Ambassador Theater

Register for the Casting Call for The Madman and the Nun

2011-04-01T21:46:00.001-07:00

Online Ticketing for Casting Call for "The Madman and the Nun" on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 powered by Eventbrite

Support

2011-03-28T21:50:00.001-07:00

Support

Summer Camp at Source

2011-03-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

Summer Camp at Source

East and West: Two Plays of Mystery

2011-01-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

East and West: Two Plays of Mystery

2011-01-11T06:12:00.000-08:00

East and West: Two Plays of Mystery

How it all started with Hopa Tropa

2009-07-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

As we begin to move through this summer and finish the run of our inaugural production, our thoughts are immediately moving onto our exciting projects for the fall and winter. "Hopa Tropa" is just one of our upcoming creative projects that will bring a colorful taste of Bulgarian culture to the DC area.
"Hopa Tropa" began as an idea to continue with Ambassador Theater's mission to highlight international cultures and bring them to the DC area. After working with Polish theater, we enthusiatically moved to working on Bulgaria. And what better way to bring the color, fun, and excitment of Bulgarian culture, than through a children's show! We began searching for a piece to work on, going so far as to contact artists at famous children's theater in Varna, Bulgaria, who informed us that the particular piece we were interested in was created experiementally through improvisation, and no written draft was available. Brainstorming on what next to do, we decided to write our own piece, dubbed by Lilia Slavova "Hopa Tropa!", after a spirited jump in a dance. With this kind of spirited spontaneity, "Hopa Tropa" was born.

Welcome to Ambassador Theater

2009-06-20T14:54:00.001-07:00

I am delighted and excited to kick off our 2009 season with the DC premiere of Sławomir Mrożek’s Polish masterpiece “Out at Sea”!

Mrożek’s work resonates today just as well as it did in 1961 when the play was first written. His work follows in the tradition of the Theater of the Absurd, using witty dialogue, sharp juxtapositions, and comedic distortion to point out the follies of human nature. “Out at Sea” explores the intrusion of class, politics, and Darwinian natural selection even in the smallest communities.

Working on this production with American actors has been a fascinating process of rediscovering Mrożek again. As a group we have explored various possibilities and interpretations of the play in a new 21st century context. The rest we leave for the audience.

The Story Behind Ambassador Theater…

But for me bringing this production to DC has been the culmination of many years of training, teaching, growing, and dreaming.

Growing up in Warsaw, Poland, I spent my early years soaking up the best of Polish theater and poetry, including works by one of my favorite playwrights, Sławomir Mrożek. My love for his work has brought me from Poland, to Florida, and now to DC.

But my interests are not limited to Polish Theater. After working and traveling with various theater groups and outreach programs, I realized my dream: to form a theater company. But with so many mainstream theater companies in work already, I knew it would be best to bring my experience and the experience of others together in an International Theater. Its mission would be to build cultural awareness through a forum where artists from all cultural backgrounds can share their passion for the arts.

This idea first came to me while watching a parade for the Athens Olympics. Amazed by the group of Americans there (over 300 million), I thought--

“If only 60,000 Americans gave me only one dollar, I would build a theater.”

Years later, my dream would return.

Continuing my love of sharing and learning about other cultures, I spent several years teaching theater to younger students in the DC area. After one particular day teaching drama class for 4-6 years old, one of the student’s parents approached me, thanking me for the work I had done with her son. She then asked:

“When are you going to get started on that theater of yours???”

I immediately thought back to that moment in Athens and explained the financial difficulties with starting a brand new theater.

“Here Ms. Hanna, here’s one dollar for you to start the theater!!”
The son of the parent who was speaking, Thomas, reached into his pocket to produce a brand new dollar bill.

I was overwhelmed by the generosity and hope of a child, and I still keep that dollar to this day.

Photo Book of Our Memorable Trip to Poland

2009-01-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year dear friends!
I am very happy to let you know that our photo book depicting our most memorable times from our trip to Poland is now available to order on line!

I would like to especially thank our dear friend, Magda Pinkowska, who helped significantly to make this book available for all of us and I hope you will take this opportunity to order the book. We are also preparing the inauguration of our first season and we will announce our exciting projects shortly.

The Dziekuje Song

2008-11-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

Video Clips from Warszawa

2008-11-22T10:12:00.001-08:00

Here is a short video from the beginning of the trip to Poland and our first time in Warszawa:

Polish TV Interview with Anne Beers E.S. Students

2008-10-20T07:16:00.001-07:00

Here is the TVP-1 Polish Television interview with the students that aired while we were in Poland: