Arena Stage, located in Southwest Washington, DC, a few blocks from The Wharf, presents a diverse range of innovative works that focus on American artists and pieces reflecting our country’s past, present, and future.

You’re invited to join them for one of their upcoming live performances:

Oct 17-Dec 6, 2026
Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?

Straight from Off-Broadway comes Eric Bentley’s electrifying docudrama, directed by Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro. Built entirely from original hearing transcripts, the play drops you into the tense world of the 1940s House Committee on Un-American Activities, where fame offered no protection and political pressure could end a career. Artists including Arthur Miller, Jerome Robbins, Paul Robeson, Elia Kazan, and Lillian Hellman face impossible choices: defend their integrity, protect their careers, or betray their peers. The committee’s chilling questions prove as powerful as the testimony itself, revealing a climate of intimidation and moral conflict that resonates far beyond its time.

Dec 4-23, 2026
Step Afrika’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show

Step into the holiday spirit with the joyful return of Step Afrika’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show, where the rich tradition of African American stepping blends with the magic of the season. Enjoy laughter, songs, and dance with the award-winning Step Afrika performers, then join DJ Nutcracker and his Arctic friends onstage to amplify the festive atmosphere. This vibrant, fun-filled show promises a memorable adventure for the entire family.

Sept 10-Nov 1, 2026
Step Afrika’s The Fruits of Our Labor

In commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, Step Afrika premieres The Fruits of Our Labor — a powerful new production exploring rhythm, resilience, and the unfinished story of the American experience. Blending stepping, percussion, and striking visual imagery, this visceral new piece examines what it means to believe in a nation still being made. Created in collaboration with artists Jakari Sherman, Conrad R. Kelly, and Vusi Mdoyi, the production’s explosive movement and bold palette of red, white, and blue ask the nation: What have we inherited, and what are we still fighting to become?

June 12-Aug 9, 2026
CrazySexyCool: The TLC Musical

TLC changed the game, storming the ’90s music scene with a defining look, sound, and spirit. With iconic hits, bold style, and signature moves, Tionne T-Boz Watkins, Lisa Left Eye Lopes, and Rozonda Chilli Thomas became the most successful female group of all time. Now their story takes the stage in CrazySexyCool, a new musical from Kwame Kwei-Armah. Featuring a dynamic cast, high-energy choreography, and hits like Waterfalls, Creep, Unpretty, and No Scrubs, it celebrates their sisterhood through the highs, challenges, and defining moments of their legacy.

May 6-June 14, 2026
The Motion

What begins as a sharp debate quickly unravels as four scholars are pulled into a shifting journey through memory, identity, and belief. As their world transforms, they discover unexpected connections, love, and companionship. Together, they confront questions about purpose, morality, and what it means to be alive. The Motion is an intense, thought-provoking exploration of the human experience — where certainty fades, and every conviction is tested.

Mar 27-May 3, 2026
A Good Day to Me, Not to You

Drama Desk Award winner Lameece Issaq teams up with Obie-winning director Lee Sunday Evans for a candid new play. It follows a 40-something dental lab tech whose life spirals after losing her job, leading her to a women’s rooming house run by nuns. There, she confronts her unfulfilled path to motherhood and the loss of her younger sister, all while navigating the eccentric and unpredictable residents around her.

Feb 27-Apr 5, 2026
Inherit the Wind

Inspired by the real-life Scopes “Monkey” Trial, this powerful courtroom drama brings two formidable legal minds face-to-face in a small-town showdown over science, religion, and the freedom to think. As national attention focuses on the community, personal conviction collides with public sentiment in a case that resonates far beyond its time. Inherit the Wind, the American classic by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, offers a searing, deeply human look at a nation continually grappling with the cost — and the courage — of progress.

Jan 30-Mar 22, 2026
Chez Joey

Set in the late 1940s, Chicago’s nightlife is buzzing with energy — and at the center of it all is Joey Evans, a smooth-talking, velvet-voiced performer with ambitions far bigger than the stage he’s on. Caught between a hopeful young chorus girl and a wealthy widow who can fund his rise to fame, he navigates a world where connections matter, and every choice has a price. As the lights fade and the music rises, his path hinges on one decision: play it straight or gamble everything for the spotlight.

Dec 5-21, 2025
Step Afrika’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show

Get ready to celebrate — Step Afrika’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show is back for its fourth spectacular year at Arena Stage! Bring the entire family to join DJ Nutcracker and his Arctic friends for an electrifying journey packed with high-energy stepping, festive music, and non-stop holiday cheer with the award-winning Step Afrika! performers. This fan-favorite tradition promises laughter, joy, and unforgettable moments.

Oct 8-Nov 23, 2025
Fremont Ave.

An electric world premiere spanning decades through memory and the rhythm of Spades. Young love, old wounds, and generations of Black men collide at the card table, pushed together by a formidable matriarch — beloved, feared, unforgettable. What starts as a game becomes a reckoning with masculinity, identity, and long-buried silence. Fremont Ave. lays every card on the table and challenges you to do the same.

Sept 9-Nov 9, 2025
Damn Yankees

One of America’s most beloved musicals is coming back, dusted off and spit-shined for a new generation. All the elements that made it famous are there: a diehard love of baseball, one man’s fateful (and hilarious) pact with the Devil, and Broadway’s sexiest femme fatale…but gently re-tooled for its first major revival in the 21st Century.

June 12-July 20, 2025
A Wrinkle in Time

Meg Murray’s father vanished while experimenting with time travel and the fifth dimension. Meg, her friend Calvin, and her brother Charles Wallace embark on a daring rescue mission. Facing cosmic challenges, they must outwit evil forces on their journey through space. This new musical adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic tale inspires with its message that love, friendship, and courage can triumph over all.

May 16-June 15, 2025
We Are Gathered

Wilson and Free met in a dark park, seeking fun but finding love and light instead. As an anniversary looms, they question if they’ve found Mr. Right or just a fleeting connection. With support, confusion, and a mysterious stranger, they must decide whether to face their fears or let a secret pull them apart.

Apr 3-May 4, 2025
Fake It Until You Make It

Larissa FastHorse’s “Fake It Until You Make It” explores rivalry and ambition in the nonprofit world. Wynona of N.O.B.U.S.H. clashes with River of Indigenous Nations Soaring, revealing absurdities of ambition and authenticity. Amid the chaos, unexpected connections form, blending humor with the pursuit of success.

Feb 28-Mar 30, 2025
The Age of Innocence

Set against the opulent backdrop of 1870s New York, where hypocrisy reigns, and hidden passions burn, Karen Zacarias adapts Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence for the stage. This gripping tale exposes the suffocating norms of high society, where love battles duty, and innocence is lost. Follow Newland Archer as he navigates the rigid confines of privilege, torn between tradition and forbidden desire.

Feb 4-Mar 16, 2025
The Bedwetter, A Musical

The Bedwetter: A Musical brings comedian Sarah Silverman’s memoir to life in a bold, hilarious adaptation. This offbeat coming-of-age tale follows ten-year-old Sarah as she navigates family drama, friendships, and an embarrassing secret. With sharp humor, heartfelt moments, and catchy tunes, the show explores resilience, self-acceptance, and the challenges of growing up.

Disclaimer: Event details are curated from public sources and subject to change. Verify all information via the provided links before attending.