The Logan Festival of Solo Performance, presented with generous support from the Revada Foundation, will run at 1st Stage from July 28 – August 7, 2022. This innovative festival, acclaimed in The Washington Post with “three plays prove the power of one,” will gather celebrated solo performers from across the country for two-weeks of performances, workshops, discussions, and events.
This is the sixth year in which the Logan family has been a primary supporter of the Logan Festival. The past three years of the festival have been sponsored by The Revada Foundation, who since 2016 have sponsored the arts (theatre, film, opera, jazz, etc.) and social justice, primarily in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
This year’s festival features three outstanding pieces including the world premiere of Wanda’s Way by Caleen Sinnette Jennings, directed by Angelisa Gillyard. Wanda’s Way was developed as part of 1st Stage’s inaugural Commissions of Solo Work project and is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life
by Keith Alessi
In this award-winning one-man show Keith tells the story of his boyhood, meteoric rise in the boardroom, and the startling news that changed his life forever. He candidly reveals how he used that obstacle to find a new passion in music and a cathartic outlet in storytelling.
Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life will run on July 29 at 8:00 PM, July 30 and 31 at 2:00 PM, and on August 2 at 7:30 PM.
Spanking Machine
by Marga Gomez
In Spanking Machine, Marga performs her by turns funny, intense, and heart-rending memoir of growing up brown and queer in Washington Heights. Devil Dogs, sadistic nuns on poppers, childhood pranks, assault, and suppressed memory play their parts in Marga’s shift across gender, latitudes, and generations.
Spanking Machine will run on August 3 at 7:30 PM, August 5 and 6 at 8:00 PM, and August 7 at 2:00 PM.
Wanda’s Way
by Caleen Sinnette Jennings
Wanda’s Way is the first of 1st Stage’s Commissions of Solo Work to premiere at the Logan Festival. Based on real interviews, Wanda’s Way explores the journey of a Black female police officer as she explains how and why she got into law enforcement. This intricately woven tale is one of corrupted dreams, seemingly impenetrable systems, and the extreme consequences of both acting and failing to act.
Wanda’s Way will run on July 28 at 7:30 PM, July 30 at 8:00 PM, July 31 at 7:00 PM, August 4 at 7:30 PM, and August 6 at 2:00 PM.
General admission tickets are $20 per show and $10 per show for Students with valid ID. A Festival Pass (valid for all three festival shows) can be purchased for $50. Individual tickets and Festival Passes can be purchased online at www.1stStage.org or by calling the 1st Stage box office at 703-854-1856.
1st Stage safety plan
1st Stage is dedicated to the health and safety of its patrons, performers, and participants, and is enacting certain safety measures at this time to ensure that the theatre can remain a comfortable place for the community. For the latest COVID health and safety policies, please visit 1ststage.org/covid-safety-plan.
Coming next to 1st Stage
Our upcoming 2022-2023 season will include The Logan Festival of Solo Performance from July 28 to August 7, 2022, Mlima’s Tale by Lynn Nottage from September 15 to October 2, 2022, The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash from November 17 to December 11, 2022, How the Light Gets In by E. M. Lewis from March 2 to March 19, 2023, Mojada by Luis Alfaro from April 20 to May 7, 2023, and The Last Match by Anna Ziegler from June 8 to June 25, 2023. Subscriptions for the 2022-2023 season are available today at www.1ststage.org.
Open captions and audio description are available for this production. Visit www.1stStage.org for dates and details.
Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life
by Keith Alessi
When:
July 29 at 8:00 PM,
July 30 and 31 at 2:00 PM
August 2 at 7:30 PM
Where
1st Stage
1524 Spring Hill Roa
Tysons, VA 22102
Tickets
General admission tickets are $20 per show and $10 per show for Students with valid ID. A Festival Pass (valid for all three festival shows) can be purchased for $50. Purchase online at www.1ststage.org or call 703-854-1856.
Spanking Machine
by Marga Gomez
When
August 3 at 7:30 PM,
August 5 and 6 at 8:00 PM
August 7 at 2:00 PM.
Where
1st Stage
1524 Spring Hill Road
Tysons, VA 22102
Tickets
General admission tickets are $20 per show and $10 per show for Students with valid ID. A Festival Pass (valid for all three festival shows) can be purchased for $50. Purchase online at www.1ststage.org or call 703-854-1856.
Wanda’s Way
by Caleen Sinnette Jennings
When
July 28 at 7:30 PM
July 30 at 8:00 PM
July 31 at 7:00 PM
August 4 at 7:39 PM
August 6 at 2:00 PM
Where
1st Stage
1524 Spring Hill Road
Tysons, VA 22102
Tickets
General admission tickets are $20 per show and $10 per show for Students with valid ID. A Festival Pass (valid for all three festival shows) can be purchased for $50. Purchase online at www.1ststage.org or call 703-854-1856.
About 1st Stage
1st Stage Theatre is an award-winning professional theatre in the heart of Tysons, Virginia. The company serves as a cultural hub for the community producing first-rate theatrical productions as well as hosting professional musicians, orchestras, and visual artists, and providing educational opportunities for the community. Winner of Outstanding Production for the past two seasons (The Brothers Size and Fly By Night), 1st Stage was nominated for 18 Helen Hayes Awards in 2020. Other awards include the American Theatre Wing’s National Theatre Company award. Additionally, 1st Stage is a renewed member of the Catalogue for Philanthropy class of 2020-2021. In September 2016, The Wall Street Journal called 1st Stage “one of America’s most impressive smaller regional companies.” For more information, visit 1st Stage online at www.1ststage.org or follow the theatre on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
