Press & Media

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Welcome to the Ford’s Theatre Press Room, designated for working members of the media.

We invite you to learn more about the history, vision, leadership and programming of Ford’s Theatre below. If you would like to cover events or productions at Ford’s Theatre, or film at the historic site, contact us at press@fords.org. 

Office hours are Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. ET

Latest News and Press Releases

Twelve Schools from 12 States Selected for 2018-2019 Lincoln Online Oratory Project (LOOP)

Participating students will create and record videos of Abraham Lincoln’s speeches

Washington, D.C. – Twelve schools from 12 states were selected to participate in the Lincoln Online Oratory Project (LOOP), a national initiative from Ford’s Theatre. The Lincoln Online Oratory Project is designed to help educators introduce the fundamentals of public speaking into their classroom and provides an opportunity for students to put these skills into practice. Classrooms taking part in the Lincoln Online Oratory Project will participate in three virtual lessons with a Ford’s Theatre Teaching Artist via video conference. Students will work together to create and record a video of one of Abraham Lincoln’s speeches. These videos will be shared with a national audience on the official Ford’s Theatre YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/fordstheatre. Classrooms will share their experience with Ford’s Theatre on Twitter during a “Virtual Festival” on Monday, April 15, 2019.

Media Release

"Born Yesterday" Casting Announced

Production plays Sept. 21 to Oct. 21, 2018

Ford’s Theatre Society announced full casting and design team for a new production of Garson Kanin’s 1940s screwball comedy, "Born Yesterday." Aaron Posner (Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?") directs Kimberly Gilbert as Billie Dawn ("Jefferson’s Garden," "The Laramie Project"), Edward Gero as Harry Brock ("Hello, Dolly!"; "A Christmas Carol") and Cody Nickell as Paul Verrall. The Ford’s Theatre production also features Evan Casey, Matt Dewberry, Eric Hissom, Naomi Jacobson, Todd Scofield and Jamie Smithson. "Born Yesterday" plays September 21 to October 21, 2018. The production is recommended for ages 12 and older. Tickets are now on sale at https://www.fords.org/performances/current-and-upcoming/born-yesterday.

Media Release

FORD’S THEATRE SOCIETY & TODAYTIX ANNOUNCE THIRD YEAR OF FREE FIRST PREVIEW TICKET INITIATIVE DURING 2018-2019 SEASON

MORE THAN 3,600 PERFORMANCE TICKETS GIVEN AWAY TO DATE

Washington, D.C. – Ford’s Theatre Society and TodayTix announced the third year of the popular Free First Preview initiative, through which free tickets are given away to the first performance of all Ford’s Theatre mainstage productions. The TodayTix digital lottery launches one week before the first performance of each mainstage production in the 2018-2019 season. A total of 2,000 tickets will be given away. This season’s Free First Preview performances are: - "Born Yesterday": September 21, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. - "A Christmas Carol": November 15, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. - "Twelve Angry Men": January 18, 2019, at 7:30 p.m - "Into the Woods": March 8, 2019, at 7:30 p.m.

Media Release

2018-2019 National Oratory Fellows Announced

Thirty-two teachers from across America selected to participate

Washington, D.C. – The Ford’s Theatre Education team announced the 2018-2019 cohort of 32 National Oratory Fellows, who were selected after a competitive application process. The Ford’s Theatre National Oratory Fellows program, started in 2011, helps teachers integrate oratorical skills and strategies, from performance to speechwriting, into their curricula. Through oratory, students develop speaking, writing and leadership skills, in addition to gaining a deeper understanding of great American orators including Abraham Lincoln.

Media Release

Phebe N. Novakovic Elected Chairman of Ford's Theatre Society Board of Trustees

Phebe N. Novakovic, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Dynamics, has been elected Chairman of the nonprofit’s Board of Trustees. Novakovic assumed the role following the March 15, 2018, Board of Trustees meeting. Novakovic succeeds Eric A. Spiegel, outgoing chairman, a board member since 2006. Spiegel will continue to serve as Chairman Emeritus and as a member of the Executive Committee.

Media Release

2018-2019 THEATRE SEASON ANNOUNCED

"Born Yesterday," "Twelve Angry Men," "Into the Woods" and "A Christmas Carol"

Ford’s Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault today announced the Ford’s Theatre 2018-2019 season will include the political satire "Born Yesterday," directed by Aaron Posner; the classic American drama "Twelve Angry Men," directed by Sheldon Epps; the musical fairytale "Into the Woods," directed by Peter Flynn; and "A Christmas Carol" with Craig Wallace reprising the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Media Release

Petersen House Virtual Reality App by TimeLooper Now Available

Free App Includes Virtual Walk-Through and First-Person Perspectives from Night of Lincoln Assassination

Voices of Petersen House provides a virtual reality experience including interactive photographs taken inside the Petersen House and first-person accounts of the men and women who witnessed Abraham Lincoln’s final hours. Developed and donated to the National Park Service and Ford’s Theatre Society by TimeLooper, the app moves virtually through each room of the Petersen House. Users will experience the front parlor where Mary Lincoln waited inconsolably for news of her husband’s condition, the back parlor where Secretary of War Edwin Stanton launched the manhunt for the president’s assassin, and the “death room” where Lincoln drew his final breath.

Media Release

Ford's Theatre Gallery

4 Photos
Part of the Aftermath Exhibit in the Center for Education and Leadership. Photo © Maxwell MacKenzie.