WASHINGTONIAN | H Street Playhouse to Become Anacostia’s First Performing Arts Venue

Go HERE to read the full article by Sophie Gilbert.

Excerpt:

Next year, the venue hopes to make a similar impact in its new home across the river in Anacostia. Adele Robey today unveiled the venue’s new home at 2020 Shannon Place, Southeast, a warehouse space just off Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. The building hosted performances and other events at the Lumen8Anacostia festival earlier this year, and Robey hopes to have it ready for audiences as soon as January 2013. 

Helping spearhead the move is Phil Hutinet, COO of ARCH Development Corporation, the nonprofit behind Anacostia’s Honfleur Gallery and Gallery at Vivid Solutions. When the Playhouse announced via Twitter that it was searching for a new home once its lease was up, Robey says Hutinet responded almost immediately, prompting them to explore east of the river for a possible new home. Robey drove around the neighborhood looking at spaces and was struck by what she saw. “It’s beautiful and gorgeous and charming,” she said. 

The space at 2020 Shannon Place has high ceilings, which Robey says she was drawn to after years with H Street’s 13-foot-high space. It’s also accessible via Metro and bus, and offers plenty of neighborhood parking. But the real draw was the response from the community. “People I didn’t even know were sending e-mails saying, ‘We’re so excited to have you,’” says Robey’s daughter, Julia Robey Christian, managing director of the H Street Playhouse.

To submit an article or to inquire about advertising send an email to Advoc8te@congressheightsontherise.com.