Arts & Entertainment

Russian adventures

Dance legend’s time abroad explored in new work

Published

13 years ago

May 2, 2013

‘Once Wild: Isadora Duncan in Russia’
Today through Sunday
Word Dance Theater
Georgetown University’s Davis Performing Arts Center
37th & O Streets, NW
$10-$25
202-687-ARTS
worddance.org

Cynthia Word as Isadora Duncan in ‘Once Wild.’ (Photo by Teresa Castracane, courtesy Theo Kossenas, Media 4 Artists)

Isadora Duncan’s spectacular life is often reduced to a cautionary tale: long, flowing scarves and convertibles don’t mix. But there’s much more to the glamorous mother of modern dance than her ungraceful death and Word Dance Theater, a D.C.-based cross disciplinary company dedicated to carrying forth Duncan’s work, is doing its best to make sure that the world knows it.

Word Dance Theater is joining forces with Georgetown University’s Davis Performing Arts Center to present “Once Wild: Isadora in Russia,” a compelling slice from Duncan’s groundbreaking legend.

Penned by Norman Allen, who is gay, “Once Wild” reimagines Duncan and her adopted daughter Irma’s time in Russia during the early days of the Bolshevik revolution. It follows the American dancer’s efforts to introduce iconoclastic choreography to young Russian dancers; the challenges they encountered opening a dance school amidst a background of sweeping social changes and Isadora’s tumultuous romance with volatile Russian poet Sergei Esenin (danced by Helen Hayes Award-winning, out actor Philip Fletcher).

The story — an original work based on historic facts — is told from Irma’s point of view. Because the production combines both theater and dance, Allen says, there are two Irmas on stage throughout the show — an older Irma who sits in a wheelchair (Kimberly Schraf) delivering all of the 80-minute work’s dialogue, and company member Ingrid Zimmer who silently dances as the younger Irma, embodying the memories and essence of Duncan’s choreography.

“Once Wild” isn’t Allen’s first foray into the world of dance. Early in his career he scored a big success with “Nijinsky’s Last Dance,” a one-man show about the legendary, gravity-defying Russian ballet dancer. He’s also written a libretto for the Washington Ballet. “With ‘Once Wild,’ the dance and words are interwoven and overlap,” Allen says. “As always with any work, the toughest part was finding the structure. How do you make sense of five years of historical tumult and two women doing amazing things? (Director Derek Goldman) and I have tried to make this play a reliving rather than a looking back. Old Irma speaks to young Irma. It’s much more alive this way.”

Cynthia Word, Word Dance Theater’s artistic director and the show’s choreographer, plays Isadora.

“Though I’ve been interested in Duncan for many years, dancing and choreographing her work, this is the first time I’ve ever portrayed her. It’s a big responsibility. Isadora, I think, would only want that I dance my truest self.”

Duncan, who died from a broken neck at 49 in 1927 on the Côte d’Azur after her trademark long scarf became entangled in the spokes of her chauffer-driven Bugatti, was a genius who single handedly altered the entire concept of dance. Unlike classical ballet that left audiences in awe, she preferred organic, relatable movement. Her work incorporated timely issues. She danced to music composed by the great masters and incorporated themes of current issues on stages stripped of unnecessary spectacle. She and her dancers dressed in comfortable, loose-fitting tunics (the theme song for the ‘70s sitcom “Maude” describes Isadora as “the first bra burner”). “I doubt she ever wore a bra to start with,” Word says.

“Once Wild” includes a lot of Duncan’s own choreography. Other than some flickering images, there’s no film of Duncan dancing, Word says. But fortunately for today’s choreographers, Duncan was a star on the between-the-wars Paris art scene, so there are many photographs and paintings of her in dance poses which give important clues about the dance. Archived reviews describing her work have proved very helpful too. “Lineage from dancer to dancer has also become very important,” says Word whose teacher was taught by one of Duncan’s students. “How close you can get to the source is important. Being close to the source makes the work more real.”

Duncan was still performing and very active until the end. “She had premonitions about her death,” Word says. “But it didn’t help. Isadora loved to go fast.”

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Theater

‘Inherit the Wind’ isn’t about science vs. religion, but the right to think

Holly Twyford on new role and importance of listening to different opinions

Published

2 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Patrick Folliard

Holly Twyford

‘Inherit the Wind’
Through April 5
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth St., S.W.
Tickets start at $73
Arenastage.org

When “Inherit the Wind” premiered on Broadway in 1955 with a cast of 50, its fictional setting of Hillsboro, an obscure country town described as the buckle on the Bible Belt, was filled with townspeople. And now at Arena Stage, director Ryan Guzzo Purcell has somehow crowded Arena’s large Fichandler space with just 10 actors, five principals and a delightful ensemble of five playing multiple roles.

