"Experimental Theater at Its Best If you’re looking for a Broadway-style show, you won’t find it at Woolly Mammoth. Instead, if you want bleeding edge, creative, innovative, well acted, and well staged productions, then come here. Be warned, though. Every performance here will challenge your thoughts and emotions. You will be provoked to laugh hard, to cry hard, and perhaps to even question why you bothered coming to the show. Performances are good, bad, and sometimes ugly but always provocative. Woolly Mammoth truly engages its audience. Be prepared to be asked to vote on a topic or to participate in a performance! So if you want to see the best experimental theater around, check out Woolly Mammoth! Metro stops: Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter, or Gallery Place-Chinatown."

"Overlooking the Potomac River, the Kennedy Center stands as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy and an iconic landmark for arts in America. Its marble facade, sky-high ceilings, and crystal chandeliers exude grandeur, not to mention the central eight-foot bronze bust sculpture of JFK. With its Opera House and seven other stages presenting a variety of musical and theatrical performances—as well as a free event every day at 6 p.m. at the Millennium Stage—there’s no excuse not to enjoy the artistic expression of the human spirit while visiting D.C. As quoted by JFK and inscribed in the walls along the River Terrace, “This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor.”"

"Drinks and Jazz in Georgetown Blues Alley is a Washington, D.C., landmark. Music lovers of all types will be hooked by this gem of a jazz club. The venue gets its name from its location: an alley off Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown. You'll probably need to look for the sign that points the way or ask for directions your first time. From the outside, the club looks like a dive bar, but don't let that deter you. Inside, there’s a small stage and a room crammed with tables and chairs; it’s a tight fit, but that's all the better for soaking up the brilliant jazz that plays pretty much every night of the year. Its impressive roster of performers has included Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Byrd, Stan Getz, Dizzie Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Charles Mingus, and Sarah Vaughan. Blues Alley also has a nonprofit, the Blues Alley Jazz Society, that supports jazz education and outreach programs for young performers."

"A Night at the GALA Built in 1924, the Tivoli was one of DC’s most elegant movie palaces until 1976 when it closed doors. For nearly 25 years, the theater remained neglected. Then in 1999 the building was renovated as part of a revitalization effort of the Columbia Heights neighborhood. All of its original exterior design was retained and inside was renovated to match. Today, the theater is mixed-use but its focal occupant is the GALA (Grupo de Artistas Latino Americanos) Hispanic Theatre, a local non-profit committed to sharing Hispanic culture through the arts. GALA currently uses only the former balcony of the Tivoli and therefore, it’s a very small venue—it feels incredibly intimate and there is no such thing as a bad seat. More importantly, you are up close to the performers—you can see every facial expression, every dance move. Performances are in Spanish, and although my knowledge of Spanish is not good enough to survive a play, I love coming to the GALA to see the flamenco performances that take place at least twice a year. Dance knows all languages! Check the website for event schedules and to purchase tickets. The GALA is located in a neighborhood full of restaurants that are perfect for catching a pre or post performance meal. Metro stop: Columbia Heights"

"Revived and Better Than Ever! Located in D.C.’s southwest waterfront neighborhood, Arena Stage is a not-for-profit, regional theater in operation since 1950, and it's a Tony Award–winning venue. I’ve been coming to this gem of a performance center since I was a child, when my parents would bring me to see children’s plays. Back then, there were two separate theaters, making up the complex, one of which was theatre in the round, a very unusual stage for its time. Over the years, other D.C. theaters rose in design and function to surpass Arena Stage, which was sad because this place is truly a gem of a performance arts center, located in an area that sees little theater. In 2008, Arena Stage underwent a massive renovation. The architect decided to preserve the existing theaters by building a bold, new structure around them. The result is a cloudlike roof that caps an expanse of canted glass, supported by inclined wooden columns. It’s a stunning building. Inside, the original venues exist intact, and the best part about this is that they remain small and intimate. Even if you have a seat in the very last row of the balcony, you have a good view of the stage and the acoustics have improved greatly with the renovation. Arena Stage is a great venue to catch a show. Check the website for performance schedules and look on LivingSocial and Groupon for deals. There are plenty of restaurants nearby for a pre/post show meal. Metro stop: Waterfront"

"Homage to a Fallen President No theater in America has had a more tragic history than Ford's. During an April 14, 1865, performance, 26-year-old stage actor John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln as he sat in the flag-draped presidential box. Shuttered for nearly a century, the venue reopened in 1968 as a memorial to Lincoln and as a working theater showing plays of political and social significance, plus Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol —now a beloved annual tradition. Underneath the theater is a museum of the Civil War and of Lincoln's presidency, even as that empty balcony makes its presence felt."