What's Next: The Wizard of Oz
at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre
May 30 - June 8, 2025
When a tornado rips through Kansas, young Dorothy is whisked away to the magical land of Oz. She bravely embarks on a journey to Emerald City where she encounters a host of whimsical characters: good witches, bad witches, animals that talk, scarecrows that walk, and things magical to behold. Will Dorothy prevail over evil and make it back home? Follow the yellow brick road and find out with us! We recommend this production for ages 4 and older.
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Rd. Arlington, VA 22204)
Performance Dates and Showtimes:
Fri, May 30th, 2025 at 7:00 pm
Sat, May 31st, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Sun, Jun 1st, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Sat, Jun 7th, 2025 at 11:00 am This performance will have ASL Access provided by GoodSigns. Please email boxoffice@encorestage.org to be seated in our ASL seating.
Sat, Jun 7th, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Sun, Jun 8th, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Tickets: $15 for Adults, $12 for Children, Students, Military and Seniors (ticket fees included). Group rate is $10 per ticket for a group of 10 or more. All patrons ages 1 and older must have a ticket.
Tickets
Tickets: $15 for Adults, $12 for Children, Students, Military and Seniors (ticket fees included). Group rate is $10 per ticket for a group of 10 or more.
Tickets for Footloose: $22 for Adults, $18 for Children, Students, Military and Seniors (ticket fees included). Group rate of $16 for a group of 10 or more.
All patrons ages 1 and older must have a ticket.
Add on our NEW Preshow Experiences!
Somewhere Over the Rainbow Scavenger Hunt Pre-Show Experience - May 31, 3pm Performance
Get ready for an unforgettable pre-show experience that transforms the theater into a journey to somewhere over the rainbow! As families arrive for The Wizard of Oz musical, the adventure begins even before the show starts. Enjoy this family-friendly activity with colorful surprises and wicked fun challenges as you interact with the cast before the show! Collect your rainbow prize at the end of the yellow brick road!
Ticket Add-On to the Saturday, May 31 3pm Performance: $8 Pre-Show Event begins at 2pm. Children must be accompanied by a chaperone. Free for adults.
Dorothy's Dance Party Pre-Show Experience - June 7, 3pm Performance
Get ready to click your heels! Before the curtain rises on The Wizard of Oz, feel the magic of Oz come alive with a dance party on stage! This pre-show experience will have you boogie with beloved characters, snap photos with your favorite friends from the Land of Oz, and groove to classic tunes like "Over the Rainbow" and "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead!"
Ticket Add-On to the Saturday, June 7 3pm Performance: $8 Pre-Show Event begins at 2pm. Children must be accompanied by a chaperone. Free for adults.
Join us at the June 1st, 3pm performance of Wizard of Oz for the 2025/2026 Season Reveal!
Full 2024/2025 Season Schedule
Past Shows
Disney's Freaky Friday
July 21 - 30, 2023
Book by Bridget Carpenter. Music by Tom Kitt. Lyrics by Brian Yorkey. Based on the novel Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers and the Disney films.
Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre
The new musical, Freaky Friday, based on the beloved 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films, features a book by Bridget Carpenter – the co-executive producer and writer on the beloved TV hits, “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood” – and music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey – the Pulitzer Prize-winning composers of Next to Normal and If/Then. When an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right again. Freaky Friday, a new musical based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films, is a heartfelt, comedic, and unexpectedly emotional update on an American classic. By spending a day in each other’s shoes, Katherine and Ellie come to appreciate one another’s struggles, learn self-acceptance, and realize the immeasurable love and mutual respect that bond a mother and daughter.
Charlotte's Web
June 2 - 11, 2023
Adapted by Joseph Robinette. Based on the book by E.B. White.
Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre
Encore Stage & Studio brings to life E.B. White’s beloved story of friendship and talking barnyard animals with its production of Charlotte’s Web. Rarely does a spring pig live to see the fall of winter. In this heartwarming tale, a young girl meets her best friend, Wilbur, a plucky spring pig, along with a new set of furry friends. Wilbur desperately wants to live to see his first snowfall. Charlotte, a kind and loving spider, transforms Wilbur from the runt of the litter to prize-winning “some pig.”
