GREETINGS FROM OUR LEADERSHIP
DEAR FRIEND,
It is our great honor to officially welcome you to Round House Theatre’s 50th Anniversary Season! The 20262027 Season encapsulates what Round House does best: offering bold, urgent and timely stories; putting big ideas on stage without losing the humanity underneath. Dig into this season’s mainstage shows on pages 4-5 and learn more about why these stories were chosen to define this momentous season.
Alongside this incredible season, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary with 50 for 50, offering 50 free acts of theatre to our community, honoring those who have helped us reach this milestone and inviting people to join us for the next 50 years. From exciting reunion events to one-night-only readings and opportunities to go backstage to see how the magic is made, events will span the entire season. Get a sneak peek into this special programming on page 7.
We are grateful to head into this celebratory season on the heels of a tremendously successful Broadway in Bethesda Gala. This spring, we welcomed a sold-out crowd who raised nearly $450,000 in support of our mission to be a theatre for everyone. The energy continued straight into a stellar performance from Tony Award nominee Megan Hilty. Re-live the magic on pages 10-11.
Another standout from the Broadway in Bethesda Gala was our guest auctioneer, Round House’s own Kevin Corbett. Kevin has been a member of the Round House family for nearly 30 years, sharing the power and joy of improv and leaving a lasting impact on thousands of students. Get to know Kevin on pages 12-14.
This spring, audiences experienced brilliance of our teen ensembles, the Roundlings, coached by Kevin Corbett, and the Teen Performance Company who produced the world premiere of At the End of the World by Morgan Gould as the 24th annual Sarah Metzger Memorial Play. These inspiring young artists expand the breadth of our season, offering new perspectives and plenty of opportunities to connect through both laughter and thought-provoking conversations.
The 2025-2026 Season was memorable in many ways. Our long-awaited production of The Inheritance was not only a dream fulfilled but also garnered 14 Helen Hayes Award nominations and five wins, including Outstanding Production of a Play. It was also the second best-selling season in Round House history, all thanks to you. Thank you for being a valued part of our community and for making these productions possible. Thank you for bringing friends and sharing the joy of theatre. Thank you for your investment in Round House, which has strengthened us over the past 50 years. We can’t wait to celebrate with you all season long.
See you at the theatre!
RYAN RILETTE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ED ZAKRESKI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
C over: Cast of Sally & Tom . Photo Kent Kondo. Round House Teen Performance Company’s 24th Annual Sarah Metzger Memorial Play, At the End of the World . Photo by Danisha Crosby. Photo of the Broadway in Bethesda Gala. Photo by Cameron Whitman Photography.
EDUCATION ALUM— KEVIN CORBETT
KEVIN CORBETT has been teaching at Round House for almost 30 years. Today, he runs The Roundlings, Round House’s teen improv and stand-up comedy ensemble. He was most recently seen at this year’s Broadway in Bethesda Gala as our auctioneer and host. He’s also a faculty member at The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, and he tours with the political satire group Capitol Fools (previously known as Capitol Steps), singing song parodies and doing standup. Patrick Joy, our Associate Director of Development for Operations and Analysis, sat down with Kevin to learn a little more about his time here at Round House.
PATRICK JOY: Hi Kevin, it’s great to see you! How did you first get involved with Round House Theatre?
KEVIN CORBETT: In 1998, I was acting in a show directed by Mike Replogle, and he was the director of
the Round House summer camp at that point. He said, “Hey Kevin, I really want to have you for my summer camp thing!” So, he gave me a job as an intern. I was basically his ‘go-fer’, and then I would shadow him in classes and see what he was doing.
One day he said “I don’t feel like doing improv. You do that, right?” And, yeah, I had done it in college, so he had me run the improv class for a few days that week, and I had a blast, they had a blast, and by the end of that summer, he said “Hey, Kevin, I want to have you back next summer. Do you want to just teach all the improv?” And I’ve been doing it ever since!
