Posts by Cecilia Mencia
Arena Stage's The Age of Innocence: A Masterful Production

Karen Zacarías’s stage adaptation of Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Age of Innocence is a three-hour and 15-minute slow burn that still leaves the audience wanting more. Now playing at Arena Stage, this classic novel preserves much of the original text so that the audience gets the whole experience of Wharton's tongue-in-cheek social commentary and trademark humor.

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In the Sacred Space of Sixth & I, A Musical Revolution Unfolds

Where the historic Sixth & I synagogue stands as a testament to the city's cultural fusion in D.C., husband-and-wife duo Jaime Lozano and Florencia Cuenca transformed Broadway classics into something entirely new. Their performance of "Broadway en Spanglish" wasn't just a translation of familiar tunes – it was a bold reimagining of the American musical theater canon through a distinctly Mexican lens.

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Carter Wynne / DC Arts Center Curatorial Initiative / INTRINSIC TOOL

DC is emerging as a hub for young artists and curators like Carter Wynne, a self-taught artist under the apprenticeship of independent curator and creative consultant, Fabiola R. Delgado. Wynne's groundbreaking exhibition, Intrinsic Tool, is the first to showcase her work at DC Arts Center. As part of the center's Curatorial Initiative, this exhibition celebrates the revolutionary potential of play.

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Broccoli City Festival 2024: Unity Through Music and Culture

The Broccoli City Festival 2024 ignited D.C. with unity and celebration during the final weekend of July. This year's event marked a significant upgrade as it moved to the city's newest sports venue, Audi Field, home of D.C. United.

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Our Take on the 2024 DC/DOX Documentary Film Festival

The DC/DOX Documentary Film Festival returned to the district this June, once again providing a platform for emerging filmmakers innovating documentary storytelling. Held from June 13th to 16th, the festival showcased a diverse range of documentaries on big screens across the city. These films tackled critical topics like LGBTQ+ shelters and the controversial reinstatement of Arizona's abortion ban.

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The Kite Runner Glides Between the Past and Present at the Kennedy Center

In a 1971 interview with Playboy magazine, celluloid cowboy John Wayne mused, “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life – comes into us at midnight very clean.” It’s not Wayne’s philosophical ponderings that weave him into The Kite Runner, a play based on author Khaled Hosseini’s 2003 novel of the same name.

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The Lehman Trilogy: A Bracing Sign of the Times

Whether an indulgence of the market or a rebellion against it, Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy is undoubtedly a triumph. Since its translation into English by Mirella Cheeseman and its significant adaptation by playwright Ben Power, the play has carved out a generous space in the theater world, touring and transferring between theaters across Broadway, LA, and the West End for the past seven years.

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