AX FN FS LF PW DC BD PG AA FD HO MN MS SM ABCDE Arts&Style sunday, september 26, 2010 E


Grand


entrance A


New Arena Stage may transform Washington theater and the city


by Peter Marks


rena Stage is about to make the most dramatic entrance in its storied, 60-year history, reintro- ducing itself to the city in a radi- cal new shape, with a $135 mil-


lion remodeling that seeks to turn it into a gleaming fixture of Southwest Washington and


a national center for the presentation, devel- opment and study of American theater. ¶ When it officially reopens its doors to the public on Oct. 23 after its 30-month architectural overhaul, the com-


pany will finally be able to show off the tangible re- sults of the renovation of its campus on Sixth Street and


Maine Avenue — the most expensive project in a trans- formational decade of theater construction across the re- gion. The structure also promises to be a linchpin of a broader redevelopment of a long-neglected stretch of South- west. ¶ The metamorphosis of Arena’s look, and the towering glass cage in which Vancouver architect Bing Thom has envel- oped the complex, gives the theater an imposing presence. But the even more consequential changes are of the interior kind. ¶ The new enclosed space, encompassing about 200,000 square feet, is more than double the area Arena used to take up on a parcel that had grown seedy with age. Are- na’s main stage, the Fichandler, was built in 1961, and its second space, the Kreeger, was built in 1971; the shells of both remain in-


arena stage continued on E2


THE NEW ARENA STAGE THE REVIEW A catalyst


for change Finally, a bold building breaks the mold for civic architecture in the District. E3


THE ARCHITECT Into the U.S.


spotlight Canadian Bing Thom brings a moral philosophy of preservation to his daring designs. E4


THE SOUTHWEST A neighborhood


facing rebirth Other Southwest projects that are part of the area’s multibillion-dollar reinvention. E6-7


ALSO Ask Amy, E11 Carolyn Hax, E12 Celebrations, E15 Cul de Sac, E11 Imogen Quest, E12 Movie Guide, E13 Horoscope, E11 THE DETAILS What’s where in


the new Arena A two-page graphic explores the features of the new performing arts center. E8-9


on washingtonpost.com


To learn more about the new Arena Stage through interactive models, photo galleries and video, go to washingtonpost.com/ arenastage.


Lively Arts Guide, E5 On Love, E14 Robin Givhan, E15


PHOTO BY LINDA DAVIDSON/THE WASHINGTON POST


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174