In Columbia District’s Arena Stage, or theater-in-the-round, dwells the excitement of the bullring, boxing, wrestling, the circus, and many other sports. Arena Stage performance was the basis for all types of early theatres – the Tibetan harvest-festival drama, the Druid ceremonies at Stonehenge, the 14th century medieval rounds in England and France, the early Greek ritual dancing in the orchestra, etc. The plays in Arena Stage mainly focus on American classics, but also premiere new American plays. This stage is he largest not-for-profit theater in the area and is unique due to the fact that its main stage is Washington’s historical and significant theater-in-the-round. If you are willing to pay a visit to Arena Stage then the easiest way to reach there is to take the metro and reach the nearest metro station in Waterfront-SEU on the Green Line.
Now let’s discuss the history of Arena Stage. The Arena Theater Company was founded in the year 1950. Zelda Fichandler, one of the confounder of the theater company, remained its artistic director till 1990. The first home of this theater was the Hippodrome Theatre, which was a former movie house. In the year 1956, the company shifted into the gymnasium of the old Heurich Brewery in Foggy Bottom that was demolished to make room for the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge and the Kennedy Center. The company got its current location in the year 1960. In spite of being the first not-for-profit theaters in the United States, Arena Stage also served as a pioneer of the regional theatre movement. Arena Stage got ranked as the first theater outside of New York to receive a special Tony Award for theatrical excellence in 1976.
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