Clare Barron's 'Dance Nation' Play Coming To Silver Spring Stage

SILVER SPRING, MD — "Dance Nation," a play by Clare Barron, is coming to Silver Spring Stage on weekends between March 8 and March 24.

"Dance Nation" tells the story of a group of teenage competitive dancers working toward the Boogie Down Grand Prix in Tampa Bay. Barron has adult actors play the much younger characters.

“I wish I had seen a show like this as a much younger woman,” said producer Liz Butterworth. “The way the girls in the show are surprised, delighted, confused, and frightened by their preteen bodies is intensely relatable.”

Tristin Evans, who plays Sofia, said Barron’s decision to have adults play the dancers is “absolutely brilliant.

“It creates an artistic juxtaposition for both the audience and the actors, where we all get to bear witness to the intense joys, challenges, and unknowns of adolescence while simultaneously celebrating the people that we become as we age into ourselves,” Evans said.

“I’m so impressed that Silver Spring Stage is putting on a show like this,” said Butterworth. “It’s honestly rare to see a theater, community or professional, that truly embodies the values they set upon."

Visit the Silver Spring Stage website to purchase tickets. The theater is located at 10145 Colesville Road.