Folger Shakespeare Library today announced that tickets are now available for DC, I Love You, a community-driven, site-specific performance set against the backdrop of Washington, DC’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood and throughout the public spaces of the Folger Shakespeare Library. Developed from true love stories gathered through community storytelling workshops, DC, I Love You invites audiences on an immersive, romantic comedy journey—where the streets, businesses, and spaces of the District come alive with meet-cutes, missed connections, and grand romantic gestures.

“Love doesn’t just happen in the movies—it happens in your neighborhood café, favorite museum, farmers market,” shared Katherine Harroff, Folger’s Director of Engagement, who brings her deep expertise in site-specific, community-based performance to this new DC-focused production as the creator of DC, I Love You. She is the creator of the San Diego, I Love You series at Circle Circle dot dot Theater in Southern California, which received a revival in March 2025. “That’s what DC, I Love You celebrates: the love of this city we call home. DC has been twice dubbed the ‘loneliest city in the United States,’ but it’s also a beautiful city with so many romantic spots and stories,” Harroff said.

Participants from across Washington, DC, contributed stories, ideas, and feedback that now form the heart of these joyous events. In November 2024, aspiring rom-com writers shared their favorite District-based love stories at community writing workshops at the Folger and the DC Public Library branches in Mount Pleasant and Anacostia. DC, I Love You is part of the broader DC Amplified Project, a three-part initiative that uplifts and documents Washingtonians’ stories.

This immersive experience unfolds in two separate events held in different DC locales: DC, I Love You: First Dates (Mount Pleasant neighborhood: May 24, 25, 31 & June 1, 2025), and DC, I Love You: Ready or Not (Folger Shakespeare Library: June 14, 15, 21 & 22, 2025). For both events, attendees will select their preferred date and time and receive a follow-up email with their initial meeting point and more information about the rom-com adventure awaiting them.

“The DC Amplified Project is part of the Folger’s commitment to building authentic engagement with our DC community, in the community,” shared Director of Performance and Programming Karen Ann Daniels about the multiyear initiative. “DC is an incredible city that holds so many institutions, but an institution is made up of people and those people have lives and within those lives, captivating stories to share. We hope Mount Pleasant comes to support their people, the DC, I Love You stories, and the businesses alongside their neighbors!”

Tickets for each installment are available for $30 each or bring a date (or a friend) and receive two tickets for $50. There are six different time slots, beginning at 1pm with limited capacity for each event. Participants are advised to wear comfortable and weather-appropriate clothing and shoes as there will be walking between each spot and some scenes will take place outside; both events are accessible for patrons using mobility devices. All the best romance films have a rainy scene: please prepare for rain or shine. To reserve tickets or for more information, please visit https://www.folger.edu/whats-on/dc-i-love-you-first-dates-mt-pleasant/ or call the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077.

DC, I Love You is funded in part by the NEA Grants for Arts Projects program.

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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