MR. KOJO NNAMDIWelcome back. Washington has always had theaters since the Ford Theater, still in operation, staged that infamous play at which Lincoln was shot. But despite being our nation's capital, D.C. never had the number of theater companies, large and small, that would put Washington in the league of New York or Chicago. Actors did not flock here. And aside from political circles, it wasn't a place you could find edgy drama. But over the past decade or so, something's been happening.

MR. KOJO NNAMDIAll of the major theater companies are expanding, building new performance spaces. Well-known theater companies from all over the world are coming to perform here. Small companies staging original plays are flourishing. Could it be that Washington is becoming a theater town to be reckoned with? Well, we've talked about that before. But now, you have the opportunity to judge for yourself this spring. And joining us to help do that is Peter Marks, chief theater critic with The Washington Post. Peter, good to see you again.

MR. PETER MARKSLovely seeing you, Kojo.

NNAMDIAlso in studio with us is Carrie Coon who is a cast member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at Arena Stage. That's in theaters through April 10. Carrie Coon, good to meet you. Glad you could join us.

MS. CARRIE COONNice to meet you too. Thank you.

NNAMDIAlso with us in studio is Madison Dirks, a cast member of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" Madison, good to meet you also.

MR. MADISON DIRKSYou as well.

NNAMDIYou can also start calling in now with your opinions, 800-433-8850, depending on what you have already seen. Peter, as we said, it seems like an exciting time -- interesting big and small productions...

MARKSMm-hmm.

NNAMDI...this season. What's interesting you the most?

MARKSWell, I mean, there does seem to be something in the water, Kojo, not just coming out of the skies today, but there is something going on. There is sort of a chemistry, a chemical reaction happening among a lot of these theaters. I think the reopening of Arena Stage in Southwest has something to do with it...

NNAMDIYep.

MARKS...and that's great. Well, and to talk about what's happening right now, it's really happening at Arena with "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" It's a terrific, terrific production.

NNAMDIYep.

MARKSAnd Madison and Carrie who play Nick and Honey, the younger couple, are superb. You know, it's fun to sit next to them and to be able to tell them that in person.

NNAMDIWe're gonna be hearing a little bit from them later on.

COONThanks.

MARKSAnd they're part of a festival of all the plays.

NNAMDIFestival heavy season, isn't it?

MARKSFestival city. All over the town, they're gonna be -- there's a Williams Festival going on at Georgetown that's going to Arena eventually. There's Albee Festival at Arena. There's a festival for a new -- for an Irish playwright named Enda Walsh at Studio Theater. So there's a lot of massing around of playwrights in Washington right now.

NNAMDIWhy do you think Irish drama is on the radar this season?

MARKSI think that Washington is a language town in many ways. We've got people here who, you know, make a living parsing words. And Irish playwrights are among the world's finest as poets and as playwrights. And I think that that has an appeal here. The manipulation of language is so sophisticated in the plays of people like Enda Walsh that there's a natural audience for him.

NNAMDIMartin McDonagh's "The Cripple of Inishmaan" was at the...

MARKSIndeed.

NNAMDI...Kennedy Center. Talk a little bit about that.

MARKSThat was by Druid, a theater company from Ireland. In fact, they're coming back to studio with their production of "Penelope," Enda Walsh's play. McDonagh, Conor McPherson, these are kind of the leading voices of the Irish generation of writers. And I think, also, they're being produced on Broadway. I mean, they really have sort of become a dominant force in the theater. I don't know if they're done that much in -- you know, they must be done in Chicago quite a bit these...

NNAMDIDo you know?

DIRKSYeah, Conor McPherson's done a lot.

COONMm-hmm.

DIRKSMcDonagh's done a lot. So, yeah, there is a lot of Irish theater.

COONI'm sure we'll be seeing more of Enda Walsh too.

DIRKSYeah.

NNAMDIAnd "Penelope" got very high praise in New York, so...

