On Monday, June 15, 2015, Will on the Hill, a favorite bipartisan event of theatre and political fans alike, returns to the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Now in its thirteenth year, this year’s event features a performance of Midsummer Madness,an original play by Peter Byrne, and directed by STC Associate Artistic Director Alan Paul.The cast will include special guest performer, STC Affiliated Artist Edward Gero andSamira Wiley, known for her role in Orange is the New Black.
The annual Will on the Hill event welcomes Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and distinguished Washington insiders onto the Shakespeare Theatre Company stage to perform a political satire infused with Shakespearean language and references. The event pays tribute to the unique dynamic of our city and provides a wonderful way to engage new audiences. Proceeds from this event support STC’s many education, artistic, and community engagement programs including in-school workshops and online learning resources that inspire new and diverse audiences and deepen the connection to classical theatre in learners of all ages. Will on the Hill will take place in Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW), and begins with a VIP cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the performance at 7:30 p.m., and a buffet dinner immediately after the performance.
This year’s cast for Will on the Hill will include guest actors Samira Wiley and Edward Gero. Wiley is a TV and film star and a graduate of the Julliard School, best known for her starring role as inmate Poussey Washington on the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black. Gero has been a prominent figure in the Washington theatre community and STC Affiliated Artist has appeared in more than 70 roles on the STC stage, most recently as King Henry IV in Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2. He recently created the role of Justice Antonin Scalia in the world premiere of John Strand’s The Originalist.
In addition to Midsummer Madness, the evening includes a performance from students inText Alive!, a free arts integration program offered by STC to D.C. area schools, which teaches Shakespeare’s plays through performance and adaptation. This year, students from Virginia’s West Springfield High School present their disco-style take on the wrestling scene from As You Like It, which was performed earlier this spring for the Duchess of Cornwall during her visit to the Shakespeare Theatre Company.
About Midsummer Madness: Summer in Washington finds two lobbyists, one male, one female, vying for a job at the prestigious lobbying firm Stratford, Avon and Bard. Each thinks the other has the advantage due to their gender, so their interviewer puts them to the task of solving some of their clients’—and Washington’s—biggest conflicts. Things do not go as planned, however, as Shakespeare’s heroes and heroines emerge to join the fray. The battle of the sexes is far from over…
Many members of Congress will join Edward Gero and Samira Wiley on the STC stage, including Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Representatives Joyce Beatty (D-OH),Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Susan Davis(D-CA), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Donna Edwards (D-MD), Janice Hahn (D-CA), Jim Himes(D-CT), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Jim Moran (D-VA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jared Polis (D-CO), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Dina Titus (D-NV), Mike Turner (R-OH), and Ryan Zinke (R-MT).
Other illustrious cast members include The Honourable Ian Liddell-Grainger (MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset), Christina Sevilla (DA U.S. Trade Representative, Executive Office of the President); and members of the media, including Jonathan Allen(Vox), Ron Christie (CEO Christie Strategies), Steve Clemons (Washington Editor-at-Large, The Atlantic, National Journal, Quartz), Bob Cusack (Editor in Chief, The Hill), Rich Edson (Fox News), Amy Holmes (The Blaze TV), Rick Klein (ABC News’ Political Director), Latoya Peterson (Fusion), Thomas Rogan (Tom Rogan Thinks), Robert Siegel(NPR’s All Things Considered), Pamela Lynne Sorensen (Pamela’s Punch), and Kelly Jane Torrance (The Weekly Standard).
The Honorary Co-Chairs for the event are Speaker John A. Boehner (R-OH), The Honorable James E. Clyburn (D-SC), House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) andU.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).
* Cast members subject to change.
A select number of performance-only tickets to this popular event are available online atwww.shakespearetheatre.org/
Celebrating and recognizing the community of survivors and supporters, the Susan G. Komen Foundation brings in multiplatinum singer/songwriter Matt Goss. Proceeds fund breast cancer research around the globe.
