Where to laugh

The D.C. Improv opened in 1992, its mission to bring in headliners from all over the country. Allyson Jaffe, manager and part owner of the Improv, began working there in 1998 and helped to start the theater’s very own comedy school in 2003. “We teach impro and stand-up classes,” Jaffe said. “Over 1,000 comedians have studied here, including Dave Chappelle.”

{mosads}Chappelle began at the Improv when he was just 16 or 17 years old, Jaffe said. Other acts that have played at the Improv include Wanda Sykes, Lewis Black and Patton Oswalt. “D.C. is really a great town for comedy,” Jaffe said.

Jaffe said that the Improv caters to every demographic. “We usually stay busy all year and try to branch out to as many people as possible. People need to laugh,” she said.

Jaffe feels that theater is important to D.C. as it’s a great release from stress and everyday jobs. “There are a lot of educated people here. If you’re stressed it’s a great way to let go and have a fun evening out,” she said. “Comedy is great for that. It’s so important to laugh and have a great release.”

The Improv stands alone in the Golden Triangle neighborhood as something a little different. “It’s not every night you choose to go to a comedy club,” Jaffe said.

Venture a little further downtown to find the Shakespeare Theatre, which originally began 25 years ago as the Folger Theatre, said Michael Kahn, artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

The company outgrew the Folger and soon moved into the newly built Lansburgh Theatre on 7th Street. Two years ago, they built Sidney Harman Hall, opposite the Verizon Center. “We do rehearsals on the Hill, have theaters on 7th Street and prop shops in Mt. Rainier,” Kahn said. “We’re really all over the city.”

The theater also runs a graduate program with George Washington University, where 16 actors from around the country are enrolled in full-time MFA programs. “As a company, we’ve been invited to Greece, England, Stanford and we’ve played at Princeton and many other theaters,” Kahn said. “We’re nationally and internationally known.”

Kahn feels that theater is a major part of the cultural life in D.C., more than any other city except New York. “It’s a vital part of people’s lives here,” he said. “There are a lot of well-read people in D.C. on important subjects who are concerned with the issues of the day.”

Kahn stressed that the theater was the first to move downtown, so it’s a unique way to spend an evening. “When we moved to the Lansburgh building, there was no Verizon Center, no restaurants or anything,” he said. “Just look at it now; there’s a big cultural impact.”

What is perhaps the oldest theater in D.C. understands the power of a strong theater district in a city. The National Theatre, established in 1835, has been rebuilt multiple times and now boasts a structure from the 1920s. “John Philip Sousa played in this theater with the Marine band and Churchill spoke from this stage,” said Donn B. Murphy, president and executive director of the National Theatre.

Murphy taught theater for 45 years at Georgetown and said that theater is a vital part of everyone’s lives. “It’s a powerful influence on our emotions, means of understanding other people and certainly a refreshment in our lives,” he said. “It’s an escape from work and worry where we can go into an imaginative world and share rich experiences together.”

Playing at the National Theatre through December is the Tony Award-winning “Jersey Boys.” If you’re very nostalgic and looking for a performance to brighten your mood from the fall doldrums, the show may be just what you’re looking for. The story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons’s rise to fame is a two-and-a-half hour bright, fun and inspirational look at one 1960s group’s fame and its consequences.

Steve Gouveia, who plays Nick in the show, was part of the original Broadway cast. Never imagining the show would become as big as it has, when Gouveia tried out for a role he was just looking for a job for six weeks. “A year later we were going to Broadway and suddenly there’s seven different versions all over the world,” he said.

Since there were only 12 actors in the original show, Gouveia ended up playing a few different roles. Now, as Nick, Gouveia feels that he understands him. “It’s the least detailed role, which is a great opportunity to put my own little spin on it,” he said. “I really have a lot of fun making that many people laugh, and playing such great music in front of people.”

Gouveia said that any sort of live presentation is definitely more personal, which he enjoys. “There are certain things that can’t be filmed or put on TV,” he said. “They’re talking about making a movie out of the show but I don’t know how that would work. It works so well as a theater piece.”