MARKSYeah. It's a play based on a Greek myth. It's a reimagining of that story in a very modern, absurdist way. So it's gonna be -- it'll be one of those plays that -- it's a challenging play, but a really -- a beautifully composed play.

NNAMDIWell, joining us now by telephone is Matt Torney, the director two Enda Walsh plays, "The Electric Ballroom" and "The Walworth Farce" at Studio Theater. Matt Torney, thank you so much for joining us.

MR. MATT TORNEYHello. I'm delighted to be on the air with you.

NNAMDIYou've been involved in Enda Walsh's works since you were about, it's my understanding, 15 years old. (laugh) Tell us about how you've been involved in his work and why and how you connect with it.

TORNEYWell, involved is a strong word. I actually, when I was 15, saw the production in Belfast of his play, "Disco Pigs," so I haven't actually worked with him before these plays. But -- and that production, you know, which I saw at such a young age, had a really striking effect upon my work as a director, my relationship with the theater, because it was really like a -- the introduction of a stunning new voice into "The Irish Canon," yeah, literally, kind of, like, set the theater alight. I believe there's a company here in town, Solas Nua, who brought "Disco Pigs" to D.C. audiences.

NNAMDIYep.

TORNEYSo I'm sure some people have seen this extraordinary play.

NNAMDIYeah, by involved, I meant pulled you in when you were there.

TORNEYWell, certainly. Well, that said, well, see, you know, Ireland is -- it's a language of extraordinary writers and extraordinary playwrights. And what Enda seems to be doing is building on that tradition. He's taking, you know, what the actor like Peter was talking about, you know, this ability with language, this ability with storytelling and putting it into these really intense theatrical environments that are about, you know, families battling over control of stories, man trying to use stories to win love, sisters trying to use stories to rewrite the past.

TORNEYSo this is, kind of, like a visceral relationship, these intense physical realities that, kind of, add his language with this combustive charge that is certainly really exciting to work on as a director, and I'm sure very exciting to see as an audience member.

NNAMDIEnda Walsh has been praised as a master of language, doing it at an incredible level, relying on beautifully written monologues. Peter, is that what you think makes Irish theater so distinctive?

MARKSWell, there is this monologue frenzy in Irish plays. (laugh) I mean all these writers have sort of found their voices -- many of them find their voices in putting an actor on a stage and giving them an aria. And Walsh is one of those people. But it goes beyond that. And I think as Matt was saying, you know, there's a tradition that goes back, you know, all the way to Boucicault and goes on, you know, and through John Millington Synge. I mean, there's -- this is not just this generation. This really goes back, and there's a real understanding of that heritage among these writers. They all read each other. They know their -- the work. So there's a pride, I think, in developing those voices in each successive time.

MR. WALTER SMITHMatt Torney is directing the Studio Theater's productions of "The New Electric Ballroom" that opens on April 6, "The Walworth Farce" opening April 13. Looking forward to that. Matt, good luck to you when you start production.

TORNEYThank you very much.

NNAMDIAnd thank you so much for joining us on the telephone. You, too, can join this conversation by calling us at 800-433-8850. What have you seen of Washington's spring season so far? 800-433-8850. What are you looking forward to? We're talking with Peter Marks, chief theater critic with The Washington Post. Carrie Coon and Madison Dirks are cast members of Steppenwolf Theatre Company's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at Arena Stage. Peter, Arena Stage is celebrating both its inaugural season and its new spaces as well as its 60th anniversary right now.

MARKSMm-hmm.

NNAMDIMadison and Carrie, you're both here in D.C. from Chicago for this performance, what's your impression so far of Washington's theatre scene? First you, Carrie.

COONUnfortunately, we've been in rehearsals in Texas. It's been hard to get out and see a lot. But we're slated to see "Penelope" when it comes to town next Tuesday. We're looking forward to that. We've been pretty warmly received. The audiences listen really hard here in D.C. They're hearing everything we say. And it's certainly a little bit different from Chicago, but the community seems to be really strong here. And it's clearly a really serious theater town as Peter was, sort of, telling earlier. I get that impression pretty distinctly.

