Commedia dell'Arte Celebrates 10 years with a Murder Mystery!

CIAODC SPECIAL OFFER: Buy 1 Regular Ticket Get One 50% off with code STUDIOBOGO50

Listen to CiaODC's Chat, Getting Behind the Mask of Faction of Fools' 10 year Anniversary Celebrating The Great Commedia Hotel Murder Mystery.

SPECIAL EVENT: "Coffee and Conversation" on Saturday, May 11th at 1pm at Gallaudet University's Elstad Annex. Free entrance with ticket to the following 2pm matinee of The Great Commedia Hotel Murder Mystery! Italian biscotti and coffee generously donated by the Signing Starbucks on H Street will be provided.  Enhance your viewing experience!  Get caffeinated, learn all about the style and characters of Commedia dell'Arte, AND get a sneak peak into the creation of The Great Commedia Hotel Murder Mystery from Producing Artistic Director and Murder Mystery Playwright Paul Reisman. 

About The Great Commedia Hotel Mystery: Faction of Fools Theatre Company, DC’s Commedia dell’Arte theatre company, brings the stunning conclusion their 10th Anniversary Season with this world-premiere production! Mustachioed detectives, zanni bellhops, femme fatales, and more make this one for the books. In the grand tradition of Agatha Christie, Clue, and Sherlock Holmes, this love letter to classic mysteries is not to be missed.  Join the Fools for laughter, murder, and mayhem as only the Fools can provide. You'll be guessing “whodunnit” until the very end! 

As DC's Commedia dell'Arte theatre company, Faction of Fools Theatre Company’s mission is to entertain, educate and elucidate through the practice and performance of Commedia dell’Arte by bringing productions to the stage infused with Commedia's best attributes: physical discipline, spontaneous imagination, collaborative energy, and joyous wonder. The Fools are the Helen Hayes Awards recipients of the 2012 John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company. Faction of Fools' Producing Artistic Director Paul Reisman serves as playwright and director for The Great Commedia Hotel Murder Mystery. A founding member, Reisman has directed and produced many recent favorites including Henry V, The Cherry Orchard, The Merchant of Venice, and Foolish Fairytales, which he also wrote. He directed and adapted Pinocchio! (nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences), co-adapted Faction’s acclaimed A Commedia Romeo & Juliet, and has directed and appeared onstage in many other Faction of Fools productions since 2011. 

The Great Commedia Hotel Murder Mystery features a multi-talented cast filled with Faction veterans as well as new, exciting players. The merry band of hotel guests, employees, and suspects are portrayed by Tori Boutin (Rorschach Theatre, We Happy Few), Francesca Chilcote (Faction’s The Cherry Orchard; Adventure Theatre, Nu Sass), Colin Connor (Constellation, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company), Darius Johnson (Faction's Bravo, Zan Angelo!: The Workshop), Ben Lauer (Faction’s Henry V & Merchant of Venice; Constellation, Ally Theatre Company), Kelsey Painter (Adventure Theatre, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company), Graham Pilato (Faction’s The House with Two Doors; Constellation, The Welders), Kathryn Zoerb (Faction’s The Cherry Orchard & Our Town; Folger Theatre, WSC Avant Bard), and Gallaudet student intern, Chukwudi Kalu. The world of the Hotel MacGuffin is brought to vibrant life by lighting designer Chris Curtis (Faction’s Henry V, The Merchant of Venice; Taffety Punk), costume designer Kitt Crescenzo (Faction’s The Cherry Orchard; Washington National Opera), set designer Bridgid K. Burge (Solas Nua, Silver Spring Stage), original music composition by Jesse Terrill (Faction’s Henry V, The Cherry Orchard; Arena Stage, Constellation) and masks by Aaron Cromie & Tara Cariaso (Faction's Titus Andronicus, The Lady Becomes Him, Hamlecchino, A Commedia Romeo and Juliet). For more information.

Film Viewing: "Nome di Donna" Hosted by the Italian Cultural Institute!

