a three-month, international celebration of Woody Guthrie’s life, art and music this election year …
#WOODY G IN DC
Theater Alliance presents
Woody Guthrie’s American Song
Songs and Writings by Woody Guthrie
Conceived and Adapted by Peter Glazer
Orchestrations and Vocal Arrangements by Jeff Waxman
Directed by Tim Seib
The Wharf Waterfront Park - 515 Water St SW, Washington, DC
August 6-29, 2026 at 7:15pm
SYNOPSIS
From the iconic anthem “This Land is Your Land” to protest songs like “All You Fascists Bound To Lose,” the music of folk poet and social agitator Woody Guthrie persists as a dynamic force of dissent and hope for the American people. Woody Guthrie’s American Song is a musical that weaves Guthrie’s storytelling with scenes drawn directly from his life, wielding music as a loudspeaker for the voice of the working people, speaking up for those swept aside by economic collapse and political indifference. This production is a panoramic tribute to the legacy of activism in the arts, celebrating the spirit of what America looks and sounds like. As the United States marks its 250th Anniversary, Woody Guthrie’s American Song offers a necessary counterpoint – reminding us that America’s story is always unfinished and that the most joyful and enduring voices have always come from the people.
Voices Festival Productions presents
WOODY SEZ: the life and music of Woody Guthrie
Devised by David M. Lutken with Nick Corley, and Darcie Deaville,
Helen Jean Russell and Andy Teirstein
Directed by Georgette Verdin
Dupont Circle Underground - 19 Dupont Circle, NW, Washington, DC
October 8-25, 2026
SYNOPSIS
"The international smash hit WOODY SEZ: THE LIFE & MUSIC OF WOODY GUTHRIE brings its unstoppable spirit and foot-stomping energy to DUPONT UNDERGROUND this election season!
THE ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME calls Woody Guthrie “the original folk hero, a man who, in the Thirties and Forties, transformed the folk ballad into a vehicle for social protest and observation .. Fueled by a boundless curiosity about the world, the colorful life he led became as legendary as the songs he wrote.”
“Bound For Glory”, “Pastures of Plenty”, “Vigilante Man”, “The Ballad of Tom Joad”, “Deportees” and “This Land Is Your Land” and many more, — WOODY SEZ celebrates “America’s greatest ballad maker,” the rambling troubadour whose unforgettable words, timeless melodies and extraordinary life-story embodied Resistance Singing, long before it became a hashtag.
His music continues to inspire today’s finest storytelling songwriters — from Bob Dylan and Joan Baez to Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco, Jonatha Brooke, Chuck D, Tom Morello, Jesse Welles, and Jay Z.
David M. Lutken, winner of the Helen Hayes Award for his portrayal, returns to Washington to kick off a new, 2026 production of the tour-de-force musical, from Voices Festival Productions and Woodrow Theatricals at DUPONT UNDERGROUND Oct. 8th - 25th.
WOODY SEZ tells the vibrant, true story of a uniquely American hero whose radical influence, and songs of defiance, hope and resilience endure.
*
"The musicianship is first class ... Led by the nimble strumming of David M. Lutken – who looks enough like the Guthrie pictured in black-and-white photos over the stage to provide a convincing impression, aided further by his charmingly twangy locution – the cast effortlessly adapts to the rousing spirit of the songwriter’s heartland balladeering and protest music…
Guthrie’s music is more seductive than antagonistic, often managing to express with dry-eyed humor the bitter experiences of the poor.”
(Peter Marks - The Washington Post)
“A haunting, powerful show .. transcends its homespun materials to become a work of art”
(The New York Times)
“Stirringly captures the rebellious spirit of Guthrie’s times, and of our own .. Knocks the big West End biopics in a heap of dust!”
(The Guardian)