PJ: And we’re so glad you’ve been with us since then! How has Round House changed since you first joined us in ’98?
KC: Back in the 90s, until maybe... Probably until we moved to the new building in 2002, the high school camps used to be a grab bag of everything throughout the day. It was like six weeks long, and every day, they’d have a little bit of musical theater, a little bit of improv, a little bit of stage combat, a little bit of acting, and at the end, they all did one big show. The big change that happened over the years was that kids could pick a specific thing that they wanted to
do! If there was a kid who wanted to just do improv, they didn’t have to sit through musical theater class. So doing these week-long or two-week-long camps made a lot more sense to me. And I liked that better, because then I get to do improv or physical comedy with them all day long, instead of for just 45 minutes here and there. That’s probably my favorite change for the education side.
On stage… Well, I’ve loved everything Round House has done.
PJ: Well, you have to say that, right?
KC: Of course. The minister of Round House culture is sitting in the room next door with a cup against the wall.
PJ: Outside of Round House, you’re part of the political satire group Capitol Fools (previously known as Capitol Steps). How did you first get involved with them?
KC: I also got involved with them because of Round House! Debbie Saady-Forrest was the dance teacher for Round House back in 2000, and her husband, Michael Forrest, who’d been on stage a lot at Round House, was part of the Capitol Steps, and she said, “Oh hey, they’re having auditions, and you’d be great for it!” So I went, and I got the job, and… I stayed. Still doing it too! I’ve been able to perform in theaters all across the country, and it changed my life. And it all happened because of my Round House-ian connections.
PJ: Do you find that working as a professional stand-up and improv comedian helps inform your teaching and vice versa?
KC: Because of my teaching style, yes! I had a student in 2006, who I’m still in touch with, who said, “you’re just doing like an all-day stand-up routine.” And I said, “Well, yeah, but it’s informative… right? I mean, I am teaching you things.” And they said “Oh! Yeah, yeah! It’s just, you’re, you know, always entertaining when you teach.” And I appreciated that, because I’d never really thought of it that way. I was just doing schtick because I didn’t go to how-to-be-a-teacher class, and I just kind of did my own thing. I think reading
audiences and going for certain laughs or recognizing when their attention is waning really helps in a classroom. Or knowing when they need to shake things up or do something different in order to refocus. So, yeah, stand up and performing, breaking the fourth wall, being more aware of the audience, it all definitely helped and still does help with my teaching style.
PJ: I can imagine the toughest audience that someone can have is a bunch of tired teenagers on Monday at 9am.
KC: Sometimes, I suppose. However, unlike regular school, Round House is a place that these teens have chosen to go to. In most cases, they WANT to do these activities. So, they might be a little sluggish…but it doesn’t take long to get them warmed up.
PJ: Speaking of working with teens, tell me about The Roundlings, Round House’s teen comedy and improv ensemble. How did it start, and how has it changed since then?
KC: The Roundlings is the greatest job I’ve ever, and will ever, have. I wanted something like The Roundlings when I was in high school, and that was when the internet was new and you couldn’t easily find something; there was no Google in 1993. So, finding a program like this was impossible.
THE ROUNDLINGS IS THE GREATEST JOB I’VE EVER, AND WILL EVER, HAVE.
So, in 2019, when I’d just had such a great group of kids that summer, I had the idea for The Roundlings. Based on everything Danisha [Crosby, Director of Education] told me about the Teen Performance Company (TPC). I’d seen one of their shows at that point, but I didn’t know everything that they did year-round until then. I just thought, “Why don’t we do that, but for laughter?” and Danisha went with it.
The format and flow of the company kind of changes every year. I let them choose the focus of the show. Some years, I may not have anybody who’s into writing stand-up, and in other years, everybody does. It just depends on the ensemble. I’ve got kids who write comedy sketches, and song parodies, and other kids who are more comfortable improvising.
