Round House Theatre

Round House began life in 1970 as “Street ’70”, a program of the Montgomery County Department of Recreation that provided educational outreach in the schools and performances throughout the county. In 1977, Montgomery County offered Street ’70 a permanent home in what used to be the Bushey Drive Elementary School in Silver Spring. The building was round, so the company changed its name to Round House Theatre. In 1982, Round House incorporated as a nonprofit. The company remained a part of the County’s Department of Recreation until 1993, when it became a separate and independent professional theater.[1]

Round House is one of the leading professional theaters in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, producing a full season of modern classics, new plays and musicals for more than 55,000 patrons each year at a 400-seat theater in Bethesda, Maryland. Round House has been nominated for 181 Helen Hayes Awards (including 22 in 2018) and has won 39 (including five in 2018). Its productions have won “Outstanding Resident Play” four times. Round House has also been honored for four consecutive years with the 50/50 Applause Award from the International Center for Women Playwrights.[2]

Round House’s educational programs serve more than 3,000 students of all ages at its six-classroom Education Center in Silver Spring and in schools throughout Montgomery County. Its many innovative education programs encompass classes for adults and youth, full day programs and summer programs for grades K–12; a teen performance company culminating in the Sarah Metzger Memorial Play, the only play produced by a regional theater that is directed, acted and designed by high school students; school outreach, including school residencies, student matinees, and Free Play, a program that allows teenagers and college students to attend Round House shows for free.[3]

Round House is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and the League of Washington Theatres (LOWT). The theatre is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization with major support from Montgomery County, the Maryland State Arts Council (an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts), and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.

• Helen Hayes Award

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