NNAMDIMadison, what is the new space for us? It's new at Arena Stage. For everybody, it's new. What has been working in that space, like, for you as an actor?

DIRKSIt's really quite impressive what Arena Stage has done with those spaces. The structure itself that surrounds it is pretty immaculate. It looks a huge spaceship that just landed right there on Main Avenue. But with this -- but it's spectacle to see. And there's a lot of energy in that building. I think when a great American theater create -- puts a lot of money into a new space and there's a lot of new energy and young audiences coming in, that creates a buzz. And so it's certainly -- this first inaugural season in that space, it's -- there's an energy in that theater with all three shows that are kind of going on simultaneously.

NNAMDIThere is a psychological aspect to this, isn't it, Peter? The fact that it's a new space -- it's just stunning new space, that it creates a certain level of energy.

MARKSMm-hmm.

NNAMDIBut with all the beautiful new spaces we have in town now, Peter...

MARKSMm-hmm.

NNAMDI...is this season living up to those beautiful new spaces?

MARKSWell, it's like every season, you know? There are things that live up and there are things that live down, you know?

MARKSAnd, fortunately, at Arena -- we're talking a lot about Arena -- but, of course, there's -- this -- that's where the excitement is this year.

NNAMDIYep.

MARKSI think, so far, they've really ratcheted up their program. It's hard not to look at their schedule and say, hmm, I wanna see that and that and that. And the fact that Steppenwolf came this year that they had...

NNAMDIA renowned theater company.

MARKS...that they opened up their space -- you know, there's a certain humility in giving your space over to another theater company, not just saying we did this, but we brought this -- it's a different, kind of, you know, you have to -- you know, it's a little bit of a prideful thing for theaters to do their own stuff.

DIRKSYeah.

MARKSSo it's -- I think, it's to Arena's credit that it's saying, look, Washington audiences need to see the really good stuff that's being done in other cities.

NNAMDIIndeed. We're going to take a short break, because we wanna give you a little bit of suspense before you actually hear clips from this performance of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" When we come back, we'll get to your telephone calls. If you have already called, stay on the line. If not, you can call us now at 800-433-8850. We're talking about Washington theaters' spring season. You can also go to our website. Join the conversation at kojoshow.org. Send us a tweet @kojoshow, or e-mail to kojo@wamu.org. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.

NNAMDIWelcome back to our conversation about Washington spring theater season. We're talking with Peter Marks, chief theater critic with The Washington Post, and Carrie Coon and Madison Dirks. They are both cast members of Steppenwolf Theater Company's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" that's currently at Arena Stage. Madison, we're going to be listening to a clip from the performance. But before we do, can you give us an idea of the plot of this play for those people who may not have seen it or for those who don't know it.

DIRKSAbsolutely. The two main characters, George and Martha, a married couple -- George in his mid-40s, Martha in her early 50s. George is an associate professor in a town called New Carthage in New England. His wife Martha is the daughter of the president of that University. And as the beginning of the fall semester, they walked in the front door of the living room of their house coming home from the faculty party to start the New Year, 2:30 in the morning. And it turns out that Martha has invited the new professor in town and his young wife, Nick and his wife Honey, over for a nightcap after the party.

DIRKSNick and Honey come in and then you see the next three hours of their lives between 2:30 and 5:30 in the morning and how this marriage plays out between George and Martha in front of their guests. And many drinks were had, games were played, there's fighting, there is choking, there is just a wealth of destruction and some very dark and wonderful humor takes place over this three hours.

NNAMDIPeter Marks, for those of us who got left way back at the Richard Burton - Elizabeth Taylor movie, (laugh) how different is this production?

