World City Guide

Culture

Perhaps the most famous theatre in Washington, although not necessarily for its performances, is Ford’s Theatre at 511 10th Street, NW (tel: (202) 347 4833; website: www.fordstheatre.org ) It is the theatre where in 1863, John Wilkes Booth fatally shot Abraham Lincoln. It is now a venue for musicals, multicultural and family plays and is also open from 0900-1700 for free self-guided tours (tel: (202) 426 6924).

The city offers a multitude of other choices for theatregoers. The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, at 2700 F Street, NW (tel: (202) 467 4600 or (800) 444 1324, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.kennedy-center.org ), has six theatres and is home to the Washington Ballet, Washington Opera, the Washington Performing Arts Society and the American Film Institute. Tickets for many performances are hard to come by and are therefore rarely discounted. However, it is worth ringing the theatre box office on the day to check the situation.

The main outlet for discounted, day-of-show tickets is Ticketplace at the Old Post Office Pavilion, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (tel: (202) 842 5387), which is open Tuesday to Saturday 1100-1800, and Sunday 1100-1700. Tickets for individual performances can also be purchased from Ticketmaster (tel: (202) 432 7328 or (800) 551 7328, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.ticketmaster.com ). During the summer, there are regular free outdoor concerts throughout the city, for example in Georgetown, near the Washington Monument and by the US Capitol. For up-to-date information on what is on each week, the free listings paper, Washington City Paper, is published on Fridays.

Music: The Washington Opera (tel: (202) 295 2400 or (800) 876 7372, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.dc-opera.org , tickets US$41-285) has its home at the prestigious John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (see above) and has the great tenor Placido Domingo as its artistic director. The National Symphony Orchestra (tel: (202) 467 4600 or (800) 444 1324, toll free in the USA and Canada, website: www.kennedy-center.org/nso , tickets US$19-69) is an artistic affiliate of the Kennedy Center with a regular concert season. As the capital’s orchestra, it performs at presidential inaugurations and leads the Independence Day and Memorial Day celebrations.

Theatre: The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (tel: 202) 628 6161 or (800) 447 7400; website: www.nationaltheatre.org ), one of America’s oldest continuously operating theatres, puts on pre-Broadway shows or Broadway hits that are on tour. As a tribute to Abraham Lincoln, the plays and musicals at Ford’s Theatre at 511 10th Street, NW (tel: (202) 347 4833; website: www.fordstheatre.org ) highlight the diversity of American life. The Shakespeare Theatre, 450 7th Street, NW (tel: (202) 547 1122 or (877) 487 8849, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.shakespearedc.org ), presents mainly the works of Shakespeare, as its name suggests, but other classics as well. Alternative works are performed Studio Theatre, 1333 P Street, NW, (tel: (202) 332 3300, website: www.studiotheatre.org ) as well as by the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (tel: (202) 393 3939; website: www.woollymammoth.net ), and at either Theatre J in the Cecile Goldman Theater of the DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th Street, NW, or the AFI Theater in Kennedy Center. Touring Broadway shows and family entertainment, including comedy, dance and music concerts can be seen at the Warner Theatre, 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue (tel: (202) 783 4000; website: www.warnertheatre.com ).

Dance: The Washington Ballet (tel: (202) 362 3606; website: www.washingtonballet.org ; tickets US$29-75) with its home at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (see above) has a vast repertoire of both classical and contemporary performances. International dance companies frequently give performances in Washington, DC, both at the Kennedy Center and at the Smithsonian Institution (tel: (202) 357 2700).

Film: There are several cinemas around the city, mainly showing mainstream films, such as AMC Union Station at 50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE (tel: (703) 998 4262), Cineplex Odeon Dupont Circle at 1350 19th Street, NW (tel: (202) 872 9555), General Cinema at Mazza Gallerie at 5300 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (tel: (202) 537 9553), and Cineplex Odeon at 4000 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (tel: (202) 244 0880). In addition, there are several places specialising in alternative works, such as the American Film Institute (tel: (202) 785 4600) at the Kennedy Center and the new American Film Institute Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, Maryland (tel: (301) 495 6720; website: www.afi.com/about/locations/silverspring.aspx ) features an eclectic mix of international and American films.

Because it is the US capital, Washington, DC serves as a popular movie setting. One of the best known has to be All the President’s Men directed by Alan J Pakula in 1976. More recent was Oliver Stone’s 1995 film Nixon, Ivan Reigman’s Dave (1993), Rob Reiner’s The American President (1995) and Clint Eastwood’s Absolute Power (1996). Action films set in the city include A Clear and Present Danger (1994), In the Line of Fire (1993), Independence Day (1996) and Minority Report (2002). Even the horror film The Exorcist (1973) was set in Georgetown and some scenes for Hannibal (2001) were filmed around Union Station. The comedy Head of State, with Chris Rock and Bernie Mac, and The Recruit, with Al Pacino, are two of the most recent DC movies.

Cultural Events: The International Film Festival, Filmfest DC (website: www.filmfestdc.org ) takes place every year in April at various theatres throughout the city, where the best in international cinema, including premieres and restored classics, are featured. The Independence Day celebrations take place on the National Mall with a day full of activities and concerts followed by a spectacular firework display.

Literary Notes: Washington, DC pops up in many novels, as befits the capital of a nation. It regularly appears in the novels of John Grisham, such as The Pelican Brief (1992), as well as the thrillers of Tom Clancy, most made into films, such as Clear and Present Danger (1985) and Patriot Games (1987). Washington, DC is home to the author Gore Vidal, who has set many of his novels here, but specifically chronicled the history of America from the Revolution through to the present day in five novels - Washington, DC (1967), Burr (1974), 1876 (1976), Lincoln (1984) and Empire (1987). Another DC based author is David Baldacci whose Supreme Court drama The Simple Truth (1999) was a favourite of Bill Clinton. The Washington, DC reporters who exposed the Watergate break-in possibly changed the course of history. Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward’s dogged investigations in All the President’s Men eventually led to the indictment of President Richard Nixon in 1974. Monica’s Story (1999), by Andrew Morton, focuses on the President Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal.