July 21 Update: TFA's THE WARRIOR opened at the Capital Fringe Festival on Sunday to an enthusiastic house. The Washington CityPaper reviewed THE WARRIOR'S opening performance on the Fringe & Purge blog. CityPaper's Majeedah Johnson says "Having close friends and family members affected by the current was, this play is extremely touching and applicable to my life as well as to that of others I love, honor, and cherish dearly." and "Enough cannot be said of this play whose relevance extends from World War II. . .to present day wars and conflicts, each of which will continue to destroy the minds and lives of those who have purportedly 'won' the war and those who have perished. . ." THE WARRIOR has four more performances in D.C., closing July 27.
July 14 Update: Theater of the First Amendment will present The Warrior at the Capital Fringe Festival from July 20-27 and the New York International Fringe Festival from August 9-21. The Warrior was workshopped at TFA's First Light Festival in 2007; congratulations to everyone who's helped this intense, topical drama reach opening. Get tickets for the D.C. run, starting Sunday, at Theatermania.
June 30 Update: The Festival finished on a high note with a terriffic performance by Fairfax Choral Society Saturday night. We're all very proud of the high quality of the artistic work produced during the Festival. Our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who participated- staff, performers, volunteers, and audiences. The work of planning Mason Festival 2009 has already begun...check this page soon for updates!
June 27 Update: Utility repairs are finished, and Mason Pond Drive is accessible from both ends again. So we're back to "normal" traffic status; for detailed construction updates, look here.
June 24 Update: We look forward to the Festival's final weekend with mixed emotions. The two Theater of the First Amendment plays, Mariela in the Desert and Two-Bit Taj Mahal, must close on June 29, and it will sadden us to see those magical productions go dark. One the other hand, we're excited to see the final concert events: Fairfax Choral Society's Hollywood Goes Choral Saturday and the World Children's Choir's Let Us Be United on Sunday. [Tickets]
The Washington Post's Review today implored readers to "Catch the two top-drawer theater productions at the inaugural Mason Festival of the Arts," commenting that "(TFA) has recruited a roster of blue-ribbon actors, directors and designers, and the investment pays off."
The author, Celia Wren, calls Two-Bit Taj Mahal "...a ripping yarn...that shimmers with the enigmatic grandeur of a fairy tale..." and ""Sensitively directed by Heather McDonald and terrifically acted...", while Mariela in the Desert is "Elegantly staged by Nick Olcott..." creating a production filled with "...brooding tableaux...explosive energy...[and] spiritual resonances." [Tickets]
Find out more about the festival from the official press release, and come visit us; here are directions to campus, and the map of Festival areas. Please allow extra time to arrive, since road construction has changed local traffic patterns.
For the full line-up of 2008 Festival events, check out our Events Page or download the calendar brochure. (pdf, 1.5 MB)
