Lights, camera, action: don't waste another night sitting around your apartment or dorm room when there's a wealth of culture and art to explore right outside your door. Here are The Scene's recommendations for affordable arts in the District:
Katzen Arts Center 4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW http://www.american.edu/academic.depts/cas/katzen/ Metro: Tenleytown-AU
Located just across Massachusetts Avenue from campus, the brand new, state of the art Katzen Arts Center ensures there are no more excuses that "the arts are too far away." A blend of instruction, exhibition and performance space, the Katzen should finally bring AU's arts programs into the 21st century. In addition to art instruction, 30,000 square feet of the 130,000 square foot facility will be used as a museum to display AU's Watkins Collection and the collection of Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen, as well as visiting art exhibits from all over the world.
Students no longer have to pack into shuttles headed to the Greenberg Theatre on Wisconsin to see performances, as the show can now go on in the Katzen's new 200-seat concert hall. A few words of warning though- the theatre is surprisingly small for the size of the facility, much smaller than Greenberg, so make sure to pick up tickets early.
Shakespeare Theatre 450 Seventh St., NW (202) 547-1122 or http://www.shakespearedc.org/ Metro: Gallery Place-Chinatown (red, green and yellow lines)
There aren't enough good things to say about this theater. The artistic director is a genius and ensures that every show is both well performed and visually gorgeous. A creative approach to staging and utilizing every detail of light and sound draws everyone in the intimate theater into the performance. Plus, they understand that poor college kids need Shakespeare too, so they offer some great student discounts. Students get 50 percent off advance orders and $10 rush tickets within an hour of curtain during each show's preview run, and 50 percent off student rush tickets within an hour of curtain during the regular run. They also have "pay what you can" performances scheduled throughout a show's run.
GALA Theater - Tivoli 3303 14th St., NW. (202) 234-7174 or http://www.galatheatre.org Metro: Columbia Heights (green line)
GALA stands for Grupo de Artistas Latinoamericanos, a critically acclaimed and award winning theater company with a mission "to preserve and promote Hispanic culture in the United States." In the 270-seat Tivoli Theater, an ornate movie palace in its previous life, GALA performs plays ranging in style from classic to modern, in both English and Spanish. English only speakers fear not, they provide surtitles (displayed above the stage, not below) for the Spanish plays.
Student tickets are only $18 on Thursdays and Sundays and $24 on Fridays and Saturdays. The first performance of each show's run is designated a "pay what you can" performance. The extra bonus: it counts as studying for that Spanish quiz.
Kennedy Center 2700 F St., NW (202) 467-4600, or 1-800-444-1324 toll free or http://www.kennedy-center.org Metro: Foggy Bottom (orange and blue lines); then take the Kennedy Center shuttle bus.
The Kennedy Center is the jewel of D.C.'s art community. Serving as the home of the National Symphony Orchestra, the National Ballet and the Washington Opera, it also features musicals, choral performances and all types of dance. The Kennedy Center often holds multiple events on the same night. The audience is a little classier and the caliber of performance a little higher, so be sure to dress up a bit.
Of course, along with all that class comes a higher ticket price. The Kennedy Center offers a variety of discounted tickets. Specially priced tickets, or "SPTs," are often available for students at up to 50 percent off the usual price. See the website for details.
The National Opera also has specially discounted performances for patrons of the "Generation O" email list. For all the students already living on ramen, the Kennedy Center understands, so they have nightly performances on the Millennium Stage at 6 p.m. for free. Don't think just because it's cheap it's no good - the Kennedy Center works to bring in some really cool acts as part of its "Performing Arts for Everyone" program, featuring anything from Punjabi folk songs to string quartets and fiddlers and pianists, with everything in between.
Dance Place 3225 Eighth St., NE 202-269-1600 or http://www.danceplace.org Metro: Brookland-CUA (red line)
Jazz, modern, tap, ballet, hip-hop, stomp ... this place has it all. It's touted by The Washington Post as D.C.'s "hub of dance activity," and they're not kidding. Dance Place has been around for more than 20 years and is well known in the community. With more than 50 performances a year representing a wide range of dance styles, there will be something for everyone. A little difficult to get to, but with $14 student tickets, it's a great way to see some amazing dancers without paying Kennedy Center prices.
The performance space isn't very big, with seating for only about 200, and Dance Place's great reputation means many performances sell out well in advance. Get on the website and find something of interest soon. If the most appealing show inside the theater is already sold out, no worries: check out Dance Africa D.C., the annual weeklong festival celebrating the dances and music of Africa. The festival includes an outdoor African marketplace and free, open-air performances, as well as dance classes and nighttime indoor performances. Also, though it might be far for those dependent on Metro for transportation, Dance Place offers reasonably priced dance lessons of all types.
EDITOR'S PICK: Arena Stage 1101 Sixth St., SW (202) 488-3300 or http://www.arenastage.org Metro: Waterfront-SEU (green line)
Nestled in Southwest D.C. is the Arena Stage, known for it's truly beautiful renditions of original modern Americana theater. For over 50 years the theater has been staging shows and adding arts enrichment to the community.
Shows here are popular and tend to sell out quickly. On College Nights - listed specifically on the Arena Stage website - a college ID will get you $10 seats that normally cost the general public $40-$60. Otherwise, full-time students are entitled to a 35 percent discount, except in Saturdays.
This season promises to be amazing with performances of "Passion Play, A Cycle," "Born Yesterday," "Damn Yankees" and "On the Verge or the Geography of Yearning."
Folger Theater 201 E. Capitol St., SE 202-544-7077 or http://www.folger.edu Metro: Union Station (red line)
Though the theater opens its 2005 season with "Much Ado About Nothing," and is well known for excellent interpretations of Shakespeare's work, the Folger Theater does not solely focus on the Bard. The Folger's best quality is the incredible costumes and an attention to accurate details that is unmatched in the D.C. area. Once inside the wooden, three-tiered, Elizabethan theater, it feels like a trip back in time.
In addition to theater, Folger also hosts classical music performances and poetry readings. With student discounts of 20-25 percent on most programs, tickets end up costing between $20 and $40, but like the Kennedy Center, the cost is well worth the quality of the performance. If a show is not sold out, students can receive a 50 percent discount on rush tickets purchased one hour before curtain. But, the festivities for Shakespeare's birthday celebration are free. See something at this theater this year, because if it's at the Folger it's guaranteed to be great.