MARKSVery different. It's funnier, number one. It really gets at the humor of the piece. And I think, in a weird way, it's the one production I've seen where really makes you realize it's a love story. And I never thought of it quite that way before, but these actors are all so well-matched. There's such a balance in the performances that you understand that. You understand that George and Martha, at some level, need each other in an elemental way. I mean, among very other things, they basically destroy this poor younger couple over the course of three hours. And that's their kind of, you know, that's where they -- that they get their jollies.

MARKSBut I think that that's sort of what was missing -- it's the histrionics were really not the point. I mean, it's a very funny play. But it's really about, you know, this marriage, you know, it's a real marriage.

NNAMDIYou've already given me a window on it. Can't wait to see it. Carrie, you play Honey in the production. Remind us of who Honey is and how Honey fits into the play.

COONWell, Honey is Nick's, you know, little housewife who comes in. They have no children, which, at that time, you know, a woman of Honey's age -- she's 26 -- should have children by then. That should be her occupation. So she doesn't have an occupation right now. She's just a faculty housewife who can't hold her liquor. And what's interesting about Honey is she is traditionally looked at as this, sort of, dip, this, kind of stupid person. But I find that Honey is, sort of, the way in for the audience in a lot of ways.

MARKSHmm.

COONShe has the fewest lines, but I think the people look to Honey to see how to react to what's happening in the room...

MARKSMm-hmm.

COON...because she's sort of taking it all in. And it's a really interesting device that Albee has given us to give us this character who's, sort of, you know, this filter for the action. And I think it's a really pretty amazing thing to get to do.

NNAMDILet's now listen to the aforementioned clip.

MS. AMY MORTONBut then George came along. Along came George.

MR. TRACY LETTSAnd along came George bearing hooch. What are you doing now, Martha?

MORTONI'm telling a story. Sit down, you'll learn something.

LETTSAll right.

COONYou come back.

LETTSThat's right.

COONDear, he's come back.

DIRKSYes. I see, I see.

MORTONWhere was I?

COONI'm so glad.

DIRKSShh.

COONShh.

MORTONOh, yeah. Along came George -- that's right -- who was young, intelligent and bushy-tailed and, sort of, cute if you can imagine that.

LETTSAnd younger than you.

MORTONAnd younger than me.

LETTSBy six years.

MORTONBy six years. It doesn't bother me, George. And along he came right by into the history department. And do you know what I did, dumb cluck that I am? You what I did? I fell for him.

COONOh, that's nice.

LETTSYeah, she did. You should have seen it. She'd sit outside of my room in the lawn at night and she'd howl and claw at the turf. I couldn't work.

MORTONI actually fell for him.

NNAMDIYou just said that's nice and I knew already that you were tipsy. (laugh)

COONI hope that's good. (laugh)

NNAMDIIn this scene, you're listening to Martha and George discuss how they met and fell in love. You're clearly getting a little drunk. What were some of the challenges of playing a character who spends most of the play tipsy?

COONOh, my goodness. (laugh) Well, I've spoken to this quite a bit, but it's, you know, everybody has seen a terrible drunk act, right? You've all seen the stumbling...

NNAMDIYes.

COON...stumbling over your feet and your language and it's -- the thing about being drunk is that everybody gets drunk in their own way. So, in a way, anything goes, but it has to be pretty specific. I mean, modulating that over three-and-a-half hours is really difficult because Honey goes through a lot of different stages of drunkenness in the play. (laugh) It's a tremendous demand to make on an actor. And Mr. Albee is really cruel (laugh) about doing that to his actors, but it's a great challenge.

MARKSIt's a little sadistic.

COONI was lucky to have a cousin who had some terrible Christmases. She got drunk...

NNAMDI(laugh) I was going to ask how did you prepare for this role? (laugh)

COONShe was broken up with every Christmas, and she was a hilarious person and also would get really sad. And so I actually sat across from her one Christmas for a couple of hours because I said this is gonna get me a job. (laugh) And sure enough it did. Now she's happily married and has a beautiful baby. (laugh) And she's really thankful that her pain was turned into something useful.