Join the Italian Cultural Institute for a viewing of Italian director Marco Tullio Giordana's film, Nome di Donna (Name of a Woman), on April 28th and 29th! The film will be shown at this year's Washington, D.C. International Film Festival. Nome di Donna, released in 2018, provides an Italian twist to a relevant issue. The film follows Nina, a single mother who works at a nursing home.  Her world is shattered when her supervisor attacks her and she soon finds that no one, not even her boyfriend, is willing to stand behind her and report the incident. Giordana's film invites viewers to examine the experiences of some women in Italy and the chauvinism they face.  Showtimes: April 28th & 29th - 6pm, Landmark's E Street Cinema AMC Mazza Gallerie 5300 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington, DC 20015 98 minutes. Italian audio with English subtitles.

Published by Maria Regina, Contributing Editor.

Taste of Italy in Old Town This Sunday, May 19!

Join CiaoDC for a tasting tour of Italy in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia Sunday, May 19, 3-5.  Gather at the Italian Place, nestled in the heart of Old Town, for an escape to Bell'Italia!  Start with a wine tasting through the north side of Italy followed by a tasting tour of the flavors of the boot with delicacies from The Italian Place and learn to speak Italian by a native Italian instructor!  Now that's Amore!  Limited Space Available.  Under 21 FREE! Tickets are $15 for tasting tour: Includes Guided Wine Tasting; Food Tasting; Basic Travel Italian Lesson (45 minute lesson.) Andiamo!  Get tickets here!

Join CiaoDC's Private Gallery Tour Celebrating Jacobo Tintoretto's 500th Birthday at National Gallery of Art!

The National Gallery of Art celebrates the 500th Anniversary of Venetian Master Artist Jacobo Tintoretto (c.1518/19-1594) in a stunning exhibition on display now through July 7, 2019 with it's only preview in America.  Tintoretto is revered as one of the most distinctive artist of the Italian Renaissance.

Join CiaoDC for a private tour of these stunning works on Wednesday, April 24, 11 a.m. at the National Gallery of Art.  The Gallery's presentation comprises 46 paintings and ten drawings.  The majority of the paintings are immense, stretching nine, ten, or even 16 feet.  Other highlights of the exhibition are a gallery devoted to portraits; a substantial group of works on loan from the Gallerie dell'Accademia and Palazzo Ducale; and a film with breathtaking views of the artist's paintings in the Venetian settings.  Among the loans leaving Italy for the first time are four that have undergone major conservation projects recently, sponsored by the American nonprofit, Save Venice.  One of those, Saint Martial in Glory with Saint Peter and Saint Paul (1549, Church of San Marziale) will be installed outside the exhibition in the West Building's Lobby B.


Relish in the brilliance of Tintoretto's genius with a private tour by Senior Lecturer, Erik Danker. To register for this event and a chance to win the hardbound text, "Drawing in Tintoretto's Venice" courtesy of NGA, sign up here. 


CiaoDC Private Gallery Tour
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
11-12:15 pm
Tickets Required.  Limited Space.
Register Here.

Washington Winemakers Tasting Event this Sunday!

Join the Washington Winemakers at their annual tasting event at Casa Italiana this Sunday, April 14th, from 1:00-4:00pm! Tickets are $10 and include a souvenir wine glass.  Food will also be available.  For more information, visit http://washingtonwinemakers.org/.

Photo courtesy of Washington Winemakers. 

"Commedia 101" with Faction of Fools

Do you want to try your hand at classical Italian theatre?  DC's own commedia dell'arte troupe, Faction of Fools, will host a training session on Sunday, March 24th from 10am-4pm.  This session is open to actors and students of all experience levels, and will introduce the art of commedia. 

This class will be held in the Elstad Theater at Gallaudet University.  To register, click here.

For more information about the troupe, visit factionoffools.org. 

Celebrating Renaissance Women with NOIAW at Via Umbria Plus Live Chat with Event Host & Guest

"Living La Dolce Vita...is finding wonder, beauty and joy in the small things." 

--Carla Gambescia, Author, La Dolce Vita: An Unconventional Guide to Italy from A-Z.

CiaoDC Celebrates Women's History Month with the National Organization of Italian American Women's (NOIAW) DC Chapter President, Diana Femia and Italian American Author and Guest of Celebrating Renaissance Women, Carla Gambescia on living La Dolce Vita, Biking through Italy for Gelato and the life of a Renaissance Woman.  Join the conversation here with CiaoDC host, Alyssa Ciccone.

To meet and greet the author, join Carla at NOIAW DCs tribute to Women's History Month at Via Umbria on Wednesday, March 13, 6:30-8:30 pm for ticket information click here.  Books will be signed and sold at this event.