Company History

In 1991, a group of five people--James L. This, Scot Whitney, Linda Whitney, Phil Annis and Ronna Smith-- founded a non-profit theater company. Their goal was to produce a more challenging style of theater than was available locally. Together, they totalled three directors, one actor, one set designer, one technical wizard, and one business manager. They wrote their mission statement, pooled their startup capital--a whopping $400 cash--and began producing individual shows at the Washington Center Stage II, a black box venue that seated about 100.

The first season included two one-acts by Bryan Willis, more one-acts by Pinter and Albee, TALKING WITH, RECKLESS, and a staged reading of a new play by Nancy Sigafoos. At the end of their first year, Harlequin productions had produced seven challenging plays and was still in the black, based entirely on single ticket sales and a few modest donations. Season subscriptions were offered in 1992 and 85 die-hard fans signed on.

So far, the shows had been small and affordable. In its second season Harlequin took on an enormous (and enormously popular) production of HAMLET, staged with an Oriental motif on a 20 foot motorized revolve with a cast of 18, original score, and elaborate fights and dance. HAMLET redefined the direction of the company. Who cared if shows of that magnitude overtaxed our resources? They were fun! And no matter how we tried to rein people in, everyone involved was champing at the bit to make the production a little bit better. The company also enjoyed a very successful Christmas show with THE 1940'S RADIO HOUR.

In year three, we doubled our subscriber base and sold out a second '40s Christmas show, THE HOLIDAY BROADCAST OF 1943 by Jim Giancarlo. Another non-traditional Shakespeare production, THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, put Speed on roller skates and a vast jewel-box of a set on wheels. At the end of year three, Harlequin was paying actors and technicians and was still in the black.

In season four the company produced the world premiere of a new opera, BILLY by Tim Brock and Bryan Willis and wrote, produced and sold out the first in its series of Stardust holiday shows (A STARDUST CHRISTMAS 1944) as well as a radical reworking of Richard Sharp’s DRACULA, all of which worked to raise the bar for the company and the expectations of the audience. By this time it was becoming clear that Harlequin Productions was outgrowing its black box space in the Washington Center and would soon need to find a home of its own.

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