It’s always changing. I guess I don’t ever want to feel like we’re being safe. Comedy needs to take risks. So, I’m always pushing them to be more creative, to make unexpected choices. And I teach them to support each other. Trust, confidence, and empathy, are essential for good improvisation. They do not disappoint. I’m grateful that these talented artists have a place to share their ideas, humor, and quirks with likeminded people. It’s the best. It’s like therapy via art.
PJ: Do you have a vision for the future of The Roundlings?
KC: I just want it to keep going as long as there’s interest. As long as there are kids who feel like they’re the class clown and they want to perform, but don’t want to be actors. Or even the actors that want to be… you know… comedic. As long as there’s an interest in doing it, I will always do it.
PJ: I really love that. What’s unique about teaching at Round House or being a part of Round House?
KC: I was talking about this with Nan Ficca, who is the School Director of The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, where I also teach. We were talking about the fact that we teach because we actually enjoy doing it. Because we believe in freudenfreude, not schadenfreude, and we truly want the students to succeed. And I see that spirit in the other Teaching Artists at Round House. Everyone is making an investment. It’s rare that I’ve ever been paired with a teacher or even seen another teacher at Round House who’s not truly invested in it. That investment pays off with these young artists that we have at the camps, or with all the adults that I work with too.
think they would. They seem like they’re floating and it’s a glorious feeling. It’s why I’m always chasing it.
I see that investment with other Teaching Artists, especially the ones who work with the little ones. Whenever my own children were in those classes, and I’d see their sharings, I was always so impressed with the teachers. Those kids could be so loud, jumping all over the place and I’d be thinking, “Boy, I’m glad I work with the older ones, grumble grumble grumble.” Seeing those artists who teach them and work with them, and they just have this relentless patience and relentless enthusiasm, it’s inspiring. It makes me want to keep my game up.
I GUESS I DON’T EVER WANT TO FEEL LIKE WE’RE BEING SAFE. COMEDY NEEDS TO TAKE RISKS. SO, I’M ALWAYS PUSHING THEM TO BE MORE CREATIVE, TO MAKE UNEXPECTED CHOICES.
AND
I TEACH THEM TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER.
Maybe it’s that way at other theatres, but, I mean, I’m biased because I think Round House is magical, and they seem to attract the good people who really, really invest.
PJ: For what it’s worth, I think you are absolutely one of those teachers with relentless patience and relentless enthusiasm! And what you just shared dovetails really well into my final question, which is, what do you love most about teaching?
You know, whenever I do musical improv with adults, they all just look mortified when we start, and after they actually get up and do it…and it works, their shoulders drop. It’s blissful to see them have their confidence boosted by getting a laugh that they didn’t
KC: I can’t think of an eloquent way to say it without, like, sounding like a humble-brag, but I think I love teaching more than performing because I know how great it is: the feeling when you get that laugh from the audience or you make them laugh, cry, whatever it is when you feel that connection with them. I’m like a drug dealer, except for happiness. So, I want people to feel what I feel when I perform. Like I was saying with the adults in musical improv—and with kids too—when they get it, seeing them suddenly realize, “Oh, this isn’t as horrible as I thought it would be.” And then they keep chasing that feeling. That’s why the classroom will always be better than the stage for me. I’ll still have my own performances & shows to feed my own addiction, but the classroom is more of a rush. Yes. Boy, I have got to think of a better metaphor. Oxytocin NOT OxyContin!
In March, the teens took the stage at Round House. In the Inside Look, our Teen Performance Company spoke about their experience in this season-long program and explained the artistic choices behind the 24th annual Sarah Metzger Memorial Play, At the End of the World, by Morgan Gould. On March 27th, they held a preview performance at 10 am for a group of 200 students from three different schools; and in the evening they officially opened their world premiere show with a crowd of friends, family, and Round House supporters.. That weekend, the Roundlings, Round House’s teen improv and comedy troupe, were scheduled to perform, but a power outage in Bethesda forced them to move their performance to the following week—but it was worth the wait to see their hilarious antics!
