Avant Bard Theatre

06/07/2026

Resistance Readings return Sunday, June 21, at 5 PM at The Filling Station (4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203) with a staged reading of Tom Stoppard's Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, directed by Avant Bard Artistic Associate Kathleen Akerley!

Set inside a Soviet psychiatric hospital, the play follows a political dissident whose resistance to the state becomes entangled with questions of sanity, truth, and freedom. Blending absurdist comedy with sharp political critique, Stoppard's play remains as urgent and resonant today as ever.

Please note that, while originally written in collaboration with composer André Previn, this special Resistance Reading presentation will be performed sans music as a staged reading.

Following the reading, audience members are invited to stay for a conversation with the artists. Food and drink are also available for purchase through El Rey VA.

Admission is FREE, but seating is limited. Click here to reserve your spot: https://avantbard.org/project/the-resistance-readings/

05/21/2026

We’re back tonight for the first of our final four performances of Ghost Limb by Marisela Treviño Orta, directed by Elena Velasco.

Set during Argentina’s Dirty War and inspired by the myth of Demeter and Persephone, Ghost Limb is a haunting and deeply human story about disappearance, grief, resistance, and the enduring bond between mother and child.

Join us for the final weekend of performances at Gunston Arts Center, Theatre Two:

Thursday, May 21 at 7:30 PM
Friday, May 22 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 23 at 2:00 PM (Pay-What-You-Can)
Saturday, May 23 at 7:30 PM

Click the link below to reserve tickets!
https://avantbard.org/project/ghost-limb/

Photo Credit: Kathleen Akerley

05/21/2026

Cool interview, this play is entering its last weekend at Gunston.

Listen to Nancy Flores and Robert Schumacher discuss their powerful and challenging roles in Ghost Limb in a new interview with Embracing Arlington Arts!

The conversation explores the play’s themes, the rehearsal process, and the emotional and political resonance of Marisela Treviño Orta’s haunting work.

Only 4 performances remain! Ghost Limb runs through May 23rd!

Click here to listen to interview: https://bit.ly/NancyandRobert-EAA

And click here for tickets: https://avantbard.org/project/ghost-limb/

Photo Credit: Kathleen Akerley

05/21/2026

Congratulations to Stephen Kime and Oscar Salvador, Jr. on their 2026 Helen Hayes Award wins!

Stephen Kime received the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Play (Helen) for Avant Bard Theatre’s production of The Margriad. We are so proud to see Stephen’s extraordinary work recognized in this way and grateful for the artistry, care, and brilliance he brought to the production.

Oscar Salvador, Jr. was recognized as part of the Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical (Helen) award for Head Over Heels Constellation Theatre Company. We are honored to have Oscar working with us right now in Avant Bard’s current production of Ghost Limb, and audiences can catch his incredible work onstage now through May 23rd. https://avantbard.org/project/ghost-limb/

Please join us in congratulating these incredible artists on these well-deserved honors!

--

Margriad Photo Credit: DJ Corey
Ghost Limb Photo Credit: Naya Chopra

05/20/2026

Listen to Nancy Flores and Robert Schumacher discuss their powerful and challenging roles in Ghost Limb in a new interview with Embracing Arlington Arts!

The conversation explores the play’s themes, the rehearsal process, and the emotional and political resonance of Marisela Treviño Orta’s haunting work.

Only 4 performances remain! Ghost Limb runs through May 23rd!

Click here to listen to interview: https://bit.ly/NancyandRobert-EAA

And click here for tickets: https://avantbard.org/project/ghost-limb/

Photo Credit: Kathleen Akerley

05/18/2026

Reviews are in for Ghost Limb!

BroadwayWorld calls the production “an ambitious and affecting meditation on grief, political violence, and memory” and praises the show’s “strikingly beautiful” visuals and “deeply lived-in” performances.

Don’t miss Avant Bard Theatre’s production of Marisela Treviño Orta’s haunting play, directed by Elena Velasco, running through May 23 at Gunston Arts Center, Theatre 2.

Tickets available now at the link below!
https://avantbard.org/project/ghost-limb/

Photo credit: Naya Chopra

05/13/2026

Join us Sunday, May 17 at 5pm at The Filling Station (4201 Wilson Blvd Suite 150-160, Arlington, VA 22230) for this month’s Resistance Readings Project: an evening of film and conversation featuring a screening of The Infection, alongside bonus screenings of Longacre Lea’s She Speaks to Trees and The Doors of Impression.

Following the screenings, Longacre Lea Artistic Director and Avant Bard Artistic Associate Kathleen Akerley will lead a conversation with the audience.

Resistance Readings are FREE to attend, with food and drink available for purchase through El Rey.

Click the link below to reserve tickets in advance to ensure seating!
https://avantbard.org/project/the-resistance-readings/

05/10/2026

Thank you for the beautiful cookies!!!

04/28/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Songs & Stories of Immigration last week, an evening that reminded us of the power of storytelling to connect, challenge, and move us.

We are so deeply grateful to Elena La Fulana for sharing her music and artistry with such honesty and heart.

A heartfelt thank you as well to La Pluma Theatre and the team behind The Lady Bird of Saint John for bringing this powerful story to life.

This evening was a reminder that theatre and music can help us sit with complexity, bear witness, and build empathy. We’re so grateful to everyone who made it possible. ❤️