Summerfest 2021

SummerFest is the grand finale of our Olney Outdoors programming with FREE events and performances happening all day starting at 1:30 pm. From food trucks to outdoor activities, backstage tours, and so much more,  we are so excited to celebrate coming together around the arts again after over a year and a half.

Music

The Guru and Students of Swaralaya School of Music Present: Stories of Nature & Faith through the Hindu Pantheon

1:30 pm - 2:15 pm, Root Family Stage

Join us for a cultural experience with Hindustani classic music. Guru Shashi Nanda and students from the Swaralaya School of music will take you on a cultural journey through India with Hindustani classic music. With vocalists accompanied by harmonium, reed organ, tanpura, tabla, and drums, we invite you to take part in this wonderful experience.

The Olney Big Band

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Mainstage
Proof of Covid vaccination required

The Olney Big Band returns to SummerFest for a spectacular performance filled with jazz, swing, and other dance music from the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s.

Dance with DJ Ganzi!

4:30 pm - 5:00 pm, Root Family Stage

Grab a drink and celebrate the summer to Korean-American DJ Ganzi from the DMV. DJ Ganzi is a professional DJ/MC who has spun at weddings, clubs, bars, company events, and the Korean Embassy. Dance your troubles away with music from 2NE1, BTS, and more! IG: @djganzi1

One Third Wish

5:00 pm - 6:30 pm, Bank of America Plaza

Rock out to songs by The Beatles and other classics with One Third Wish, an acoustic/electric rock duo featuring Linda Cote (acoustic guitar, percussion, and vocals) and Kimberly Spath (electric guitar and vocals).

70 Years of OTC Musicals

7:00 pm, Root Family Stage

From Pal Joey in 1951 to the upcoming performances of Hedwig & the Angry Inch and Beauty and the Beast, the musicals of Olney Theatre Center have lifted hearts, brought families together and have told tales as old of time. Featuring favorite Olney veterans and some surprise appearances, we celebrate this rich legacy with a beautiful evening under the stars celebrating wonderful music of the past 70 years at OTC. Reservations accepted but not required.

Dance

Culkin School of Irish Dance

2:30pm-3:15pm, Root Family Stage

In Irish, Céad Mile Fáilte means ‘one hundred thousand welcomes’! Culkin School will take you into the world of Irish dancing, music and culture over the hour with a mix of performance and audience participation.

MHC’s FIL-AM Dance Ensemble

3:30pm-4:15pm, Root Family Stage

Migrant Heritage Commission’s Cultural Arm visits Olney Theatre Center with this fabulous dance ensemble, featuring TINIKLING bamboo dance and other fusions. Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage by watching this amazing performance and then join in, yourself.

About Olney Theatre Center

Tour the Newly Renovated Theatre Lab

2:30 - 3:30 pm, Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab
Proof of Covid vaccination required

The first stage of OTC’s Capital Campaign was a makeover of the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab. Now’s your chance to take a walk through the brand new lobby, backstage area, and remodeled black box space which will house our upcoming productions of The Thanksgiving Play, A Christmas Carol, Dance Nation, and the world premiere of The Joy That Carries You.

The Future of OTC

3:30 pm - 4:15 pm, Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab
Proof of Covid vaccination required

Olney Theatre Center has some exciting things planned for the future. Have a conversation with Artistic Director Jason Loewith, Managing Director Debbie Ellinghaus, and members of the artistic team about how our antiracism and artistic programming efforts are connected.

Back (to the) Stage Documentary Screening

4:30 pm - 5:00 pm, 1938 Original Theatre
Proof of Covid vaccination required

For the ensemble members of the National Players—the country’s oldest touring company—COVID-19 postponed their professional debut for more than a year.  Back (to the) Stage follows their journey through the ever-changing pandemic as they prepare to share, finally, their first performance at Olney Theatre Center.  Interspersed with their journey, we’ll hear from experts about the arts and mental health, and stories about the pandemic’s effect on DMV artists and arts-workers.

Backstage Tours

5:00 pm - 6:30 pm, Mainstage
Proof of Covid vaccination required

Take a guided tour backstage and get a behind-the-scenes look at what we do, led by a member of the Olney Theatre Center staff. Maximum 6 people per group. Tours occur every 10-15min. First come first serve. Because backstage tours are indoors, face masks are required.

Stories with Weldon Brown

5:30 pm - 6:15 pm, Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab
Proof of Covid vaccination required

If you’ve purchased tickets with us or seen a performance, you’ve probably interacted with Weldon Brown, Olney Theatre Center’s longest-working employee and absolute treasure. After starting work here helping out with sound for a show to becoming our Director of Sales, Weldon is the current keeper of our OTC history (and knows all the ghost stories). In addition to his day-job, Weldon is also a musician. Come for a delightful evening of storytelling and music with the one, the only, Weldon Brown.

National Players

A Raisin in the Sun

Pay-What-You-Can
1:30 pm, 7:30 pm, 1938 Original Theatre
Proof of Covid vaccination required

Pay-what-you-can to see Olney Theatre Center’s premiere educational and professional touring ensemble National Players perform an award-winning drama by one of America’s finest playwrights about an African American family dealing with prejudice, history, and a world where everything changes. The members of the Younger family dream bigger than the small house where they live on the south side of Chicago in the 1950s. When their deceased father’s insurance money comes through, those dreams might actually become reality. Walter Lee wants to run his own business and earn financial independence, but his sister Beneatha dreams of attending medical school. Meanwhile, their mother Lena wants to move them all to a bigger home in a white neighborhood. What will finally allow the Youngers to move up in the world, and who will have their dreams deferred? View Content Guidance.

Activities

Artist Marketplace

2:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Bank of America Plaza

When the stages were closed, actors and performers developed new skills and honed existing hobbies into creative business. From hand-crafted cards and other homemade goods, these local artists are gathering at Olney Theatre to sell their wares like greeting cards from actor Michael Russotto to fashionable totes from Non Linear Bags, hand-painted vases and pottery from Hasta the Creative, or even original materials from our props and costumes staff. Come out and support!

Costume Sale

2:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Costume Shop

Looking for some one-of-a-kind fashionable pieces? Then stop by our costume sale right outside of our costume shop.

Kolam Chalk Art

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Bank of America Plaza

Join Shanthi Chandrasekar and her students in creating Kolams, a type of traditional Indian chalk art designed to welcome people to your home. Indian women often begin their day and sometimes also end it by drawing Kolams on the ground just outside the front door of their house. These repeating patterns have been passed down generation to generation for centuries. Like Native American sand paintings or Buddhist mandalas, the Kolams are part of the cycle of creation and destruction. This eco-friendly art form, drawn freehand using powdered rice or rock to create beautiful patterns of dots and lines that symbolize all the lessons of the cosmos. Olney Theatre Center invites you to gather and create Kolams to welcome our community to gather for the arts. 

Olney Winery

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Bank of America Plaza

Indulge with us and our friends at Olney Winery and take in the beautiful afternoon at Olney Theatre Center. Grab a taste right now or grab a bottle for later.

Beer Tasting

5:00 pm - 5:45 pm, Bank of America Plaza

Nothing like a cold beer on a hot summer day. Try some of our beers from local breweries like Waredaca while you listen to some classic rock.

Holy Crepes Food Truck

2:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Sweet and savory crepes from Holy Crepes for your summer afternoon that are just heavenly.