See a show at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre is a Tony Award–winning nonprofit professional theater company located in Arlington’s Shirlington neighborhood, called a “musical theater powerhouse” by The Washington Post, combining Broadway-caliber productions with intimate playing spaces and home to the single largest musical theater commissioning project in the United States — The American Musical Voices Project. Founded in 1989 and recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 2009, Signature has spent three and a half decades producing world premieres, reimagining classic musicals, and developing the careers of some of the DMV’s most gifted performers — all from a dramatic $16 million facility tucked into the heart of the Village at Shirlington.

The complex houses two state-of-the-art black box theaters: The Max, seating between 275 and 350 patrons, and The Ark, an intimate space seating up to 99 — both built as floating sound-isolated rooms designed to disappear acoustically from the world outside. The intimacy is the point: at Signature, even the back row feels close, and the performances hit accordingly. Free parking is available for Signature patrons in any public lot in downtown Shirlington and the surrounding neighborhood offers excellent pre- and post-show dining. The annual Sondheim Award Gala — honoring contributors to the American musical theater canon — is a signature event on Arlington’s social calendar. Browse the season and purchase tickets at the theater website.