Over the past year, Morgan Fannon (OVATIONS Managing Director), Carly Schwartz (OVATIONS Associate Artistic Director), and I have poured our hearts into curating what we believe to be an unforgettable 10th Anniversary season. Named after my personal hero, Harriet Tubman, The Harriet has become a beacon of collaboration and inclusivity in our community. As the DMV’s only Black and Queer owned theatre I take real responsibility in crafting something that is artistic, bold and relevant.
Reflecting on our achievements from the 2023/2024 season, we’re humbled by the strides we’ve made in promoting gender diversity with 90% of our Teaching Artists and production members being women. We’ve also had the privilege of nurturing over 140 students through six Conservatory Productions and welcoming nearly 70 new artists and 1300 audience members to our Tuition-Free/All ages UPSTAGE productions.Our commitment to accessibility is evident in the $40k worth of tuition scholarships provided to families in need and the paid opportunities extended to Alumni students. Moreover, our Intern Program continues to mentor students keen on exploring the technical facets of theatre.
Looking ahead to our upcoming season, we’re excited to engage, inspire, and empower our community with a lineup of productions that promise both familiarity and challenge. From Junior and Senior Company showcases to our tuition-free Upstage program, our aim remains steadfast: to foster creativity and growth for artists of all ages.In addition to our stage productions, we’re proud to extend our outreach through In-School Programming, Apprenticeship Programs, and the introduction of our Conservatory classes. These initiatives aim to provide enriching theatrical experiences, mentorship opportunities, and comprehensive training for aspiring performers across all age groups.
As we embark on this journey, we do so with gratitude for the support of our community and a deep sense of responsibility to uphold our mission of engagement, inspiration, and empowerment through the transformative power of theatre.
JUNIOR COMPANY Grades 2-9
Fall Production January 2025
Spring Produciton June 2025
STANDING_O Grades 5-10
Fall Production November 2024
Spring April 2025
SENIOR COMPANY Grades 8-12
Fall Production December 2024
Spring Production May 2025
UPSTAGE All Ages (Adults & Student Actors)
Winter Production December 2024
Spring Production March 2025
Summer Production 1 June 2025
Summer Production 2 July 2025
Fall Production September 2025
IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING
OVATIONS has provided and offers enriching theatrical experiences for MCPS schools for the past 4 school years. Over a span of 3 months students create a fully staged production with set, props and costumes. At the beginning of the process students choose either a performance or crew track and spend the production process working in their choses area of focus. Know a local school needing an after-school drama program? Let us know!
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
We are thrilled to bring back our apprentice program for students in grades 7 through college. Work along with professionals in our studio/black box theatre creating, designing and putting all technical aspects together with real life application. We accept 6 students a semester and provide SSL hours for all high school participants and a small stipend for all college students.
THE CONSERVATORY
This fall we will begin offering classes through our conservatory. These group classes are geared for students of all backgrounds. Our elementary program provides a creative atmosphere for students of all skill sets with our upper program allowing students who want a more indepth intro to acting and plays.
A 5,6,7,8 (Ages 5-9)
August through November
Tuesdays 4:30-5:30
In this class students will learn a song and scene for a hit Broadway musical. Students will work on identifying emotions, objectives and working in a group. This class is focused on the basics and foundations of musical theatre. Students will also begin learning musical theory and theatre terminology, navigating sheet music, and more.
BROADWAY BABIES (GRADES 1-3)
August through November
Tuesdays 5:30-6:30
In this class students will learn a song medley and scenes for a hit Broadway musical. Students will work on identifying emotions, objectives and working in a group. This class continues to expand on the basics and foundations of musical theatre adding work in solo expression. Students will also continue learning musical theory and theatre terminology, how to analyze and score scripts and music, and more.
Curtain Call (GRADES 4-6)
August through November
Tuesdays 6:30-7:30
In this class students will focus on creating a 30 minute original cabaret for immediate families consisting of group and solo works. Students will continue learning musical theory and theatre terminology, how to analyze and score scripts and music, and more.
The Acting Studio (Grades 7-12)
Semester 1 August through November
Semester 2 January through May
Tuesdays 7:30-9:00
The class is for students looking to learn more in depth knowledge about acting and to work on a straight-play. The first semester will be spent on technique and ensemble acting that will culminate in a winter showcase of monologue and group scene work. Our second semester will be spent working through a play chosen by the class culminating in a group performance. Shows being considered are Peter and the Star Catcher, The Crucible, Our Town, The Laramie Project and A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM OUR JUNIOR COMPANY
Before Moving Onto Our SENIOR COMPANY Students Are Able To:
- Create fully realized characters with the ability to answer such questions as: Who Am I? Where Am I Coming From? What do I want?
- Understanding character objectives and able to label whether in spoken dialogue or sung lyrics
- Act and emote songs
- Make songs and musical moments an extension of dialogue and scene
- Understand the basic process of script analysis
- Comfortable with the process of “marking up your script”
- Understands the principals of between the actually written text vs sub-text
- Comfortably acts using various and sometimes multiple emotions as characters dictate
What We Expect From Our Students:
- Students are expected to come to rehearsals familiar with scenes or musical numbers and are expected to be off book for the particular scene or number once they are staged
- Students come prepared to rehearsals with character descriptions
- To understand their character(s) objectives
- Students are expected to work outside of rehearsals on their staging, dialogue, and music whether on their own or with their voice and acting teachers
- Students come with a willingness to step outside their comfort zone
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM OUR SENIOR PROGRAM
After Completing Our SENIOR COMPANY Students Are Able To:
After Completing Our SENIOR COMPANY Students Are Able To:
- Create three-dimensional characters
- Understanding character objectives
- Act and emote songs: ability to “live in the moment” vs “showing the moment”
- Make songs and musical moments an extension of dialogue and scene
- Confident in the process of script analysis and able to “mark up their script” clearly labeling beats, objective, subtext
- Clearly understands the difference between text and sub-text
- Understands how to create and share complex emotions, objectives, and situations with their audiences
What We Expect From Our Students:
- Students are expected to be off book for every rehearsal
- Students come prepared to rehearsals with full character descriptions and clear understanding of their characters objectives
- Students are expected to work outside of rehearsals on their staging, dialogue, and music whether on their own or with their voice and acting teachers
- Students come with a willingness to step outside their comfort zone