KenYatta Rogers is a stalwart representative of the vibrant, close-knit D.C. theater scene, which he says feels like “a company in and of itself.” The prolific actor, director, and award-winning educator went to high school in Maryland. After graduating from Clark Atlanta University and the University of Pittsburgh’s MFA program, Rogers has been embedded in the city’s theatrical life since he “re-transplanted” here in 1999 and joined the African Continuum Theatre Company.
An assistant professor of theater at the University of Maryland, Rogers maintains a guiding hand in many of the area’s most dynamic shows. This summer, he directed the Constellation Theatre Company’s buzzy production of playwright Aleshea Harris’ Is God Is, which City Paper called “unapologetically twisted, darkly funny, and wildly entertaining,” not to mention “fiercely directed.”
Rogers spoke with City Paper about the forthcoming theater productions he’s most excited to see.
What shows are you looking forward to this season?
I’m excited about Mosaic’s The Art of Care, because it’s a bold way to reimagine what theater is, what it can be. We will stage, in a bit of fiction, the great moments of life—the births, the marriages, the endings and beginnings of relationships. What it seems like this production is doing is collaborating with community stakeholders … this is blending, kind of erasing lines between [theater artists and community stakeholders] and asking for stories that are personal and can be instructive, but most importantly, I think, make people feel very seen. [Rogers participated in the development of The Art of Care but is no longer involved with the production.] The Art of Care runs opens Oct. 31 runs through Nov. 24 at Mosaic Theater, 1333 H St. NE. $50–$78.
Another one I love is The Comeuppance [which is set in Prince George’s County]. I saw that in New York, and it was still in development [when it was an] almost-there play that was like three and a half hours. I’m sure it’s changed … and I hope to get a chance to see it. Branden Jacobs–Jenkins is one of my all-time favorite playwrights, and he seems to always be writing the play we didn’t know we needed … He often writes about the thing that’s always on our minds, whether it be workplace violence or the legacy of slavery, from a different bent. He allows his imagination to pull in very real conversations that I think we have in our heads and in our homes and in our friend groups. He’s able to make really big things small and really small things big. The Comeuppance opened Sept. 8 and runs through Oct. 6 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW. $44–$61.
And you said I could mention one that I was involved in: I’m excited about Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at Chesapeake Shakespeare that I am directing. August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone opens Sept. 20 and runs through Oct. 13 at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, 7 South Calvert St., Baltimore. $31–$69.
What are some of your favorite theaters in the area?
I’m gonna say all of them, and you’re gonna say nah. But Round House Theatre has been like the home and hearth theater. It’s steady, it’s thinking of its community, and the space feels inviting and familiar. It has a bit of a feel of a London neighborhood theater.
I like Woolly’s embracing of marginalized perspectives and marginalized communities. I like their pulling that veil. And I enjoy Mosaic’s clear commitment to community and to social justice.
And I would include Center Stage in that as well, even though it’s in Baltimore. Of course I’m super excited about theater [companies] like INSeries and Constellation. I know they’re in the same building, but they’re scrappy and have huge imaginations and invite big-imagination people into spaces to create big stories in small places.
What makes the DMV theater scene unique?
I know things could’ve changed over the last 20 to 30 years for cities I haven’t visited in a while. But when friends and artists come [here] from Chicago, New York, Philly, they do talk about the [local] theater community feeling like an ensemble themselves. It’s welcoming. I think we push each other to do good work. There is a fair amount of sharing of resources, although I’m looking for us to get better and better at that.
But when I work with those artists that come from different places and walks of life, they seem at home. They feel comfortable in this arts community. I love being in a show with them and having them say, “What should I see? What’s good?” And being able to recommend something and have them come back and say, “I was blown away.”
It’s a good host city for art and artists that is working to get better. I think we’re on the right track and have conscientious artists in leadership positions … pushing for equity, transparency, fairness, and diversity.
Walk us through your optimal food rhythm on the night of a show.
Here’s the ideal, which I’m starting to get back to now that my kids are grown: a good hearty meal before and a walk to a not-so-far but not right-next-door watering hole to chop it up after.
Editor’s note: We thought it was worth mentioning that Rogers also recommended INSeries’ Delta King’s Blues: A Musical Reading, which will take place for one night only in January. He explains, “INSeries is considering a production of an opera based on Robert Johnson … anytime we’re blending traditions and cracking apart the walls that separate genre, I’m always excited.” But that’s a winter production and tickets aren’t on sale to the public yet.