Traveling Players opens summer of student theater at Tysons Corner Center

The Traveling Players Ensemble is ready to bring the drama — and comedy — to Tysons Corner Center this summer.

The nonprofit theater company for students kicked off its summer season today (Friday) with the world premiere of “Hercules!,” a new play commissioned from D.C. playwright, poet, and teacher Judith Walsh White.

Retelling the Greek myth of the 12 Labors of Hercules in just 35 minutes, the play was staged at the Traveling Players’ studio next to the former Lord and Taylor store in the mall. A second performance is scheduled for 11 a.m. on July 29, with tickets costing $15.

Over the next two months, the Traveling Players will also perform a William Shakespeare comedy and put on a three-play festival in the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center, according to a press release from Wednesday (July 6):

Comedy of Errors (Aug. 3, 7 p.m.)

Twenty years ago, two pairs of identical twins were separated in a great storm. Now they are on a mission to reunite! But they must act quickly or their father will be executed for a heinous crime – being from Syracuse! Chaos abounds as the two sets of twins dodge mistaken identities, weighty women, and the forces of the law in Shakespeare’s ludicrous four-way identity crisis!

A Festival of 3 Plays (July 14 & Aug. 4)

• 4 p.m. — “Sganaralle” by Moliere
• 5 p.m. — “King Stag” by Carlo Gozzi
• 7 p.m. — “Two Gentlemen of Verona” by Shakespeare

Both “Comedy of Errors” and the three-play festival are free to attend. They will move inside to the ensemble’s studio if there is inclement weather. Face masks are required for indoor performances.

Now in its 20th year, the Traveling Players provides classes, summer camps, and other kinds of theatrical training to kids in third through 12th grade.

After taking a virtual approach during the first year of the pandemic, the company reopened its Tysons studio for classes and in-person performances in the fall of 2021.

According to the press release, this summer’s plays showcase students in grades 4 to 12 who participated in the group’s sleepaway camps and advanced conservatories.

“Young actors who are interested in training and performing with the company can still audition for this summer’s plays,” the release says. “High school students (current grades 8-12) who are interested in technical theatre can apply to train alongside the professional designers and technicians who will create the five sets and more than 140 costumes used throughout the summer.”