All The World’s A Stage

by editorial · July 1, 2008

And in Washington there are great theaters and plenty of players.

By Michael M. Clements

: Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Frank Galati at the Signature Theatre’s Kander & Ebb-themed gala (Photo by Tony Powell)

I have a problem. I’ve been addicted to theater ever since I played “Seal #3” in my kindergarten circus. I took a two year acting sabbatical in Los Angeles before I came to Washington Life. (Note to actors: never tell a potential employer you’re an actor; there’s no faster way to get rejected, including checking “yes” to “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?”) Ironically, my last role before coming to Washington was playing one of Alan Alda’s staffers on the The West Wing. I remember running into Ron Silver at the Kennedy Center Honors my first day on the job. “What are you doing here?” he asked me. “I kicked the acting habit,” I replied, “I’m in publishing again.”