World Premiere of What Makes a Winner
March 3 - 12, 2023
Written by Lynne Childress
Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre
What happens after the Tortoise beats the Hare in the race? Join Encore Stage & Studio for a new spin on the classic story in its world premiere of What Makes a Winner written by Lynne Childress. When Terri the Turtle and Ray the Rabbit become co-captains on a new racing team, Ray comes to find that he’s got a lot to learn about the true meaning of friendship. This unlikely duo meet all kinds of woodland creatures in their journey to make the perfect team. Together they learn that the most rewarding medals are the friends you make along the way.
Treasure Island
October 14 - 23, 2022
Play by Matthew Heap. Adapted from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson
Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre
What starts as a mystery turns into an adventure in an Encore adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel. Young Gemma Hawkins escapes a dull life to search for where “X” marks the spot on a mysterious treasure map left behind by an old sea captain. Gemma meets a slew of thrill-seeking sea farers as he races to find the treasure before any pirates do.
A Fairytale Christmas Carol
December 2 - 11, 2022
By Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus
Gunston Arts Center – Theatre Two
In this remake of a Christmas classic, your favorite fairy tale characters bring to life the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge’s magical Christmas Eve. Mother Goose lends her talents to narrate the story as the Big Bad Wolf takes on the humbugging lead role. Cinderella, the Three Little Pigs, Old King Cole, and many more help create a new twist on the traditional Dickensian story told every December.
Disney's Beauty & the Beast Jr.
January 13-22, 2023
Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Tim Rice. Book by Linda Woolverton. Originally directed by Robert Jess Roth. Originally produced by Disney Theatrical Productions.
The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, meeting a Beast, who is the young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end, and he will be transformed to his former self. If the Beast does not learn his lesson before the last rose petal falls, he and his household including Mrs. Pots, Lumiere and Mr. Cogsworth will be cursed forever. Join us for a tale as old as time in Encore’s production of Beauty and the Beast Jr!
Birthday Experiences
Make your birthday an Encore Experience!
Have your birthday at the theatre! We have birthday experience options for you to choose.
Birthday Experience Options (excludes show tickets)
Behind the Scenes Birthday - $75
35-45 minute Encore Backstage Tour from the Crew
Behind the Scenes Bash - $100 (Only available at TJ Theatre)
35-45 minute Encore Backstage Tour with access to a Party Space
Showstopper Social - $75
35-45 minute Meet & Greet with the Cast (Interaction includes Q&A and theatre games)
Star-struck Party -$100 (Only available at TJ Theatre)
35-45 minute Meet & Greet with the Cast (Interaction includes Q&A, and theatre games) with access to a Party Space
Performance Dates Available this Season
The Wizard of Oz located at TJ Community Theatre
- Saturday May 31 Performance at 11am (Experience after the performance)
- Saturday June 7 Performance at 11am (Experience after the performance)
- Sunday June 8 Performance at 3pm (Experience at 2pm, before the performance)
Footloose located at TJ Community Theatre
- Saturday July 19 Performance at 2pm (Experience after the performance)
- Sunday July 20 Performance at 2pm (Experience after the performance)
- Saturday July 26 Performance at 2pm (Experience after the performance)
Exciting Add-on Options
- Shoutout of birthday celebrant in the Preshow Announcements
- Signed Poster from the Cast (for birthday celebrant only)
- Encore Tote Bags for all your guests
- Encore Magnets for all your guests
- Show Tshirt (for birthday celebrant only)
Experience options must be prepaid and are non-refundable. Payment must be made four weeks before party date and 50% payment of the show tickets.
Book Your Birthday Experience Today!
NEW Encore Flex Pass
Make your theatre plans easy and flexible with our NEW Flex Passes! Our NEW Encore Flex Pass bank of 10 discounted tickets to see any production in the 2024/2025 season.
Flex Pass is only $89 and includes these awesome benefits:
-Save 50-60% on tickets!
-Schedule your tickets in advance
-Preshow Experience Discounts Make sure your family won’t miss a moment by becoming an Encore season member. Flex passes are available for a limited time only.
2025/2026 Flex Passes will be on sale July 1st!
Scout Workshops
Join us for a unique theatre experience with your scouts!
