1st Stage

05/26/2026

A layered team of fantastic actors, a complex, haunting story full of music - and so much more. Hear from Director Alex Levy about the story of INDECENT, the artistic importance it holds today, and the joy of harnessing such talent in a room.

INDECENT begins performances on June 4! Opening night is SOLD OUT - get your tickets at 1ststage.org/indecent!

🎥: the incomparable Evin John Howell

05/21/2026

Take a peek into the lively rehearsals for INDECENT - beginning performances in TWO WEEKS!! 🎉🎭 Cheers to this phenomenal team and their third week of rehearsals!

This team is hard at work bringing this haunting, powerful show to the stage - and opening night is already sold out! Snag your tickets at https://1ststage.org/indecent!

05/20/2026

Join us for a fabulous evening at Sip & Soirée, our 2026 Benefit, featuring an exclusive cabaret performance from Sally Imbriano (THE NANCE, winner of the 2025 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Production in a Play), accompanied by Joe Walsh (INDECENT, THE NANCE, winner of the 2025 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical Direction in a Play)! 🥂🎭

With live music from renowned 1st Stage artists, hors d'oeuvres, drinks, dessert, and a silent auction in support of 1st Stage, Sip & Soirée will be a night to remember.

Learn more and get your tickets at 1ststage.org/benefit!

05/19/2026

A HUGE congratulations to wonderful 1st Stage artists Justin Schmitz and Jacob Yeh for their Helen Hayes Award wins last night!! 🎉🎭And a big congrats to all of the artists who make DMV theatre unmatched.

We are beyond grateful for this community. It is unlike any other. Cheers to another year of striking, necessary theatre. ♥

05/16/2026

That's our Production Manager!!

Be impressed by what Luis Garcia, the two-time Helen Hayes nominee, has to say about the world of lighting and media design. He is nominated for Spooky Action Theater's production of Professor Woland's Black Magic Rock Show and Theater Alliance's Furlough's Place. https://bit.ly/LuisGarciaHH-EAA

Special thanks to Michael Burke and Carl Wayne Smith for their generous support to make the special podcast series possible!

05/16/2026

We're thrilled to celebrate Lo**ta Marie along with Embracing Arlington Arts!

Listen to a compelling interview with Lo**ta Marie who is nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for 1st Stage's production of hang! This represents her first nomination as an outstanding lead performer. https://bit.ly/Lo**taMarie-EAA

05/16/2026

More phenomenal Embracing Arlington Arts interviews with Mark Costello and Justin Schmitz!!

Mark Costello and Justin Schmitz share their inspirations and love for lighting and projection design. 1st Stage impresses with its mutliple Helen Hayes nominations!
https://bit.ly/MarkandJustin-EAA

05/14/2026

Check out another wonderful interview with 1st Stage OG artist Jacob Yeh!!

05/11/2026

Check out this fantastic Embracing Arlington Arts interview with beloved 1st Stage artist JJ Johnson! 🥰

Listen to JJ Johnson's story of his beginnings as an actor and the inspiration for his Helen Hayes nominated role in The Piano Lesson produced by 1st Stage. https://bit.ly/JJ-Johnson-EAA

05/07/2026

A 1st week of rehearsals almost over, and what a wonderful process it has been already. Cheers to a phenomenal team! 🎭🪗

INDECENT begins performances on June 4 - and tickets are already going quick! Get yours at 1ststage.org/indecent!
INDECENT
Written by Paula Vogel
Directed by Alex Levy
June 4-21, 2026
From Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, a deeply moving play inspired by the true events surrounding the controversial 1923 Broadway debut of Sholem Asch’s “God of Vengeance”—a play seen by some as a seminal work of Jewish culture, and by others as an act of traitorous libel. INDECENT charts the history of an incendiary drama and the path of the artists who risked their careers and lives to perform it. “…we are indebted to Vogel…for reminding us of a brave play that fearlessly told the world there’s nothing indecent about love.” — TheaterMania