12 Best Performing Arts Venues in Washington, D.C., USA

The first regional theater company to win a Tony Award performs innovative American theater, reviving such classic plays as Oklahoma and also showcasing the country's best new playwrights. The architecturally magnificent Mead Center for American Theater houses three stages and, after the Kennedy Center, is the second-largest performing arts complex in Washington. Near the Waterfront neighborhood in Southwest D.C., the Mead Center features the Fichandler Stage, a theater-in-the-round seating 680; the Kreeger Theater, a modified thrust seating 514; and the Kogod Cradle, a 200-seat black-box theater for new or experimental productions.

The theater at the Folger Shakespeare Library, an intimate 250-seat re-creation of the inn-yard theaters of Shakespeare's time, hosts three to four productions each year of Shakespearean or Shakespeare-influenced works. Although the stage is a throwback, the sharp acting and inspired direction consistently challenge and delight audiences. The theater is undergoing a multiyear renovation, but you can catch performances and other events at other venues in Washington, D.C.

This acclaimed troupe crafts fantastically staged and acted performances of works by Shakespeare and other significant playwrights, offering traditional renditions but also some with a modern twist. Complementing the stage in the Lansburgh Theatre is Sidney Harman Hall, which provides a state-of-the-art, midsize venue for an outstanding variety of performances—from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing to Racine's tragic Phèdre—by visiting companies like South Africa's Baxter Theatre, which staged a production of Mies Julie.

This multifaceted theater company, one of the city's busiest, produces an eclectic season of contemporary European and offbeat American plays in four spaces: the original Mead and Milton theaters, the newer 200-seat Metheny Theatre, and the experimental Stage 4.

Unusual cutting-edge shows with solid acting have earned this company top reviews and 35 Helen Hayes Awards. The theater performs works for a decidedly urban audience that challenge the status quo. Its modern, 265-seat theater in bustling Downtown D.C accentuates the troupe's talent. The Woollies also create a unique lobby experience for each show, created to share the experience on social.

Looking much as it did before President Lincoln was shot at a performance of Our American Cousin, Ford's hosts musicals and dramas with historical connections, and it stages A Christmas Carol every year. The historic theater is now maintained by the National Park Service. Tours of the venue and accompanying museum are free, but timed-entry tickets are required. Tickets to shows can range from $20 to $70.

This company attracts outstanding Hispanic actors from around the world, performing works by such leading dramatists as Federico García Lorca and Mario Vargas Llosa. Plays are presented in English or in Spanish with projected subtitles. The company performs in the Tivoli Theatre in Columbia Heights, a hot spot for Latino culture and cuisine.

A hidden gem in Dupont Circle, this 120-seat theater offers a rich variety of classic and modern plays and musicals, with a focus on powerful storytelling in an intimate setting.

Though rebuilt several times, The National Theatre has operated in the same location since 1835. It now hosts touring Broadway shows, from classics like Porgy and Bess and Chicago to contemporary shows like The Tina Turner Musical. Ticket prices vary with each show.

This company's intimate and passionate performances on stages throughout the city, including H Street’s Atlas Performing Arts Center, highlight some of the most offbeat plays in Washington. The company offers lesser-known works by such playwrights as Fengar Gael, Kate Hamill, and Qui Nguyen.

One of the country's most distinguished Jewish performance venues offers an ambitious range of programming that includes work by noted playwrights, directors, designers, and actors. Past performances have included one-person shows featuring Sandra Bernhard and Judy Gold as well as edgier political pieces.

This company performs neglected classics as well as contemporary literary plays in the Undercroft Theatre of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church. In recent years, they have produced lesser-known works by Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. Contemporary plays such as Tryst by Karoline Leach and David Marshall Grant's Pen are also offered.