The Performing Arts

Washington's performing-arts scene has an international reputation. Almost anything on Broadway has either been previewed here or will eventually come here. Better yet, D.C. is home to truly excellent and renowned repertory theater troupes, and to fine ballet, opera, and symphony companies. Rock bands, headliner comedians, and jazz/folk/gospel/R&B/alternative and other musical groups make Washington a must-stop on their tours.

Longer Than the Washington Monument Is Tall

Most Kennedy Center performances take place in theaters that lie off the Grand Foyer. But even if the one you're attending is on the Roof Terrace Level, one floor up, make sure you visit the Foyer anyway. The Grand Foyer is one of the largest rooms in the world. Measuring 630 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 60 feet high, the foyer is longer than the Washington Monument is tall (at 555 5/8 ft.). Millennium Stage hosts free performances here nightly at 6pm, the famous Robert Berks sculpture of President John F. Kennedy is here, and just beyond the foyer's glass doors is the expansive terrace, which runs the length of the building and overlooks the Potomac River.

Smaller Theaters

Some of Washington's lesser-known theaters are gaining more recognition all the time. Their productions are consistently professional, and sometimes more contemporary and innovative than those you'll find in the more acclaimed theaters. These more intimate theaters have their own strong followings, which explains the fact that at least two, the Studio Theater and the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, have recently revamped and expanded their performance spaces.

Studio Theatre, 1333 P St. NW, at 14th Street (tel. 202/332-3300; www.studiotheatre.org), since its founding in 1978, has grown in leaps and bounds into a four-theater complex, helping to revitalize this downtown neighborhood in the process. Artistic director Joy Zinoman showcases interesting contemporary plays and nurtures Washington acting talent; the 2008-09 lineup marks the theater's 31st season. The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (tel. 202/393-3939; www.woollymammoth.net) offers as many as six productions each year, specializing in new, offbeat, and quirky plays, often world premieres. The Woolly resides in a 265-seat, state-of-the-art facility, 641 D St. NW, at 7th Street NW, in the heart of the Penn Quarter.

In addition, I highly recommend productions staged at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE (tel. 202/544-7077; www.folger.edu), which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007. Plays take place in the library's Elizabethan Theatre, which is styled after the inn-yard theater of Shakespeare's time. The theater is intimate and charming, the theater company is remarkably good, and an evening spent here guarantees an absolutely marvelous experience. The 2008-09 season brings to the stage Shakespeare's Henry IV, A Winter's Tale, and Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. The Elizabethan Theatre is also the setting for musical performances, lectures, readings, and other events.

Indoor Arenas & Outdoor Pavilions

When John Mayer, U2, or the Dixie Chicks come to town, they usually play at one of the huge indoor or outdoor arenas. The 20,600-seat Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW, where it meets 7th Street (tel. 202/628-3200; www.verizoncenter.com), in the center of downtown, hosts plenty of concerts and also is Washington's premier indoor sports arena (home to the NBA Wizards, the WNBA Mystics, the NHL Capitals, and Georgetown NCAA basketball). Less convenient and smaller is the 10,000-seat Patriot Center at George Mason University, 4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax, Virginia (tel. 703/993-3000; www.patriotcenter.com).

During the summer, there's quality entertainment almost nightly at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy., just off Route 29 in Columbia, Maryland (tel. 410/715-5550 for general information, 800/551-SEAT for tickets; www.merriweathermusic.com), about a 40-minute drive from downtown D.C. There's reserved seating in the open-air pavilion (overhead protection provided in case of rain) and general-admission seating on the lawn (no refunds for rain) to see such performers as Neil Young, Counting Crows, Diana Krall, the Killers, the Cure, or No Doubt. If you choose the lawn seating, bring blankets and picnic fare (beverages must be bought on the premises).

