This year, I saw 55 plays (counting two student competitions) and 4 readings. More than one per week. The majority of the plays I saw were within an hour’s drive of my house. I saw several in DC, and one in Portugal. I didn’t make it to any other major cities this year, and still saw a baker’s dozen of plays that will stick with me for a long time.

A partial collection of playbills; when I get a digital program, I take a picture of my hand in front of the empty set before the show starts. I always take this picture; it reminds me to turn off my phone!

Stats:

My best months were February and March, both tied for 8 productions.

Of all the shows that I saw, the breakdown was:

  • 20% middle and high school theater
  • 10.9% community theater
  • 36.36% small professional theater
  • 3.6% grad school theater
  • 9% undergrad theater
  • 20% medium/large professional theater

Not counting a reading that was so good, I had to include it in my stand-out shows for the year, the breakdown on stunning plays was pretty similar:

  • 15.38% middle/high school theater
  • 7.69% community theater
  • 38.46% small professional theater
  • 0% grad school theater (I had a very small sample size)
  • 15.38% undergrad theater
  • 23.08% medium/large professional theater

There is very little correlation between what “level” of theater I saw and how good it was. Ticket price is also not a predictor; the average ticket price for the shows I loved the most was about $35, but the range was $0 to $118.

What made the difference was in connection, honesty, groundedness, focus. All of these shows excelled in those qualities—and those are the things that make live theater a unique art form. All of them had actors who were deeply listening to each other. The production design was in conversation with the script, not a “concept” layered on top of it. Everyone avoided “playing the end,” instead choosing investment and focus in the present moment, making the most inevitable twists surprising.

And many of these directors are known for human-centered practices (just saying #take5).

The cast of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight created music for their storytelling

Transcendent productions (ordered by when I saw them, not ranking):

  • Spamalot at Shenandoah Conservatory, directed by Kevin Covert. Look, it is a very silly (silly!) script and the women are basically for decoration, but this production played it to the hilt and took it to every possible reach of what it was trying to be.
  • The Figs, by Doug Robinson at Rorschach Theatre, directed by Randy Baker. Rorschach consistently puts out inventive and intriguing work. I loved this immersive, madcap fairy tale.
  • The Age of Innocence in an adaptation by Karen Zacarías at Arena Stage, directed by Hana Sharif. I’m told this was three hours long. I did not feel time passing. The blocking choices created picture after picture that worked in every dimension, and moved my focus effortlessly.
  • Here in the Light: A Women’s History Month Cabaret at Eunoia Theatre, directed by Grace Altman, Diana Black, Sarah Levine McClelland, and Becca Stehle. This pageant of historical women, MCed by Heidi Jablonski as the goddess Pamona, made me (and my kids, whom I dragged along for educational purposes) laugh, cry, and rage. They might do a reprise this March—don’t miss it! (Also, it was sold out, and they raised money for First Step, which is an organization that helps survivors of domestic violence).
  • The Vanishing Elephant by Charles Way, at Cahoots Theatre, directed by Paul Bosco Mc Eneaney (I saw the touring production at the Forbes Center at JMU). This movement-driven piece told the story of an elephant who came all the way from India to disappear in a Harry Houdini magic trick. The ensemble’s collective breath was mesmerizing.
  • Morphology by Jillian Blevins. This was an online reading organized by Playwrights Thriving that I was invited to witness. It tells the story of a mother and her autistic, nonverbal son, with passion, connection, ferocity, and a magical twist. I think, honestly, if I had read this play on the page, I might have passed on it, but after hearing skilled actors bring it to life, I can’t get it out of my head. This isn’t a knock on the play – it’s just that the most powerful part is the son’s inner monologue, which is verse that just needs to be heard to truly shine. It’s on my to-direct list if the right opportunity comes along.
  • Alice by Heart at Studio Wayne, directed by Corey Holmes. This production, performed by middle and high school students, used creative design and movement to bridge the gap between 1940s London underground and Lewis Carrol’s magical world. I can’t say enough great things about the work Studio Wayne is doing. This production is one I would have loved even if I didn’t have a kid in it.
  • Rent at the Wayne Theatre, directed by Lesley Larsen. Maybe I’m just a 1990s theater kid who is a real sucker for nostalgia, but I found this production deeply moving. Lesley’s creative use of the theater made me see things in the play that I never saw before, most notably in the song “Will I?” That song has never hit me before, but I wept when Lesley staged it so that the actors were surrounding the audience. Something about being in the center of that circle. Also very fun to see a mix of regulars and new faces in this production.
  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight at the Off-Center, directed and devised by Davey White. This was a funny and weird production, weaving together many different kinds of puppets, music, and just generally a good time.
  • The Wanting Forest, by Monica Flory, at Ghostlight Theater Camp. While it’s true that Silk Moth Stage had the official world premiere of The Wanting Forest, Monica created a production with her middle and high school students at a theater camp in Maine that she is a co-camp-director. My family got to travel to see it, and it was astounding. Beautiful, funny, surprising. The campers were so committed to the magic of this story, and their movement and music choices built a world I could live into.
  • Degenerate: The Dejarnette Project, by Davey White and Diana Black, at the Off Center, directed by Davey White. This was a puppet show about local history and…eugenics. It was so disturbing and intense and funny and ugly. I wish it had run longer, because when I saw it, all I could think was that I wanted everyone I knew to see it. Both because the history is so important, and because the execution was pristine.
  • I Want to F*ck Like Romeo and Juliet by Andrew Rincón, directed by Sache Satta at Towson University’s Department of Theatre Arts. I’m going to say, I don’t love the title. It set me up for a very different play than the beautiful one that I saw. This is a magical-realist play about love and cynicism, imagination and rebirth. The characters each have journeys of transformation that are surprising and delightful. And the production was so grounded, so connected, so clear that everyone was on board to tell the same story. I was there as a respondent for KCACTF Region 2, and I am thrilled that this show is going to the Region 2 Festival in January.
  • The Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions, by Paula Vogel, directed by Margot Bordelon at Studio Theatre. Studio, like Rorschach, is a theater I can usually count on for excellent work. I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed to spend time with them. This particular play is a tight family drama, and the direction kept the story clean and moving. The cast was beyond outstanding, in particular Kate Eastwood Norris, whose portrayal of the mother was some of the most powerful and technical acting I have ever seen in person. Truly a masterclass. From what I’ve heard in DC theater buzz, she’s had a banner year, and I’m glad I caught just one piece of it.

Big take-aways

Go see theater. See live theater right where you are. It doesn’t have to be Broadway to move you (not naming names, but the most boring play I saw in 2024 was literally on Broadway. So was one of the best—it’s not a predictor of quality). Seek out weird stuff, shows you’ve never heard of. Go to your local high school musical. Check out a reading. Give it a chance.

If you aren’t already following the theaters I mentioned above, especially the ones that are consistently solid and show up on my lists frequently (Eunoia, Rorschach, Studio, Off Center, the Wayne), get on that. Please and thank you. They have mailing lists, social media, all the things. And if you’re seeing one of their shows, invite a friend (and/or me).

Learn to pay attention to what makes theater special. Don’t compare it to a movie; compare it to a story told by somebody you love.

In case you are wondering what counts for my list: It has to be a live production that I saw in person, at least an hour long (If I judge a competition of, say, four 30-minute plays, I count that as one). Readings can be on Zoom and still count. It can be at any theater, from elementary school to Broadway.

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