Virtual Events
Class and Lecture Series
Masterclasses
Arena Stage's popular masterclass workshops return with eight virtual classes, exploring theater in a variety of forms. Masterclass workshops are interactive opportunities to learn more about an aspect of theater and participate in related activities.
Click here to learn more about masterclasses, instructors and more.
Choreography with Parker Esse
February 3 and 5
Have you ever wondered what it takes to choreograph a musical? How do they do it? Where do they get their ideas? This behind-the-scenes look will explore the process and styles of choreography and what it means to be a choreographer.
Click here to register
Directing Snapshot: The Heiress with Seema Sueko
February 10 and 12
This snapshot of stage directing is for beginning directors and other interested adults. The only prerequisite is a love of theater. Seema will take us through her process, from first idea to opening night, using her 2019 Arena Stage production of The Heiress as the example.
Click here to register
Acting: Audition Preparation with Franchelle Stewart Dorn
February 17 and 19
You’ve got 20 seconds! That's right: the decision to hire is generally made within the first 20 seconds. Make the most of that time in an audition setting. Bring in your favorite audition piece (classical or contemporary) to rework, or something completely new.
Click here to register
Playwriting: Writing Dialogue with Eduardo Machado
February 24 and 26
Join playwright Eduardo Machado for a writing workshop on developing your dramatic voice and style through exploration of characters, dramatic needs, using sense memory, emotional recall and other theatrical and psychological techniques.
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Stage Management: Solving Puzzles with Christi Spann
March 3 and 5
Have you ever wondered who runs the day-to-day operations of a show from the first day of rehearsal to the last curtain call of the closing performance? If you guessed "the director" then you should take this class. The actual answer is: "the stage manager." The stage manager serves as the show's air traffic controller and specializes in solving problems of all shapes and sizes.
Click here to register
Lighting: The Heart, The Mind and Lighting Design with Xavier Pierce
March 10 and 12
In this workshop, we will investigate the fundamentals of lighting design. We will use our emotional experience as human beings to investigate the qualities of light: intensity, color, direction and movement.
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Playwriting: How to Write a Monologue with Jacqueline E. Lawton
March 17 and 19
In this monologue writing workshop, we will explore the concept of a monologue, character development, storytelling and a distinctive voice. We will use our own life experiences to create the backstory, motivation, story and diction.
Click here to register
Acting: Script Analysis for Scene Work with Nehal Joshi
March 24 and 26
A playwright makes a play in the same way a cartographer creates a map. The goal is to make sure you can always figure out where you are. In this masterclass workshop, we will explore some techniques to follow the playwright’s map in order to bring out your best performance as an actor.
Click here to register
For Theater Lovers
Insider Lecture Series
Get a peek into the offstage work that helps create the magic that you see onstage.
Click here to learn more about the lectures series, instructors and more.
Saturday, February 6
10:30 a.m. - Noon
Join Parker Esse, Helen Hayes Award Winning Choreographer, as he embarks on a creative discussion of his choreographic process. Having choreographed 13 productions at Arena Stage, Parker’s choreography has been tailor fit and adapted to exciting design challenges and creative discoveries with each production.
Click here to register
Saturday, February 20
10:30 a.m. - Noon
Enjoy a morning chat with Jenn Sheetz, the Properties Director at Arena Stage as she gives a virtual “tour” of the prop shop and storage spaces. Learn about the staff in the prop shop and the extraordinary skills they bring to each project.
Click here to register
Saturday, March 6
10:30 a.m. - Noon
Spend a morning with Joe Salasovich, Costume Director at Arena Stage, reminiscing about the performances at Arena Stage through the lens of costumes. We will dive into the process of bringing the garments to life on our stages and celebrate the fantastic designers and skilled artisans in the costume shops. We will look at the marvelous creations made specifically for principal female characters in the plays and musicals presented in the Fichandler, the Kreeger, and the Kogod over the past 20 years.
Click here to register
Drama Book Club
Thursdays (February 4 - March 25)
6 – 7:30 p.m.
Join other theater lovers to read, watch and delve more deeply into four contemporary American plays. Participants will explore the context of the play on the page and in performance, analyzing artistic choices, themes and character and discussing their discoveries.
Click here to register
Education
Weekly Classes
Write the next hit musical. Get ready for your close-up or get up and dance! Online classes at Arena Stage allow young people to try something new or explore a favorite artform more deeply. No experience is required.
Click here to learn more about classes, instructors and more.
Acting for the Camera for Grades 6 - 8
Mondays (February 1 - March 22)
This class will explore the fundamentals of acting technique and learn how to apply them when performing on camera.
Click here to register.
Hip-Hop Dance for Grades 4 and 5
Tuesdays (February 2 - March 23) A class filled with music, movement and inclusion that welcomes young dancers to study the hip-hop dance genre. We will stretch our knowledge and understanding of hip-hop dance, using different fundamentals and exciting combinations to push the limits of the mind and body! In this class we believe in encouraging each other with positive intentions and productive practice.
Click here to register.
Fashion Design for Grades 4 and 5
Wednesdays (February 3 - March 24)
Learn how to sketch like a fashion designer! We will learn how to use a croquis (the quick, sketchy drawings of live models that designers use), create flat sketches and add detail and design to our creations.
Click here to register
Mini Musical for Grades 5 - 8
Thursdays (February 4 - March 25)
The next hit musical is about to be written! Learn to tell a story with songs and scenes. Guided by a professional composer/lyricist and a professional director, we will work together to write and perform a short, one-of-a-kind musical for Zoom.
Click here to register.
Sign and Song for Grades 6 - 8
Fridays (February 5 - March 26)
Explore your love of movement and expand your knowledge by learning a second language. Sign & Song is a space to learn your favorite songs in American Sign Language. The class will focus on vocabulary, language structure and even some of the culture of Deaf people in America.
Click here to register.
Voices of Now: Mead Ensemble
Saturday, February 6 - May 22
10 - 12:30 p.m.
This prestigious program will provide young artists in grades 7 -11 a fun and engaging environment in which to write, perform and share the stories that have shaped their lives and their world.
Click here to learn more about the Mead Ensemble.
Family Creativity Workshops with Ashley Forman and Friends
Create and play as a team in this interactive drama workshop designed for families.
Click here to learn more about the family creativity workshops, instructors and more.
Saturday, February 20 and Saturday, March 13
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Using theater games, visual art and imagination, family members will build connections while they explore what makes their family unique. This workshop is open to participants ages 5 to adult. Though the workshop is virtual, family members should be in the same physical space.
Click here to register
Molly's Salon
A weekly Salon featuring artists and leaders of Arena Stage.
These half-hour-long weekly conversations will include some of our best thinkers and creative firebrands. Molly will sit down with a variety of artists and leaders to discuss new ideas they are excited about and glimmers of hope for the future.
Molly Salon's are from 7-7:30 p.m
January 21
Eleanor Holmes Norton, Congresswoman, Delegate for District of Columbia
Denise J. Hart, Howard University, professor, playwright, director and dramaturg
Jan Adams, President and CEO JMA Solutions
Click here to join
January 28
Corbin Bleu, actor, Anything Goes
Rhea Seehorn, actor (Better Call Saul, Arena’s All My Sons, Hot N Throbbing, How I Learned to Drive)
And Surprise Guest!
Click here to join
Civil Dialogues
Arena Stage hosts community conversations that provide an opportunity for members of the Washington, D.C., community to engage in civil discourse about social and political issues, and will demonstrate — with the goal — that people of diverse viewpoints can have fruitful dialogues with one another.