LiveArtDC is producing another show created by the New York City’s Three Day Hangover for the Accidental Vanya Festival in Washington, D.C.  Drunkle Vanya mixes Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya with Cards Against Humanity (“the party game for horrible people”), vodka shots and the kind of intimacy you only get at a dive bar. Staged at The Pinch in north Columbia Heights, the show brings out the dark humor of Chekhov’s original text and adds the kind of fun and games fans are accustomed to from the two production companies.

After winning “Best Drama” for its production of R+J: Star-Cross’d Death Match at the 2014 Fringe Festival, LiveArtDC is please to again partner with Three Day Hangover to bring a lively, audience-centered show to the District. Adapted by Lori Wolter Hudson, Drunkle Vanya was hailed by Broadway World as “an engaging, raucous romp” during its New York City run last September. Theater in the Now wrote, “Three Day Hangover did the unthinkable and made Chekhov bearable and cool.”

“This is a story we can all relate to — especially in a bar,” says director Lee Liebeskind. “We all want something better — a better job, better lovers. But most of us just complain about it and don’t do anything to get it and end up frustrated, depressed and starting the cycle again.” Liebeskind is one of the artistic directors of The Inkwell, a new play development organization in DC. He has directed for The Inkwell, Rorschach Theatre, and The Source Festival.  This production stars Karina Hilleard, 2014 Helen Hayes Award Nominee for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play-HELEN Production, as the title character.

LiveArtDC advises audience members to wear comfortable shoes and expect to stand and walk around the space. The actors will be moving through the crowd, inviting the audience to participate in games and, sometimes, challenging them to drinking contests.  But, come hungry — The Pinch’s parmesan fries were included in DCist’s roundup of the “Top 10 Fries in the D.C. Area,” with its sweet potato fries a close runner up. The Washington Post calls their burger, the Burduckon, “monumental: a beef patty topped with bacon, fried onions and a pile of pulled barbecue duck.”

Where: The Pinch – 3548 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20010 (Columbia Heights)

When: From April 10-25 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, except for Friday April 24. Additional   showings will be held on Monday, April 20 and Thursday, April 23.

Who: Director: Lee Liebeskind

           Featuring: Jenna Berk, Rebecca Ellis, Kevin Hasser, Karina Hilleard, Jon Jon Johnson, Bob    Manzo, Rasik Ohal

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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