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Washington DC | |
Culture |
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Washington DC,
Culture The city offers a multitude of choices for theatregoers. The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 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 difficult to come by and are therefore rarely discounted. However, culture keen visitors should ring the venues 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‐Saturday 1100‐1800. 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). 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) 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) is an artistic affiliate of the John F 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. 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. Theatre: The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (tel: 202) 628 6161; website: www.nationaltheatre.org), one of America’s oldest continuously operating theatres, puts on pre‐Broadway shows or touring Broadway hits. The Shakespeare Theatre, 450 Seventh 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 might suggest, although other classics also get a look in. Touring Broadway shows and family entertainment, including comedy, dance and music concerts can be seen at the Warner Theatre, 13th Street and E Street, NW (tel: (202) 783 4000; website: www.warnertheatre.com). Alternative works are performed by the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (tel: (202) 393 3939; website: www.woollymammoth.net), at either Theatre J, in the Cecile Goldman Theater, DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th Street, NW, or the AFI Theater, in the John F Kennedy Center (see above). Dance: The Washington Ballet (website: www.washingtonballet.org), 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. The company also performs at the Warner Theatre (see above). International dance companies frequently give performances in Washington, DC, both at the Kennedy Center and at the various Smithsonian Institution venues (tel: (202) 357 2700; website: www.si.edu/events). Film: There are several cinemas around the city, mainly showing mainstream films. These include AMC Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Cineplex Odeon Dupont Circle, 1350 19th Street, NW, General Cinema at Mazza Gallerie, 5300 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, and Cineplex Odeon, 4000 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. In addition, there are several places specialising in alternative and arthouse works, such as the American Film Institute (tel: (202) 785 4600), located at the John F Kennedy Center (see above). 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 (1976), directed by Alan J Pakula, which detailed the Watergate scandal with thrilling results. 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. Cultural events: The international film festival, Filmfest DC (website: www.filmfestdc.org), takes place at various theatres throughout the city, every year in April, when the best in international cinema including premieres and restored classics are featured. The 4 July 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 of which are made into films, such as Clear and Present Danger (1985) and Patriot Games (1987). Washington, DC is home to Gore Vidal, who has set many of his novels here, although 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. Washington Post journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward’s dogged investigations, which they catalogued in their book All the President’s Men (1974), 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. |