DC Artswatch: Plans and Reopenings
By • June 17, 2020 0 854
Washington Performing Arts Going Virtual
High-profile music presenter Washington Performing Arts announced a season of “multi-faceted virtual packages” called “Home Delivery Plus,” launching in early 2021. Subscriptions and pay-per-view tickets are to go on sale after Labor Day. Performers will include mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, the trio of pianist Evgeny Kissin, violinist Joshua Bell and cellist Steven Isserlis, tabla player Zakir Hussain and, in a tribute to Aretha Franklin, pianist Damien Sneed and singer Karen Clark Sheard. Referring to the online enrichment components of the live and newly recorded events, President and CEO Jenny Bilfield said the organization is “focusing on building the depth of experience and range of touchpoints that we offer.” Should physically distanced attendance be deemed safe, in-person tickets will also be available. Over the next few months, Washington Performing Arts’ free “Fall for Local” online programming will feature the world-premiere oratorio “To Shiver the Sky,” rescheduled for Aug. 29, “The City Is Our Stage: A Virtual Dance Spotlight” and the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration “Living the Dream, Singing the Dream,” with singers from the Choral Arts Society of Washington recorded individually.
NGA Sculpture Garden: Welcome Back!
With face coverings required for visitors age 2 and up, the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden will open a single entrance at 7th Street and Madison Avenue NW on June 20. Daily hours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. will continue with capacity limits, six-foot distancing — other than for family groups, which may picnic — and cashless outdoor food service. The museum is preparing for a phased reopening, starting with the ground floor of the West Building.
Sporting Museum to Reopen on Weekends
The National Sporting Library & Museum in Middleburg, Virginia, dedicated to equestrian, angling and field sports, will reopen on Fridays and Saturdays beginning on July 17. One-hour timed tickets for museum admission at 2 p.m. (11 a.m. for members, admitted without charge) is $5 and must be purchased in advance. Visitors are required to wear masks and adhere to posted social distancing and capacity guidelines.
Mosaic Theater to Start Up in August
Mosaic Theater Company plans to open its 2020-21 season at the Atlas Performing Arts Center — “as permitted and instructed by the District authorities” — on Aug. 19 with its postponed world-premiere production of “Inherit the Windbag,” running through Sept. 20. Alexandra Petri’s play about the Buckley-Vidal debates televised in 1968 will be followed by “Remember This,” featuring David Strathairn as Polish Underground courier Jan Karski, from Oct. 20 to Nov. 1.
