenerational casts and were created to be performed both in traditional performance spaces, as well as in health care settings, such as hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation centers. Themes include dementia, memory, and the shifting role of caretakers and caregivers. Tickets $15 general admission, $10 RHT subscribers, patrons age 30 & under, senior citizens, groups of 10+: click here or call 240.644.1100 All the King's Men: Broken Ballads with a Stiff Upper Lip With Will Gartshore Presented as part of Round House’s Silver Spring Series March 19 & 26 Will Gartshore returns with this fun and fractured songbook of contemporary Broadway, well-known standards, and pop/rock. With reinforcement from Christopher Wingert on piano and Chase Maggiano on violin, Will scales the musical heights of Sondheim, Porter, and Jason Robert Brown while stitching together pop-flavored fragments of Coldplay, Neil Young, and Stevie Nicks. Washington Blade calls the show "smoldering and eclectic" with "sturdy, shimmery vocals, tight pacing and and well-chosen material that, with help from the sparse, somewhat unorthodox instrumentation, Gartshore manages to bring new perspective to." It's enough to make you fall to pieces. Tickets $15 general admission, $10 RHT subscribers, patrons age 30 & under, senior citizens, groups of 10+: click here or call 240.644.1100 The Gift Presented as part of Round House’s Silver Spring Series By Contradiction Dance April 6 - 14 Suitable for all - from toddlers to grandfriends - The Gift is a dance-based reflection of a timeless classic: "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. Talking trees and dancing apples delight and remind us that the largest gift to self is the act of giving to others. Tickets $15 general admission, $10 RHT subscribers, patrons age 30 & under, senior citizens, groups of 10+: click here or call 240.644.1100 The Silver Spring Series is funded in part by a three-year grant from the Weissberg Foundation RHT's Sarah Play The Giver The Sarah Metzger Memorial Play 2012 By Eric Coble March 23 - April 1 Jonas' world is perfect. Everything is under control and safe. There is no war or fear or pain. There are also no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. But when Jonas turns 12, he is chosen for special training from The Giver - to receive and keep the memories of the community. The Giver is the only person who holds the memories of real pain and real joy. Now Jonas will learn the truth about life - and the hypocrisy of his utopian world. Discover what it means to grow up, to grow wise, and to take control of your own destiny. The Sarah Play provides high school students from across the region the guidance and resources to mount a production at Round House under the mentorship of professional theatre artists and practitioners. It is the country’s only theatrical production, offered as part of a regional theatre’s regular programming, that is directed, designed, stage managed, and performed entirely by high schoolers. The Giver is the 10th anniversary production of The Sarah Play. The Sarah Play celebrates the memory of Sarah Emily Metzger, an inspiring and active member of the theatre community in her school and at Round House, who was killed in an automobile accident during her freshman year of college. The Sarah Play is made possible in part by The Sarah Metzger Memorial Fund and Jeffrey and Carolyn Leonard. Tickets $15 general admission, $10 RHT subscribers, patrons age 30 & under, senior citizens, groups of 10+: click here or call 240.644.1100 ($10 The Giver tickets not available online) Forum Theatre presents The Language Archive By Julia Cho Directed by Jessica Burgess February 16 - March 10 George is a brilliant linguist, consumed with preserving and documenting dying languages. But at home, he cannot find the words that will preserve his disintegrating marriage. His archival assistant is mute with adoration for him; and his newest subjects, an elderly couple who are the last speakers of an obscure language, refuse to utter a word to one another. A magically inventive comedy, The Language Archive asks whether love is a universal language or, like Esperanto, just a well-intentioned dream. Tickets $25 general admission, $20 senior citizens, RHT subscribers, patrons age 30 & under: click here or call 240.644.1100 The Illusion By Tony Kushner Freely adapted from Pierre Corneille’s L’illusion comique Directed by Mitchell Hébert May 24 - June 16 Desperate to reach his long-lost son, an aging father turns to a sorcerer for insight. As the sorcerer conjures three episodes from the young man's life, his father is led deep into a maze of romance, intrigue, conspiracy, and murder. But just how much of it is true? In his witty and passionate adaptation of Corneille's classic L'illusion comique, Tony Kushner weaves illusion with truth - and theatre with real life. Church By Young Jean Lee Directed by Michael Dove July 2012 "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Acclaimed playwright and director Young Jean Lee transforms her life-long struggle with Christianity into an exuberant church service. Both celebratory and confrontational, Church will test the expectations of religious and non-religious alike - looking deep into why we believe what we believe. For info on Forum’s “Female Voices Festival” and other programs in Silver Spring – click here. Artistic & community partners RHT Silver Spring and the Education Center also host programs by such groups as Artstream, Lumina Studio Theatre, Silverdocs, and Music Together. At our Education Center 2012 brings activities for theatre lovers to our Education Center in Silver Spring. Round House Theatre Education Center 925 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring Metro: Silver Spring (3 blocks) Free for All Fridays: Our Friday series of free hour-long theatre classes for Pre-K thru 12th grade runs Jan. 27 - Mar. 23 from 4:30pm - 5:30pm. No pre-registration required. Class size is limited. Days Off at Round House: Bring the kids for a day of fun when Montgomery County Schools are closed on Jan. 23 & Mar. 30. We provide programming in visual arts, drama, & storytelling for grades K-6 culminating in a performance for family & friends at the end of the day. $85 per day. Pre-registration required. There’s much more – including Spring Break at Round House and our Summer Programs. Click for info. Questions? Email or call 301.585.1225.