Inspired by the real-life Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s fictionalized work pits intellectual freedom against McCarthyism via the imagined trial of Bertram Cates (Noah Plomgren), a Tennessee educator charged with teaching evolution. Drawn into the fracas are big shot lawyers, defense attorney Henry Drummond (Billy Eugene Jones), and conservative prosecutor, Matthew Harrison Brady (Dakin Matthew). On hand to cover the closely watched story is wisecracking city slicker and Baltimore reporter E.K. Horneck (played by nonbinary actor Alyssa Keegan).

Out actor Holly Twyford, a four-time Helen Hayes Award winner who has appeared in more than 80 Washington area plays, is part of the ensemble. In jeans and boots, she memorably plays Meeker, the bailiff at the Hillsboro courthouse and the jailer responsible for holding Cates in the days leading to his trial.

Twyford also plays Sillers, a slack jawed earnest employee at the local feed store who’s called to serve on the jury. And more importantly she plays Brady’s quietly strong wife Sarah whom he affectionately calls “Mother.”

When Twyford makes her memorable first entrance as Meeker, she’s wiping shaving cream from her face with a hand towel. With shades of Mayberry R.F.D., the jail is run casually. Meeker says Cates isn’t the criminal type, and he’s not.

“There’s a joke among actors,” says Twyford. “When an actor gets his shoes, they know who their character is. And it’s sort of true. When you put on boots, heels, or flip flops, there’s a different feeling, and you walk differently.”

Similarly, shares Twyford, it goes for clothes too: “When Mother slips a pink coat dress over her cowboy boots, dons a little hat and ties her scarf, or Meeker puts on his work shirt, I know where I am. And all of that is thanks to a remarkable wardrobe crew.

“Additionally, some of the ensemble characters are played broadly which is helpful to the actors and super identifying for the audience too.”

During intermission, an audience member loudly described the production as “a proper play” filled with beautifully written passages. And it’s true. Twyford agrees, adding “That’s all true, and it’s also been was fun for us to be a part of the Arena legacy as well. Arena took ‘Inherit the Wind’ to the Soviet Union in the early ‘70s when the respective governments did a cultural exchange. At the time, the iron curtain was very much in place, and they traveled with a play about a man with his own thoughts.”

When the ensemble was cast, actors didn’t know which tracts exactly they were going to play. “What came together was a cast, diverse in different ways. Some directors, including myself when I direct, are interested in assembling a cast that’s a good group. No time for egos. It’s more about who will make the best group to help me tell this story.”

At one point during rehearsal, ensemble members began to help one another with minor onstage costume changes, like jackets and hats: “We just started doing it and Ryan [Guzzo Purcell] picked up on it, saying things really began to come alive when we helped each other, so we went with that.”

“For me, it was reminiscent of ‘The Laramie Project’ [Ford’s Theatre in 2013] when we played five different parts and we’d help each other with a vest or jacket in a similar way. It worked so well then too,” says Twyford.

“Inherit the Wind” isn’t about science versus religion. It’s about the right to think, playwright Jerome Lawrrence has been quoted as saying. And it’s a quote that makes the play that much more relevant today.

Twford remembers a chat in a hair salon: “I was getting my hair cut and the woman next to me shared that she was tired of message plays. Understandably there are theater makers who believe that message plays are the point, while others think it’s all about entertainment. I feel like ‘Inherit the Wind’ sits in a nice place in the middle.”

She adds “the work is a creative way of showing different opinions and that, I think, is what we should be paying attention to right now. Clearly, it’s not right or wrong to express what you think.”

Out & About

‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25

‘Living History’ discussion to be held at Spark Social

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

Local activist Earline Budd will serve on a panel discussion titled, ‘Part One, Living History: How We Survived.’ (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Friends of Dorothy Cafe will host “Part One, Living History: How We Survived,” will take place on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Spark Social House.

This event will be moderated by Abby Stuckrath, host of the “Queering the District” podcast. Panelists include: Earline Budd, activist, trans rights advocate; TJ Flavell of Go Gay DC; DC LGBTQ+ Center Board Member David Bissette; and Alexa Rodriguez, founder and executive director, Trans-Latinx DMV.

This event is part of a four-part storytelling series called “Living History,” which centers LGBTQ elders, activists, artists, and icons sharing their lived experiences and reflections with younger generations. The conversations explore themes like resilience, community organizing, chosen family, and the lessons earlier generations hope today’s LGBTQ+ and ally communities will carry forward.

Calendar

Calendar: March 21-26

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

Saturday, March 21

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website.

Sunday, March 22

LGBTQ+ Community Coffee and Conversation will be at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is for people looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ community. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, March 23

Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).

Queer Book Club will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The Queer Book Club meets on the fourth Monday of the month to discuss queer books by queer authors. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.

Tuesday, March 24

Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so — by sharing struggles and victories the group allows those newly coming out and who have been out for a while to learn from others. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook.

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary, whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more details, visit www.genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.

Wednesday, March 25

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.

Thursday, March 26

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.

Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breath work and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.