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About Us
At Adventure
Theatre, young people share in the thrill
of memorable theater experiences and broaden
their understanding of the universe. Founded
in 1951, Adventure Theatre is the longest-running
children’s theater in the Washington,
D.C., Metropolitan Area.
Children and their families
can plan a full day of activities at the
Park when seeing an Adventure Theatre production,
by riding the 1921 Dentzel Carousel, frolicking
on the playground, taking a ranger-guided
tour, enjoying a picnic, or exploring the
Minnehaha Creek.
Reaching nearly 50,000
children and their families annually, Adventure
Theatre has been a cherished family institution
in the Washington Area for three generations
and a valued source of artistic enrichment
for the community.
Our
Mission
To cultivate new generations of audiences
and artists by creating memorable theater
experiences in an intimate and interactive
environment. To offer a wide variety of
activities including live performances of
classic and contemporary classic children’s
stories, theater classes and camps (which
complement in-school learning), workshops,
birthday parties, and community engagement
projects.
Our History
• 1951. Adventure Theatre is founded
by a group of women from the Community Arts
Association’s drama classes, who believed
that children deserve to experience excellent
theater.
• 1955. Adventure
Theatre begins commissioning plays by award-winning,
nationally-recognized children’s theater
playwrights, Flora Atkins and Helen Avery.
Both are recipients of the prestigious Charlotte
B. Chorpenning Award from The Children’s
Theatre Association of America.
• 1969. The In-School
Players, a traveling troupe, is launched
as a result of a request by the Director
of Language Arts for the District of Columbia
Public Schools. The In-School Players remains
a vital part of AT programming.
• 1971. Adventure
Theatre moves into a new permanent space
of its own after years of touring, at Glen
Echo Park, its current location.
• 1974 -79. Adventure
Theatre expands programming by partnering
with the Junior League to create The Picture
Book Players, a performance troupe for pre-school
and early elementary aged children. Adventure
Theatre also began offering its first theater-education
classes and created a puppet division, now
The Puppet Co., another resident of Glen
Echo Park.
• 1986. New Plays
Books published Six Adventure Theatre Plays,
which were distributed to bookstores and
children’s theaters around the country.
The County Council of Montgomery County
proclaimed June as “Adventure Theatre
Month,” in honor of the theater’s
35 years of service.
• 2007. Renovation
of the home space is completed. The extensive
renovation, which includes a state-of-the-art
theatre, new rehearsal spaces, and room
for an expanded administrative staff, Adventure
Theatre, enables the theater to expand its
programming and offer services to thousands
of additional patrons each year.
• 2010. Producing
Artistic Director, Michael J. Bobbitt receives
the 2010 County Executive’s Awards
for Excellence in the Arts – Emerging
Leader and becomes President of the League
of Washington Theaters. Adventure Theatre
partners with Montgomery College to co-produce
Harry Connick, Jr’s, THE HAPPY ELF,
directed by Tony Winner John Rando and starring
Tony winner Michael Rupert. Additionally,
Adventure Theatre adapted and produced the
classic television special – RUDOLPH
THE RED-NOSED REINDEER. Adventure Theatre’s
production of IF YOU GIVE A PIG A PANCAKE,
breaks box-office records, receives both
critical and public acclaim, and is featured
in American Theatre Magazine.
Both, IF YOU GIVE A PIG
A PANCAKE and THE HAPPY ELF, receive national
recognition and help solidify Adventure
Theatre’s position as a leader in
arts and arts education for youth.
• 2011, Adventure
Theatre will celebrate 60 years of commissioning
new works, cultivating many generations
of theatre artists and audiences, and transitioning
from a community-based arts organization
to a nationally-recognized children’s
theater.
For
a complete list of Adventure Theatre's awards
& nominations, click here.
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Leadership Staff
Michael J. Bobbitt
Producing Artistic Director
Joseph A. Rossi
Managing Director
Board of Directors
Peter Carnathan, President
Fiduciary Trust Company
Keith Parsky, Vice President
Historical Trust Accounting
Stephanie Nealer,
Secretary
Community Leader
Deborah Preston, Treasurer
Montgomery College
Directors
Bruce Douglas
NOAA, NASA, & University of
Maryland
Debbie Ghamkhar
Attorney-at-Law
Ian
Grossman
AMVA
Roland Hawthorne
The Meltzer Group
Robert Jacobs
James Lystad
BECO Management, Inc.
Daphne Pallozzi
Ardmore Enterprises
Catherine Pickar
Owner, Music Studio
Lee Pushkin
National Institute of Health
Mike Rosenbaum
Science Application
Int’l Corporation
Guylaine Saint Juste
CapitalOne Bank
Micah
Salb
Lippman, Sempsker & Salb
Peter Somerville
Geico Insurance
Honorary Board
Member
Carol Leahy
Founders
Judy Frosh
Annavieve Abrams
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