Just in time for this fall’s political cycle, piano-playing political satirist Mark Russell returns to Ford’s Theatre (511 Tenth Street NW) for one night only, Monday, October 19, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. With material ripped from today’s headlines, Russell’s unique brand of comedy earned him the Mark Twain Award for political comedy and made him a popular favorite on PBS.
Tickets for An Evening with Mark Russell range $20 to $64, and are available to Ford’s Theatre Members and groups (15 or more) on August 3, at 10:00 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public on August 17, at 10:00 a.m. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Ford’s Theatre Box Office (511 Tenth Street NW, Washington, DC), through Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787 or online at www.fords.org/event/evening-mark-russell(fees apply). Groups of 15 or more may reserve tickets online at www.fords.org/groups.
The 2015 Georgetown Gala, the annual Citizens Association of Georgetown (CAG) event that brings together over 400 residents, organizations, businesses, and politicos to celebrate Georgetown and CAG’s mission of historic preservation and improving the life of the community, will be held on Friday, October 23, at the swank Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown.
This year’s event, titled “Bar 1878: Georgetown After Dark” will highlight Georgetown’s unique combination of history, style and allure. The gala committee, chaired by Tricia Huntley, Leslie Maysak, and Jennifer Altemus, is planning a special evening that will include cocktails, a high end silent auction, an exceptional menu and live music from DC’s favorite BroadSide Sound band. CAG looks forward to dancing the night away with friends and neighbors — and celebrating this amazing city in which we live!
The high-end silent auction will include homes in Paris, Aspen, and Nantucket, unique photos from award winning artist, Ramin Abrahim, a rare Redskins package with former GM Charlie Casserly, fine wine, a full access Colonial Parking Pass and a Rooftop 4th of July celebration.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.cagtown.org
About: The Musical Celebration of Hope Gala will present an evening of jazz while guests join together for a spectacular evening of dancing, celebration and inspiration. Proceeds from the Gala will support lung cancer research that will save lives and offer new hope in treatments and survivorship.
Place: Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20240
Time: 7:00 pm Cocktail Reception; 8:00 pm Dinner, Awards Presentation and Dancing
Website: www.LUNGevity.org/hopegala
Price: Tickets starting at $500
On Wednesday, October 28 – America Abroad Media (AAM) will host its third annual “Power of Film”Awards Dinner at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. to honor four outstanding leaders whose work exemplifies the power of media to inform, educate, and empower citizens about the critical social and public policy issues of our time.
This year’s honorees include two highly-praised films: Argo,
Individual honorees include Turkish journalist and broadcaster, Mithat Bereket, and Emirati media executive Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of twofour54 Abu Dhabi. Aaron Lobel, founder and president of America Abroad Media, said, “We are truly delighted to be honoring Noura Al Kaabi, a dynamic and outstanding leader. Her enormous contribution to the success of the media sector in Abu Dhabi, as well as her personality and leadership style, is an inspiration to women in the UAE and across the Middle East and an honorable reflection of the values of her country.”
The event’s host committee includes a notable roster made up of several distinguished AAM Board members, among others, Peter Ackerman, Paula Dobriansky, James Glassman, Martin Indyk, Dennis Ross, and Doug Wilson, as well as numerous international supporters, such as, Turki Aldakhil, Mohammad and Hoda Kanoo, Caroline Faraj, and H.E. Princess Rym Ali. The event co-chairs are Lester Crown, Lee Hamilton, Michael Hayden, and Dina Powell. To conclude the evening’s program, attendees can expect an entertaining collaborative live musical performance by top talent from the U.S. and Middle East.
Tickets to the 2015 AAM Awards Dinner are available for purchase online, here: http://www.
WHEN:
6:00-7:00PM Award recipients available to media for interviews and photos
6:00-7:00PM VIP Reception
6:30PM General Admission
7:00-10:00PM Dinner and Program
*All media must be in place by 5:45PM
WHERE:
1301 Constitution, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240
TICKETS:
Friday, November 13, 2015, 7:00PM–10:00PM, Come celebrate Fashion Fights Poverty 10 years of doing good while looking good in fashion that empowers with commentary from celebrity guest host Will Thomas (Fox 5 News). Get your ticket herehttps://ffpgala2015.