Encore Stage & Studio offers a special Scout experience package in addition to seeing a performance. Scouts can participate in a workshop specially designed to meet select badge and adventure requirements while exploring theater. Our workshops are taught by theatre professionals and are designed to help scouts gain confidence in learning to express themselves in different ways. Workshop content will address select requirements and teach scouts how to use their acting tools while having fun!
Scout Workshop Dates
Nov. 12, 2023 - Mystery at Shady Acres at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Rd. Arlington, VA 22204)
January 14, 2024 - Disney's Finding Nemo Jr. The Musical at Theatre On The Run (3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive Arlington, VA 22206)
March 3, 2024 - Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Rd. Arlington, VA 22204)
June 4th, 2024 - Rapunzel at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Rd. Arlington, VA 22204)
Badge and Adventure Options
Cub Adventures
- Lion - Pick my Path
- Lion - Rumble in the Jungle
- Lion - On Your Mark
- Tiger - Stories in Shapes
- Wolf - Howling at the Moon
- Bear - Roaring Laughter
Girl Scout Badges
- Daisy - Considerate and Caring
- Brownie - My Family Story
- Brownie - My Best Self
- Brownie - Dancer
- Brownie - Making Friends
- Cadettes - Comic Artist
- Junior - Journey: aMUSE
- Junior - Playing the Past
Fee and Registration
The scout theatre experience is priced at $25 per scout (this included workshop + show ticket). Additional performance tickets will be sold at the group rate of $10 for parents, siblings and scout leaders.
Packages must be prepaid and are non-refundable. Must have at least 12 scouts in order to register for workshop. One person must register for the troop or group (typically the troop/den leader).
Register your troop/group today!
Flip the Script
This National Endowment for the Arts-funded program takes on its third production with Flip the Script: Foodways of Arlington, a Cultural Celebration.
This inspiring production will give a diverse group of students the free opportunity to devise and perform a theatrical piece on food traditions and stories of three distinct culturesin the global community of Arlington VA. History comes alive for students through research, engagement with community leaders, creative processworkshops, and community talkbacks after performances.
Student Writer Opportunity!
Creative sessions are Mondays, April 1 - May 20 | 5:30 - 8:00 pm at Encore’s Administrative Offices (4500 Langston Blvd. Arlington, VA 22207)
To apply for our student writer opportunity, complete the online application form and include an approximately 500 word writing sample.
What's in it for YOU:
- Your name credited as a writer in Encore’s student-devised production that will be presented in March 2025
- Experience creative sessions with professional directors and artists
- Opportunity to research and learn about the food culture along Columbia Pike
- Participate in site visits, interviews and research utilizing the Center for Local History
Apply by March 15 for best consideration.
Download our Flip the Script flier to share this opportunity!
Encore on Tour
Schedule a theatre day at your school or organization with our touring program. Check out our touring production options:
A Sidewalk Stroll
For audiences in preschool through 2nd grade
Follow three siblings who bring park adventures and friendly animals to life, all the while teaching your little one about navigating through life’s surprises. This is a 25 minute performance, followed by a 15 minute question and answer session.
Rocket Woman
For audiences in preschool through 3rd grade
One imaginary friend, cardboard boxes, and a brave Rocket Woman together make one journey that is out of this world! Join our Rocket Woman as she blasts off into space to prove that women love exploration and adventure too! Watch as she uses her creativity, ingenuity and sass to reach her goals and the stars! That’s one step for this Rocket Woman, one giant leap for imagination! This is a 30 minute performance, followed by a 15 minute question and answer session.
Circulo/Circle
For audiences in preschool through 5th grade
Encore Stage & Studio presents a bilingual production, Circulo/Circle–-starring professional artists and hula hoops galore! This 360 degree adventure explores fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Redondo y redondo vamos! Round and round we go! This is a 25 minute performance, followed by a 15 minute question and answer session.
Flip the Script: The Day Nothing Happened
For audiences in middle school, high school through adults
The production explores the 1959 desegregation of Arlington's Stratford Junior High School. Following the performance, we will have a conversation about creating change in our community. This is an opportunity for people of all ages to come together to build bridges of understanding. This is a 30 minute performance, followed by a 15 minute question and answer session.
Tours may be available upon request.
Recommended Reading: The Front Row Blog