NNAMDIAnd that her cousin is now channeling her onstage. (laugh)

COONExactly. Exactly. My family is thrilled, so...

NNAMDIOh, good. Madison, working on a play that's so well-known -- and this is for you, too, Carrie. It was famously turned into a film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, I mentioned earlier. How difficult is it to make these characters your own?

DIRKSIt's very difficult. I mean, it's daunting. And like Peter was saying, this is one of the great American plays, and most actors and theater goers are familiar with the play. They've probably seen a few productions. But what's kind of wonderful about doing a show with people like Carrie and Tracy Letts and Amy Morton and Pam MacKinnon, our director, is that when you step into the room, there's a wonderful sense of approaching a play for the first time. And Steppenwolf has this mentality that Amy talks about is that anytime they do a play, no matter how well-known it is, you treat it as if it's a new play...

MARKSMm-hmm.

DIRKS...as if the playwright has just written it.

COONMm-hmm.

DIRKSAnd you try to come to it as fresh as you possibly can. And when you have really talented people in the room with you raising your game, then it's a -- it works. I mean, you can really treat an old play as if it's brand new and try to come out with a fresh perspective.

NNAMDICarrie, your take on that.

COONI have to agree. That was one of the first things that Amy and Tracy said when we walked in the room, you know, how do Steppenwolf approach a play like this. Steppenwolf is known for, sort of, doing grittier, maybe newer theater. And that attitude -- that this is a new play, this is the first time this play has ever been done -- is really, really liberating. Really liberating.

NNAMDIYou know, Peter, it just occurred to me that because this is the first time that both Carrie and Madison are performing in Washington...

MARKSMm-hmm.

NNAMDI...even though they have been performing for a while, had they come here, say, 15 years ago and perform, would they now be suffering from culture shock?

NNAMDII think the way -- seeing the way the city has developed and the theater scene and it has developed. But, Peter, many call Albee the greatest living American playwright. How would you characterize his work?

MARKSI think that's a fair assessment. I mean, there are a couple of people that you would, you know, think of, that you might, in a long evening of debate, might talk about. But I think that Albee has certainly earned that standing and by the virtue of plays like "A Delicate Balance" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

NNAMDIAnd, of course, he's right from here in Washington, D.C. It's an ambitious project staging all 30 of Albee's plays. Has it ever been done before?

MARKSI asked Albee that question, and he couldn't recall. Now he's 83 years old. That's a long time to think about. But -- and most of the plays, by the way, are being read, not staged, in full productions like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

NNAMDICorrect.

MARKSThe other one is a play called "At Home at the Zoo," which -- portions of which are -- come from the zoo story. But -- so it -- it's a very rare occurrence to have all these plays heard at once.

NNAMDIAnd for the readings of it, Arena Stage invited in local theater companies. What's unusual about that?

MARKSWell, again, it's that whole issue of, you know, what's mine is mine, yours isn't as good. And in this case, the Arena is saying, let's all do this together. Why are we not if we're a community? Let's really be a community and share the space. Part of it is practical. They really need, I think, that kind of infusion of talent from other places. But, also, it's a way of acknowledging the fact that this is a town with a lot of theater. It doesn't have to just be us against them. It can be all of us doing this great -- and celebrating this playwright together.

NNAMDIAnd sending a message to the Congress at the same time.

MARKSYeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

NNAMDIHere is Daniel in Washington, D.C. Daniel, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

DANIELHi, Kojo. Thanks very much for taking my call.

NNAMDIYou're welcome.

DANIELI listen to your show all the time. This is the first time I've called in. And I think it's awesome that you are doing a show all about D.C. theater. I think it's so important. I just wanna say I think it's a bit of a missed opportunity to do a whole show about D.C. theater and how great, it's flourishing and all that and not really have any D.C. theater artists on the show.

