Tucked away behind an unassuming façade lies a treasure that has been touted as "the nation's foremost Shakespeare company" (The Wall Street Journal) and one of the three greatest Shakespeare companies in the world. The Shakespeare Theatre at 450 7th St., in the heart of Penn Quarter, has been the recipient of 47 Helen Hayes awards over the last 18 years.

The theatre's award-winning company of classical actors includes distinguished guest artists such as Jane Alexander, Stacy Keach, Elizabeth Ashley, Dixie Carter, Harry Hamlin, Hal Holbrook, Tom Hulce, Judith Light, Kelly McGillis, Jean Stapleton, Patrick Stewart, Richard Thomas, and Joan van Ark. Director Michael Kahn has received five awards for his excellent direction.

"Othello" has opened the 2005-2006 season and runs through October 30, 2005. It's an incredible performance and very enjoyable (even though everyone dies at the end). Upcoming productions include "A Comedy of Errors" and "Don Juan."

The productions are consistently outstanding and the acting is superb, making tickets hard to come by. Many of the seats are taken by subscribers, so if you plan to attend a performance while you're in town, contact the box office to reserve your seat well in advance of your trip. Last-minute standing-room tickets are available for $10, but be prepared to stand for the entire performance.

If you're lucky enough to be in D.C., at the right time of year, the company also offers a free run of a Shakespeare production for 2 weeks. Performances are held at the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Rock Creek Park.

The theatre offers Master Acting Classes for adults each fall and conducts many educational programs to introduce the works of Shakespeare to students. Classes for children and teens include "Playmaking for Young People" and "Introduction to Shakespeare."

The theatre is easily accessible by Metro. From the Archives/Navy Memorial exit on the Yellow and Green Lines, walk north on 7th Street. The theatre is on your left within the same block. If you take the Red line, exit at the MCI center and walk a block south on 7th Street.

Box Office: 202/547-1122
Toll-free: 877/4TST-TIX (877/487-8849)

The Shakespeare Theatre at the Landsburg, on 7th Street, not far from the Mall in Washington, DC may be the finest Shakespearean theater in the country. This professional company, headed up by artistic director Michael Khan, boasts some of the finest stage actors in the world, performing some of the greatest plays.

The season starts in September and runs through June. They present six plays--five here at the Landsburg and one at Carter Barron Ampitheatre (free park peformances). Usually, of its five plays at the theater on 7th Street, three are Shakespeare, and two are other classic plays (they've done the Oedipus trilogy, The Trojan Women from classical Greece, Sweet Bird of Youth by Tennessee Williams, O'Neil, Lillian Hellman, Ibsen, etc., as well as Shakespeare contemporaries, Marlow and Johnson.) The remainder of the 2003 series includes Richard II in March/April, Ibsen's Ghosts in May/June, and Hamlet, free in the Park in June. For 2003-2004, Sheridan's The Rivals opens in August, A Midsummer Night's Dream in November, Henry IV part I in January, and Henry IV Part II in March, and Cyrano de Bergerac in June-August.

Tickets range from about $30 to $60, depending on seating and night, and the house frequently sells out on weekends. So, if you are visiting the area, a weekday show makes a lot of sense. There are also $10 standing-room tickets, available at the door, with the line starting an hour or so before curtain.

Some refreshments (cookies and overpriced sandwiches) are for sale before the show in the lobby.

The closest metro station is Gallery Place on the red, green, and yellow lines. It is also near to Archives/Navy Memorial.

Their web site is at: www.shakespearetheatre.org