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25th Annual Christmas Revels in Washington, DC: An Elizabethan Winter Celebration

Washington Revels' Popular Holiday Theater Event

For more information, contact: 202-723-7528; info@revelsdc.org

Washington, DC – THE CHRISTMAS REVELS, a celebration of the Winter Solstice, returns to the Lisner Auditorium of the George Washington University with eight performances over the weekends of December 8-9 and 14-16. The Washington Revels’ 25th annual holiday production will visit the colorful Renaissance world of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I of England.

All Christmas Revels performances are based on traditional music, dance, and the kind of drama performed on street corners, in homes and village squares. They reflect the universal themes of life, death, and rebirth, the symbolism of the season of the shortest (and darkest) days of the year, and the customs and rituals surrounding those themes. The Christmas Revels is a fully costumed theater piece, not a concert, and our audiences are not just spectators, but also participants who are invited to join with those on stage in singing and even dancing in the aisles. The Washington Post has called the Christmas Revels “a seasonal gift to the community in song, dance, magic, foolery and tradition.”

Each year, Washington Revels celebrates the Winter Solstice with traditions drawn from different lands and different eras. This year, join Will Kemp, the irreverent and brilliantly talented clown from Shakespeare's company, who has just danced for nine days from London to Norwich. He now has to come up with some rustic revels for the Queen, soon to arrive on her Winter Solstice 'Progress.' Mischief and merriment ensue, with beautiful Renaissance music, rousing Morris dance, a set of rustic actors, and the Queen of England! Featuring Mark Jaster as Will Kemp, Katrina Van Duyn as Queen Elizabeth I, Oran Sandel as the Lord Chamberlain, Piffaro, The Renaissance Band, and the Foggy Bottom Morris Men, along with the Washington Revels Brass and the Revels Company of approximately 70 adults, teens and children.

Audience participation is always a key element in Revels. The audience learns carols and rounds both ancient and familiar, and will join in for "The Lord of the Dance," a rousing dance through the aisles of theater. Many of our audience members say this community dance is a high point of their year.

The Christmas Revels plays to packed houses every year, with roughly 10,000 area residents in attendance. The Revels appeal is so great because every show draws on an unbeatable combination of elements: time-honored rituals, traditional dances, folk plays and holiday music performed by a lively and talented cast of adults and children.

The celebration of the longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice, is at the heart of Revels. Despite “Christmas” in the title, this is not a religious pageant, but rather a unique seasonal celebration that is inclusive and meaningful to the community at large, regardless of background.

Eight performances of the Christmas Revels will be held at the Lisner Auditorium of the George Washington University, 21st and H Streets NW, Washington, DC. Parking Garage Entrance: 22nd and I Streets; Metro Station: Foggy Bottom. The Theater is wheelchair accessible. Performances: Saturday Dec. 8 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Sunday Dec. 9 at 1:00pm & 5:00pm; Friday Dec. 14 at 7:30pm; Saturday Dec. 15 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; and Sunday Dec. 16 at 2:00pm. Tickets $12-$40. Family Friday: 25% off regular price for youth tickets on Friday Dec. 14. Group Sales and Information: 202-723-7528. Tickets go on sale October 8 – visit www.revelsdc.org or call 1-800-595-4849. ADA Services: ASL and Audio Description, Sunday Dec. 9 at 1pm; wheelchair spaces, Braille and large-print programs, available at all performances. For ADA seating, call the Lisner Box Office directly at 202-994-6800.

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