NNAMDIWell, unless you missed all of the previous shows we have done with Peter Marks over the last several years on Washington theater, you would know that that's what we usually do. But what is taking place right now in town is so unusual that we decided to try to feature it. During the course of the next few minutes, we will also be talking about other theater taking place here in Washington, D.C. But this is something we do about three or four times a year.

MARKSI just was on with you and Nancy Robinette and Sherri Edelen about two months...

NNAMDIIn December.

MARKSYeah, about Signature Theatre's production, so.

NNAMDIYou missed that one, Daniel.

DANIELI guess I did. Keep it up. I appreciate it. It's a fun show. I'm enjoying listening.

NNAMDIThank you so much for your call. Peter, Shakespeare Theater just opened a production of Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband."

MARKSYes.

NNAMDIBiting social satire, typical Wilde.

MARKSYes. And directed by Keith Baxter, who's their sort of Oscar Wilde expert of late, British -- longtime British actor who directs for them. And I'm seeing it Sunday night, so I will -- I'll have a better sense of how good it is by then.

NNAMDIIt's my understanding there are some fantastic costumes in the production. You know, the first time I ever wore a fantastic costume was in high school. I got to play Algernon Moncrieff in "The Importance of Being Earnest."

DIRKSOh.

MARKSOh, my God. Kojo.

NNAMDIFirst time the high school ever had costumes especially made. I wore mine on New Year's Eve.

MARKSKojo, they got two clips from your theater pass.

COONAbsolutely.

NNAMDIIt was that cool. Here's Ali in Fairfax, Va. Ali, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

ALIHello, Kojo. Thank you for taking my call.

NNAMDIYou're welcome.

ALII'm -- this is the first time I've stumbled on one of your shows about theater, and I just love theater in the area.

NNAMDIStumble in.

ALIIt's a very creative environment for that. I was wondering if you or your guests have heard of 1st Stage over in Tysons. It's a new theater. It's in its third season. And last year it won the Helen Hayes Award for best emerging theater in the area.

NNAMDI1st Stage in Tysons. Yes, we've heard about that.

MARKSYeah. Yeah, yeah. They're in -- they're one of many new theater companies, you know, that are cropping up all the time and also bringing it to a part of the region that didn't have its own -- much of its own theater. So that's really, really good.

NNAMDIAli, thank you so much for your call. Peter, one of the biggest and most awaited productions, Sondheim's "Follies," coming to the Kennedy Center, starring Bernadette Peters.

MARKSIndeed, indeed.

NNAMDIMusical theater lovers have always wanted to see her in that role.

MARKSYeah, that's the one. She's -- this is like the big kahuna of Sondheim's -- Stephen Sondheim roles for Bernadette Peters. And the fact that she's doing it at the Kennedy Center in this big production, a $6 million production, is going to be a national moment.

NNAMDICare to talk about what's going on at some of the smaller local theaters -- Wooly Mammoth, Round House, Signature, Theater J, Warner, anything catching your attention?

MARKSYeah. Wooly Mammoth has a really cool guy coming, who's been here before, Mike Daisey. He's doing a show called "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs." He was here with a show called "The Last Cargo Cult." He's a great storyteller. And if it's anything like his other shows, it'll be kind of wild. And Signature's got a new musical, an original musical coming up called "And the Curtain Rises," part of their new -- commissioning series of shows. And, you know, Studio's got that Irish festival that's gonna be really interesting. So there's just tons of stuff.

NNAMDIAnd Theater J partnering with...

MARKSWith Arena tonight. I'm seeing "The Chosen," which is an adaptation of the Potok novel, directed and adapted by Aaron Posner.

NNAMDIAgain, how unusual is that, the partnering with Arena Stage?

MARKSAgain, it's, you know, it's Arena, Arena, Arena. We can't stop talking about it. Yes, they...

