Something is lurking in the inbox of theatergoers across D.C.—something considerably as dramatic and revelatory as the works we see on stage. Beginning in the late winter of 2023, theaters throughout the region have gradually but surely communicated what to expect in their next seasons. 

Season planning is a monthslong, if not yearslong, process. Scripts must be vetted, contracts must be signed, funds must be secured, and, most importantly, the season must align with the mission, goals, and opportunities promised within each theater’s unique philosophy and branding. While certainly not an exhaustive list of all that will grace the stage this coming 2023-24 season, what follows is an attempt to summarize the biggest news, greatest hits, and most promising endeavors in a select number of local theaters. Here’s what to expect: 

Arena Stage begins its 2023-2024 season earlier than most and features the last selection of outgoing artistic director Molly Smith. Lauren Yee’s acclaimed Cambodian Rock Band will kick off on July 17, followed by Selina Fillinger’s POTUS in October. POTUS (affectionately subtitled Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive) was a recent smash on Broadway with Rachel Dratch of Saturday Night Live fame in the leading role, and this D.C. production is sure to bring new light and challenges to the explosive comedy, directed here by Margot Bordelon. The season continues with John Logan’s Swept Away, Kia Corthron’s Tempestuous Elements (which Psalmayene 24 will direct), and Daniel Goldstein’s Unknown Soldier. Step Afrika! continues its residence at Arena Stage with The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence, set to premiere next June.

Back in December of 2022, Shakespeare Theatre Company sent an email teasing the first show of next season, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita, to be presented in association with Harvard University’s American Repertory Theater in September. A theater known for reviving the classics, STC later hinted at another star-studded William Shakespeare adaptation of Macbeth at the heels of Patrick Page’s “unmissable” King Lear. With theatergoers hedging bets on which “Friend of STC” would take up the role of the notorious King of Scotland, artistic director Simon Godwin did not disappoint when, in mid-April, he announced the production would be headed by Tony and BAFTA winner Ralph Fiennes and Olivier Award winner Indira Varma. STC’s 2023-2024 season also includes Whitney White’s Macbeth in Stride, a Black feminist reclamation of Shakespeare’s most incendiary woman’s role, plus, As You Like It adapted and directed by Daryl Cloran. STC will then produce Stefano Massini’s 2022 Tony Award winner The Lehman Trilogy. STC’s sixth and final show has yet to be announced, a promising strategy given the surprising success of Here There Are Blueberries, which was similarly a late addition this year.  

On the subject of Shakespeare, Studio Theatre will present James Ijames’s joyful take on Hamlet and last year’s Pulitzer Prize winner for drama, Fat Ham, in October. (Sanaz Toossi’s English, which made its D.C. debut at Studio in January, snagged this year’s prize). Regional and world premieres follow suit, with Mike Bartlett’s Love, Love, Love, Bryna Turner’s At the Wedding, and Julia May Jonas’ Problems Between Sisters. The season also features Espejos: Clean by Christine Quintana in September and The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe concluding the season in July (also directed by Psalmayene 24). With each play, Studio continues its mission to champion new works and celebrate great ones. 

Playwright Lauren Yee makes another appearance this year at Arlington’s Signature Theatre with King of the Yees, set to open on Sept. 12. Signature’s musical selections (which are usually remiss to miss) include The Bridges of Madison County (opening the season on Aug. 8), Ragtime, and Hair, plus the regional premiere of Alex Bechtel’s Penelope and world premiere of Marshall Pailet’s Private Jones, two wartime epics turned musicals sure to strike a chord with audiences. The season will conclude with the D.C. premiere of folk-musical theater duo, the Bengsons’ latest, Where the Mountain Meets the Sea.

This September, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company begins on a timely note with My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion by Ukrainian playwright Sasha Denisova and translated to English by Woolly company member Misha Kachman. This coproduction with the Wilma Theatre of Philadelphia is directed by Yury Urnov. Next on Woolly’s list is Public Obscenities, a bilingual family epic written and directed by Shayok Misha Chowdhury. The new year will bring Vivian J.O. Barnes’ The Sensational Sea Mink-ettes and Adil Mansoor’s autobiographical take on Antigone titled Amm(i)gone. Rounding out a season dedicated to queer and trans rights and LGBTQIA stories, John Jarboe’s Rose: You Are Who You Eat returns to D.C. after a short run at Source Theatre last year, and recent Helen Hayes winner and Weissberg-commissioned playwright Justin Weaks workshops his new play, A Fine Madness. 

Round House Theatre appears to have abandoned its “two plays in repertory” model for next year, but seems to be dealing with a similar “rule of twos.” It will launch its season with a pairing of work focused on 1960s activism. First on the list, opening Aug. 30, is British playwright James Graham’s INK, set in London 1969 (a co-production with Olney Theatre Center), followed by Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop, a fictional account of Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night in the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, 1968. The holiday slot opens the door to musical theater, with the world premiere of A HANUKKAH CAROL or GELT TRIP! The Musical, only to set the stage for another musical: Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s much-beloved Next To Normal. Finally the season concludes with two Black women playwrights, respectively offering a brand new play and a modern classic: A Jumping Off Point by Inda Craig-Galván and Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks. 

Olney Theatre Center begins next season with the aforementioned INK in coproduction with Round House, followed with a warm welcome to spooky season a la Prince Gomolvilas’ The Brothers Paranormal. The coveted holiday slot features Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock’s timeless Fiddler on the Roof, followed closely by Lend Me a Soprano, Ken Ludwig’s gender-swapped adaptation of his Lend Me a Tenor. Next up is Michael Shayan’s memory play Avaaz, which takes place during and will premiere around the Iranian New Year this March. And as we enter spring, Olney invites two brand-new musicals (Islander by Amy Draper and Long Way Down by Dahlak Brathwaite). Last but certainly not least, the summer opens with jukebox classic and Broadway hit Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

The upcoming season is a clear celebration of new and marginalized voices. The productions listed above also demonstrate an outpouring of creativity and more than one returning fan favorite. The 2023-24 season will be a year of epics and odysseys. Remembering that in 2020, many—if not all—of these companies agreed to align with the principles of “We See You White American Theatre,” prioritizing equitable hiring and casting practices for BIPOC artists and technicians. From where we sit now, the upcoming season suggests they’re all keeping true to the agreement.

Many theaters will take a brief pause this summer to gear up for the long journey ahead. Stay tuned for an exciting return!