DC's Stage Presence
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MORNING:
A chilly fall or winter morning calls for a hearty breakfast, and the DC diners deliver. Start your day at Jimmy T’s Place, located in a Victorian building serving no-frills breakfast classics all morning into the early afternoon. Fortified with a 2 eggs any style special, it’s a mere five minute stroll to the Folger Shakespeare Library, which boasts one of the world’s largest collections of Shakespeare’s works. You might be lucky enough to be in town when their Elizabethan theater is showing one of his popular works. (If you’re a fellow Shakespeare buff you’ll also want to check out the Shakespeare Theater Company which specializes in the bard’s plays, and also shows the work of other classic playwrights).
Folger Shakespeare Exibition Hall
Library of Congress & Shakespeare Theater
Right around the corner from the Folger theater is the Library of Congress, home to the world’s largest library housing millions of books, multimedia content, and maps. You’ll be perfectly placed to take a walk down the national mall afterwards, past the US Capitol and the National Gallery of Art.
National Gallery of Art
AFTERNOON:
Just a few blocks north of the National Mall, you’ll find my favorite little pocket of theater: the Woolly Mammoth’s home, Penn Quarter. It’s in the heart of it all, so there’s plenty to do before catching a matinee. Enjoy a decadent, Michelin-approved lunch at José Andres’ Oyamel, boasting a Mexico City-inspired menu of upscale takes on street food and tapas.
Woolly Mammoth Theater
With a full belly and perhaps a little zip from a tequila cocktail, stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue by The White House or the National Portrait Gallery. Swing by Ford’s Theatre, one of the city’s most famous stages that also functions as a museum and hosts tours.
National Portrait Gallery & Ford's Theater
EVENING:
Hop the metro down to the Wharf to make it in time for the early evening golden hour. Browse the shops like Politics and Prose—one of the city’s great independent bookstores— or Lip Lab, where you can cook up your own shade of custom lipstick. Arena Stage is right across the street. The regional theater scene was born here 75 years ago, paving the way for hundreds of other independent American theaters across the country. Honorable mention goes to one of my favorites, the Gala Hispanic Theater located in Columbia Heights!. Since 1976, they’ve been entertaining and educating visitors about Latino arts and culture. Their rich arts education program offers acting coaching, playwriting, and mentorships to young theatrical dreamers, including performance stipends and training for internships and job opportunities.
Arena Stage and Gala Hispanic Theater
Whether you’re watching the clock to make it in time for one of Arena Stage’s acclaimed performances or simply passing by to marvel at its dramatic architecture, happy hour and early dinner options abound in the neighborhood. Dine on the waterfront patio of the world-famous Hell’s Kitchen, serving up celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s renowned fine dining classics. For a more casual option, Momo Chicken and Grill serves a delightful spread of Korean casual dishes like fried chicken and bibimbap, and is only a few blocks away. Polish off the evening at Union Stage with some cocktails and live music, and reflect on your day absorbing the unique breadth of performing arts in DC. Who knows? This town’s next groundbreaking story might just be yours.
About Maria Manuela Goyanes
Maria Manuela Goyanes (she/her) is the Artistic Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. She previously served as the Director of Producing and Artistic Planning at New York’s The Public Theater, where she oversaw the day-to-day execution of a full slate of plays and musicals at the Public’s Astor Place venue and the Delacorte Theater for Shakespeare in the Park. There, she managed illustrious titles like Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Josephine & I by Cush Jumbo, Straight White Men by Young Jean Lee, Barbecue by Robert O’Hara, and Here Lies Love by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in 2001 from Brown University.
Maria Manuela Goyanes
