Ford's Theatre has had works from the nationally acclaimed Big River to the world premieres of Meet John Doe and The Heaven's Are Hung In Black. With such works, Ford's Theatre is making its mark on the American Theatre landscape. Within the near future Ford's Theatre will also be recognized as a major center for learning, where people of all ages can examine the events of that fateful evening in 1865 and experience the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. Click here for a 360 degree of Ford's Theatre
Upcoming Events Include:
Parade
Book by Alfred Uhry
Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Co-conceived by Harold Prince
Choreographed by Karma Camp
Directed by Stephen Rayne
September 23-October 30, 2011
The Tony Award-winning musical drama Parade features the true story of Leo Frank’s trial and lynching in early 20th-century Atlanta. Ostracized for his faith and Northern heritage, Jewish factory manager Leo Frank is accused of murdering a teenaged factory girl the day of the annual Confederate Memorial Day parade. Alfred Uhry’s award-winning book and Jason Robert Brown’s rousing, colorful and haunting score illuminate a circus of conflicting accounts, false testimony and mishandled evidence in a town reeling with social and racial tension. Isolated from the world, Leo develops a new and deeper love for his wife, who tirelessly crusades for his freedom. Stephen Rayne (The Heavens Are Hung In Black, Sabrina Fair) directs this compelling and provocative tale of justice miscarried, revealing a country at odds with its declarations of equality. Tony-Award nominee Euan Morton stars as Leo Frank. Parade is a co-production with Theater J and is presented in association with the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington.
Book by Alfred Uhry
Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Co-conceived by Harold Prince
Choreographed by Karma Camp
Directed by Stephen Rayne
September 23-October 30, 2011
The Tony Award-winning musical drama Parade features the true story of Leo Frank’s trial and lynching in early 20th-century Atlanta. Ostracized for his faith and Northern heritage, Jewish factory manager Leo Frank is accused of murdering a teenaged factory girl the day of the annual Confederate Memorial Day parade. Alfred Uhry’s award-winning book and Jason Robert Brown’s rousing, colorful and haunting score illuminate a circus of conflicting accounts, false testimony and mishandled evidence in a town reeling with social and racial tension. Isolated from the world, Leo develops a new and deeper love for his wife, who tirelessly crusades for his freedom. Stephen Rayne (The Heavens Are Hung In Black, Sabrina Fair) directs this compelling and provocative tale of justice miscarried, revealing a country at odds with its declarations of equality. Tony-Award nominee Euan Morton stars as Leo Frank. Parade is a co-production with Theater J and is presented in association with the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington.
A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Michael Wilson
Directed by Michael Baron; original staging recreated by Mark Ramont
November 18-December 31, 2011
Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Originally conceived by Michael Baron, this music-infused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s Yuletide classic. Acclaimed Washington stage actor Edward Gero returns to play Scrooge in the production The Washington Post hailed as “musically high-spirited” and “infectiously jolly.”
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Michael Wilson
Directed by Michael Baron; original staging recreated by Mark Ramont
November 18-December 31, 2011
Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Originally conceived by Michael Baron, this music-infused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s Yuletide classic. Acclaimed Washington stage actor Edward Gero returns to play Scrooge in the production The Washington Post hailed as “musically high-spirited” and “infectiously jolly.”
Ford’s Theatre Commission
By Richard Hellesen
January 20-February 12, 2012
In his fourth commission for Ford’s Theatre, playwright Richard Hellesen explores the two documented encounters between Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln during a period of national crisis. As Lincoln searches for a way to end slavery in the summers of 1863 and 1864, Douglass’s rhetoric and conviction challenges the president to envision a post-emancipation world. Together, the men imagine not only a unified nation but a society that brings truth to the Constitution’s assertion that “all men are created equal.” Hellesen’s previous works for Ford’s Theatre include One Destiny, Investigation: Detective McDevittand The Road from Appomattox, three gripping and insightful explorations of critical moments in Civil War history. The world premiere of this work will coincide with the opening of the Center for Education and Leadership, which will include new galleries exploring the immediate aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination and the evolution of his legacy.
By Richard Hellesen
January 20-February 12, 2012
In his fourth commission for Ford’s Theatre, playwright Richard Hellesen explores the two documented encounters between Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln during a period of national crisis. As Lincoln searches for a way to end slavery in the summers of 1863 and 1864, Douglass’s rhetoric and conviction challenges the president to envision a post-emancipation world. Together, the men imagine not only a unified nation but a society that brings truth to the Constitution’s assertion that “all men are created equal.” Hellesen’s previous works for Ford’s Theatre include One Destiny, Investigation: Detective McDevittand The Road from Appomattox, three gripping and insightful explorations of critical moments in Civil War history. The world premiere of this work will coincide with the opening of the Center for Education and Leadership, which will include new galleries exploring the immediate aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination and the evolution of his legacy.
1776
Book by Peter Stone
Music by Sherman Edwards
Choreographed by Michael Bobbitt
Directed by Peter Flynn
March 9-May 19, 2012
With quick-witted dialogue and a playful score, 1776 dramatizes the impassioned debates of Philadelphia’s Second Continental Congress. As George Washington sends updates from the military front, patriots John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson attempt to persuade the 13 colonies to separate from British rule. Motivated by a series of abuses from King George, America’s first politicians forge a new democracy by composing the Declaration of Independence. Based on the letters and memoirs of America’s founding fathers, this classic, Tony Award-winning musical showcases the principles, pride and determination that influenced the birth of our nation.
Book by Peter Stone
Music by Sherman Edwards
Choreographed by Michael Bobbitt
Directed by Peter Flynn
March 9-May 19, 2012
With quick-witted dialogue and a playful score, 1776 dramatizes the impassioned debates of Philadelphia’s Second Continental Congress. As George Washington sends updates from the military front, patriots John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson attempt to persuade the 13 colonies to separate from British rule. Motivated by a series of abuses from King George, America’s first politicians forge a new democracy by composing the Declaration of Independence. Based on the letters and memoirs of America’s founding fathers, this classic, Tony Award-winning musical showcases the principles, pride and determination that influenced the birth of our nation.
They will also continue to show the performance of One Destiny.
One Destiny will let you learn about Lincoln’s assassination from two men who were there. Actor Harry Hawk and Ford’s Theatre co-owner Harry Ford revisit the events of April 14, 1865. As they reconstruct the sequence of events, they grapple with the question: Could John Wilkes Booth have been stopped? This 30-minute presentation explores the key facts of the assassination while capturing the emotions of that fateful night. Featuring costumed actors.
One Destiny is offered during the day in the fall and spring and during the evening in the summer.
This production is appropriate for ages 8 and up.
Stephen F. Schmidt and Michael Bunce in the Ford’s Theatre production of One Destiny. Photo courtesy of Ford’s Theatre Society.
Tickets currently on sale for performances through May 21. Tickets for Summer 2011 will go on sale March 21, 2011.