NNAMDIMolly, Molly, Molly.

MARKSYeah. Molly Smith he means.

NNAMDIYes.

MARKSBut, yeah. No, no, there's just all kinds of initiatives going on in that place. Let's hope they -- you know, that this plants all kinds of seeds.

NNAMDIAnd there are a number of theaters outside of D.C. We just got a call about one in Tysons, but there are theaters in Northern Virginia and Maryland. Arlington has theater, Richwood, The Keegan, Constellation Theatre, MetroStage, Firebelly Productions, things happening all over the area.

MARKSMm-hmm. Yeah. Yup. Yeah.

NNAMDIIt's working out well. For those who are considering venturing to New York City...

MARKSYes.

NNAMDI…to see the huge musical production of "Spiderman"...

MARKSOh, boy.

NNAMDI...I was about to say it's got some big names. I should say it had some big names. It was directed by Julie Taymor, who, it is my understanding, left today.

MARKSYes. She's been sort of, I think, you know, shouldered out of the production. I mean, it's just -- at this point, it's just a soap opera. It's a silly soap opera. It's a distraction, unfortunately, that gets a lot of attention. And there's so much more interesting theater going on there and here that really deserves that kind of -- but it is juicy to hear about the $65 million, you know, disaster. And that's what it is, unfortunately.

NNAMDIIt's got music by Bono and The Edge.

MARKSAnd it's terrible. And the music's terrible. And the staging is terrible. And people are flocking to it.

COONOh, no.

NNAMDIWhat do you feel can or will likely be done to improve it?

MARKSNothing. They will play with it. They will massage it. They will claim it's got a new life to sort of, you know, spin more media buzz, and nothing will happen. It will be the same, you know, flying junk show.

NNAMDILet me take it back to Carrie and Madison. Carrie, how have you been enjoying your time in D.C.? You haven't had a chance to go around very much. But from what you've seen so far, how have you liked working here? How have you found the audiences here?

COONWell, it's been lovely so far. I mean, obviously, the first thing is that it's getting to be spring a lot earlier than in Chicago. So I don't miss the blizzards.

NNAMDIThank goodness.

COONYes. I'm really thankful for the rain, actually. I'm really looking forward to walking around and seeing everything. I haven't been here since eighth grade, and there's a lot to see. And the audiences are...

NNAMDIOh, so you are suffering from cultural shock.

COONYes. There is a little bit of that going on. But the audiences are really -- like I said before, they just -- they're listening, too. It's really hard. It seems like a really serious town. They're taking us very seriously, which I appreciate. And it's just -- you know, it's -- we're traveling with one of the best plays ever written. I guess I can't really expect anything less from people to wanna kind of come in here. And I just feel really honored to be here in our nation's capital doing something like that. It's a pretty wonderful experience.

NNAMDIMadison, how has it been working out for you?

DIRKSIt's great, it's great. It's really amazing to see how much theater there is here in D.C. and these amazing theater companies that really kind of run the gamut of different styles and energies. You got Shakespeare Theater. You got Wooly Mammoth. You've got Studio. These amazing things. I wish we could see more theater. Unfortunately, we're doing our own shows. We're gonna miss a lot of the theater. But the energy here, meeting the other artists in town, some of the other executive directors and actors who do live and work here in D.C. has really been quite amazing.

NNAMDIAnd we're becoming a great food town, too. If you listen to food Wednesdays on this broadcast, it'll help you to pick the fare that you'd like to...

COONI'm writing that down.

NNAMDIMadison Dirks and Carrie Coon are both cast members of Steppenwolf Theater Company's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at Arena Stage. Thank you both for joining us. Good luck to you.

COONThank you very much.

DIRKSThank you so much, Kojo.

NNAMDIPeter Marks is, well, now a regular. He is the chief theater critic with The Washington Post. Peter, always a pleasure.

MARKSFor me, too.

NNAMDIAnd thank you all for listening. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.