Wolf Trap
Early history tells that in 16th century wolves were prevalent in what is today’s Wolf Trap which compromised the safety of the community. Thus, to deal with the danger, rewards were granted for those who could trap those fierce creatures. A parcel of land in this region was purchased by Wolf Trap’s Founder, Catherine Filene Shouse who chose to preserve the name Wolf Trap. She developed the property into a farm intending to give her children solitude away from their home close to nature. Mrs. Shouse later on donated the farm to the country with her intention to have the property preserved as a park. That donation marked the birth of the nation’s first and only national park for the
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performing arts. What was once an agricultural farm now houses Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts commonly known as Wolf Trap.
It is a performing arts center that features both cultural richness and natural resources. It organizes various elements of the performing arts staged in multiple venues. While it showcases talents on pop music, opera, dance and theater, it also provides education on arts for different ages – from young children to adults. Wolf Trap’s venues include Filene Center, The Barns at Wolf Trap, Theater-in-the- Woods and the Center for Education.
Filene Center is an outdoor performance amphitheater with both covered and uncovered seating that can hold over 7,000 people. It hosts almost 100 performances covering different genre annually from May to September. Behind the Filene Center, at 1551 Trap Road stands the Theater-in-the- Woods situated in the middle of wooded and shady acres. If offers children-friendly performances covering music, storytelling, dance, puppetry and theater. The Barns at Wolf Trap is a casual indoor performance space inspired by the acoustical quality of the wooden barn Mrs. Shouse once visited for a concert. It seats almost 400 persons and provides cozy an ambiance ideal for jazz, folk and chamber music. Home to Wolf Traps education programs, the Center for Education offers a state-of-the art nonprofit resource center for artists, learners and educators.
Wolf Trap established the acclaimed Wolf Trap Opera Company in 1971 and is housed in the Center for Education. It is now recognized as one of the country’s highly respected companies in the operatic industry where professionals emerge and get careers at major opera houses.
Arena Stage in Crystal City on South Bell Street was founded in 1950 as one of the nation’s original resident regional theaters. Arena Stage has a focus on American playwrights, featuring the classics of American theater, but productions also include new American plays. Arena Stage has a distinguished record of leadership and innovation in the field, including several important firsts:
the first regional theater to transfer a production to Broadway;
the first regional theater invited by the U.S. State Department to tour behind the Iron Curtain; and ,
the first regional theater to receive a Tony Award.
Arena stage has produced everything from vast epics and charged dramas to rousing musicals and probing profiles. With the opening of the new Mead Center for American Theater in 2010, Arena Stage is recognized as a leading center for the production, development and study of the American theater. Now in its sixth decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 200,000.
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater – named to honor the visionary philanthropy of Arena Stage Life Trustees Gilbert and Jaylee Mead – will be a state-of-the-art theater campus for the presentation of classic and contemporary dramas and musicals. (Rendering by Bing Thom Architects)
2009/2010 Season
THE QUALITY OF LIFE (C)
Jane Anderson
Directed by Lisa Peterson
THE FANTASTICKS (L)
Book and lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Directed by Amanda DehnertSTICK FLY (C)
by Lydia R. Diamond
Directed by Kenny Leon
THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (C)
Book by Craig Lucas
Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel
Based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer
Directed by Molly Smith
DUKE ELLINGTON’S SOPHISTICATED LADIES (L)
Concept by Donald McKayle
Based on the music of Duke Ellington
Dance and musical arrangements by Lloyd Mayers
Vocal arrangements by Malcolm Dodds and Lloyd Mayers
Original music direction by Mercer Ellington
Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright
Choreographed by Maurice Hines
R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER: THE HISTORY (AND MYSTERY) OF THE UNIVERSE (C)
Written and directed by D.W. Jacobs
Key:
(A) Performed in the Arena
(renamed The Fichandler Stage in 1992 (F) )
(K) Performed in the Kreeger Theater
(O) Performed in the Old Vat Room
(S) Performed in The Scene Shop
(14&T) Performed at 14th and T downtown theater space
More Information About Arena Stage
Address: 1800 S Bell St, Arlington, VA 22202
Phone: (202) 488-3300
Website: Arena Stage
Wolf Trap
Early history tells that in 16th century wolves were prevalent in what is today’s Wolf Trap which compromised the safety of the community. Thus, to deal with the danger, rewards were granted for those who could trap those fierce creatures. A parcel of land in this region was purchased by Wolf Trap’s Founder, Catherine Filene Shouse who chose to preserve the name Wolf Trap. She developed the property into a farm intending to give her children solitude away from their home close to nature. Mrs. Shouse later on donated the farm to the country with her intention to have the property preserved as a park. That donation marked the birth of the nation’s first and only national park for the