My favorite summer setting for music is the Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts, 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Virginia (tel. 703/255-1868 for general information and tickets; www.wolftrap.org). The country's only national park devoted to the performing arts, Wolf Trap offers performances by the National Symphony Orchestra (it's their summer home), and has hosted Lucinda Williams, Shawn Colvin, Lyle Lovett, the Temptations, Ani DiFranco, and many others. Performances take place in the 7,000-seat Filene Center, about half of which is under the open sky. You can also buy cheaper lawn seats on the hill, which is sometimes the nicest way to go. If you do, arrive early (the lawn opens 90 min. before the performance) and bring a blanket and a picnic dinner -- it's a tradition. Wolf Trap also hosts a number of very popular festivals, including the Louisiana Swamp Romp Cajun Festival in June and the International Children's Festival each September. Wolf Trap is about a 30-minute drive from D.C.; the park also runs a shuttle ($3 charge round-trip) between the West Falls Church Metro Station and the arts center.

The Carter Barron Amphitheater, 16th Street and Colorado Avenue NW (tel. 202/426-0486), way out 16th Street, is in Rock Creek Park, close to the Maryland border. This is the area's smallest outdoor venue, with 4,250 seats. Summer performances include a range of gospel, blues, and classical entertainment. The shows are usually free, but tickets are required. You can always count on Shakespeare: The Shakespeare Theatre Free For All takes place at the Carter Barron usually for 2 weeks in late May/early June, Tuesday through Sunday evenings; the free tickets are available the day of performance only, on a first-come, first-served basis (call tel. 202/334-4790 for details). The 2008 Free For All featured Hamlet.

The Washington Nationals Score Their Own Stadium -- Washington, D.C.'s Major League Baseball team, the Washington Nationals, arrived on the scene in 2005, but already have their own stadium: the newly built Nationals Ballpark (tel. 202/675-6287) opened on March 30, 2008. Located in southeast Washington, the 41,000-seat stadium is bounded by South Capitol Street, N Street, 1st Street, and Potomac Avenue. The closest Metro stop is the Green line's Navy Yard station (Navy Yard West exit). For tickets, go to the website, www.washington.nationals.mlb.com; prices range from $5 to $75. Meanwhile, the 55,000-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium 2400 E. Capitol St. SE (tel. 202/547-9077), where the Nationals had played their 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons (the capital had been without a Major League Baseball team since 1971) remains the location for D.C. United (men's) and Washington Freedom (women's) soccer games, at least until these teams get their own stadium.

Smaller Auditoriums

A handful of auditoriums in Washington are really fine places to catch a performance.

DAR Constitution Hall, on 18th Street NW, between C and D streets (tel. 202/628-4780; www.dar.org), is housed within a beautiful turn-of-the-20th-century Beaux Arts building and seats 3,746. Its excellent acoustics have supported an eclectic group of performers: Sting, the Buena Vista Social Club, John Hiatt, the Count Basie Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bow Wow, Ray Charles, Trisha Yearwood, the Strokes, and the O Brother Where Art Thou? tour.

In the heart of happening U Street, the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW (tel. 202/328-6000; www.thelincolntheatre.org), was once a movie theater, vaudeville house, and nightclub featuring black stars like Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway. The theater closed in the 1970s and reopened in 1994 after a renovation restored it to its former elegance. Today the theater books jazz, R&B, gospel, and comedy acts, and events like the D.C. Film Festival. The theater is also staging Arena Stage productions throughout 2009, while Arena's new theater is constructed.

The Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW, between E and F streets (tel. 202/783-4000; www.warnertheatre.com), opened in 1924 as the Earle Theatre (a movie/vaudeville palace) and was restored to its original, neoclassical-style appearance in 1992 at a cost of $10 million. It's worth coming by just to see its ornately detailed interior. The 2,000-seat auditorium offers year-round entertainment, alternating dance performances, like the Washington Ballet's Christmas performance of the Nutcracker, with comedy acts, like those of Steven Wright or Damon Wayans, with headliner entertainment (John Prine, Bob Dylan).