Round House Theatre Announces 50th Anniversary Season
Big birthday, bold bill, and a bright new brand! Round House Theatre is ringing in its 50th season with signature style. Under Artistic Director Ryan Rilette and Executive Director Ed Zakreski, the Silver Spring stage leans into provocative programming and people-first storytelling, pairing classics, comedies, and cutting-edge premieres that probe identity, ambition, and the cracks in the systems we trust.
The lineup kicks off with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson, a blistering blues-soaked classic, followed by the holiday-season send-up Cult of Love by Leslye Headland. Winter brings the sharp, satirical Chinese Republicans, while spring spotlights a homegrown premiere, Baby Shower Katie. The season signs off with The White Chip, Sean Daniels’s sober, searching story of recovery.
Beyond the stage, the “50 for 50” initiative brings a flood of free, festive, and community-focused events. Think: Classes, conversations, and curtain-peeks, while a fresh visual identity (courtesy of Pentagram) signals a confident step forward.
2026-2027 SEASON DETAILS
August Wilson’s MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
September 9 – October 11, 2026
Set in 1920s Chicago and pulsing with rousing blues music, wry comedy, and poetic insight, August Wilson’s acclaimed play follows trailblazing singer Ma Rainey and her band during a fraught recording session. As conflicts flare over art, power, and control, the struggle between the musicians and studio executives grows to a shattering finale. Co-produced with Olney Theatre Center.
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CULT OF LOVE
By Leslye Headland
Directed by Ryan Rilette
November 18 – December 27, 2026 | Regional premiere
Celebrate the holidays with the Broadway sensation Cult of Love! In this darkly funny, music-filled play, four adult siblings (and their partners) return home for Christmas Eve, carrying secrets, resentments, and competing ideas of what family demands. As the singing and celebration give way to confrontation, old wounds reopen and new revelations emerge.
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CHINESE REPUBLICANS
By Alex Lin
January 27 – February 21, 2027 | Regional premiere
Every month, a group of Chinese-American businesswomen meet for lunch to discuss strategy, success, and survival in the world of corporate finance. When Katie, the bright-eyed youngest member of their group, starts to question the personal cost of climbing the corporate ladder, the other women desperately try to steer her toward the choices they believe she should make.
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BABY SHOWER KATIE
By Beth Hyland
Directed by Jessica Fisch
April 14 – May 9, 2027 | World premiere
The Bonnie Hammerschlag National Capital New Play Festival returns with the hilarious world premiere of Baby Shower Katie. Best friends Rebecca and Hannah are at a crossroads: Rebecca desperately wants a child, while Hannah can’t imagine anything worse. Across four baby showers, thrown for three different women named Katie, Rebecca and Hannah are forced to confront their divergent dreams, the absurd expectations placed on mothers, and the terror and uncertainty that can surround pregnancy.
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The 25th Annual Sarah Metzger Memorial Play
THE CAMP SILVER LAKE JAMBOREE MASSACRE
By Naysan Mojgani
Directed, performed & stage-managed by the Round House Theatre Teen Performance Company
March 5 – 7, 2027 | World premiere
Blending horror and dark comedy, this world premiere play, written for the Round House Teen Performance Company, follows teenage survivors battling supernatural forces and the deeper truths that emerge in the wake of trauma. Using the slasher genre as its gateway, The Camp Silver Lake Jamboree Massacre offers a thrilling and theatrical exploration of teen identity.
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THE WHITE CHIP
Written & directed by Sean Daniels
June 2 – July 3, 2027 | Regional premiere
Steven, a prolific director and rising star in the American theatre, has built a life that looks enviable from the outside. But beneath it, he is struggling to balance professional success, family, and an addiction that is spinning out of control. When he can no longer disguise his alcoholism with charm, talent, and artistic productivity, he is forced to confront the wreckage it has caused and begin the long work of rebuilding.
*Lead image: Round House Theatre
