Washington National Opera is not sitting around mourning its split with the Kennedy Center. Instead, the company is rolling out its first-ever staging of West Side Story in two Maryland venues this May, tweaking the production on the fly to fit very different stages.
Fully staged performances are set for Lyric Baltimore from May 8-10, while the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda will host a leaner, semi-staged version May 14-15. Ryan McCartan stars as Tony and Shereen Pimentel as Maria, backed by an orchestra of roughly 50 players. Company leaders say juggling two houses in one week has forced a crash course in creative problem-solving, from downsizing sets to rethinking where the orchestra can physically sit, but the show is moving ahead.
WNO’s exit from the Kennedy Center was announced earlier this year as part of a strategy to stabilize the company’s finances and keep its spring season alive. As reported by AP, the opera company said it would shift performances to partner venues and manage an amicable transition out of its longtime home. The move followed broader leadership and programming changes at the Kennedy Center that have been reshaping Washington’s cultural calendar.
The company has already posted detailed dates, casting and ticket information on its website. According to Washington National Opera, Marin Alsop and James Lowe will share conducting duties, the fully staged run will play Lyric Baltimore from May 8-10, and the semi-staged performances will land at Strathmore from May 14-15. Patrons who held Kennedy Center tickets will receive refunds and must purchase new seats for the Maryland shows. WNO’s site also lists the full principal cast and creative team.
Adapting The Show To Two Very Different Houses
The production team is essentially building two versions of West Side Story for two very different rooms. Lyric Baltimore can handle the full scaffolded New York skyline set that anchors the production. Strathmore, designed as a concert hall rather than a traditional opera house, offers no orchestra pit and limited space for big, rolling scenery.
Strathmore’s event page notes that its performances will feature singers and dancers in costume, with props, but "no set." As reported by The Baltimore Banner, WNO’s roughly 50-player orchestra will need to sit onstage at Strathmore, a choice that effectively rules out large moving scenic elements.
Logistics, Musicians And Creative Workarounds
Behind the scenes, the transition has felt less like a simple venue swap and more like a whirlwind mini-tour. Housing and transportation for cast and crew had to be rebooked, and stage dimensions carefully recalculated for both theaters. As The Baltimore Banner reported, WNO’s director of production described pit size and overall stage footprint as the decisive factors driving the design changes. McCartan admitted that, with so many variables in play, "The short answer is none of us really know." Even so, artistic director Francesca Zambello has publicly promised audiences a "first-class production" at both venues.
Tickets are now on sale through the partner venues and WNO’s own box office. The company reiterates that anyone who purchased seats for Kennedy Center performances will be refunded and must secure new tickets for the Maryland dates. The hectic performance week will also feature WNO’s 70th-anniversary gala at the National Building Museum on May 16, folded into a broader season that the company says will span seven offerings across five venues next season. For local opera fans, that means more WNO spread across the region, and a front-row view of how a major company pivots when its longtime home is suddenly off the table.
