Visit our Health & Safety page to read current policies for all audiences attending live public performances. READ MORE
In a town beset by the sordid shenanigans of a prank-prone Villain, justice finally seems to be served when the celebrated Hero accuses Villain of the worst crime of all: Pushing the Button. But when the dutiful Journalist starts asking the right questions, will convicting the Villain prove to be the wrong answer? This playful and poignant parody of modern morality will ask its audiences to question their very notions of right and wrong, crime and punishment, truth and narrative. But most of all, it will beg the question: “Who Pushed the Button??”
PUSH THE BUTTON is a unique piece and appropriate for audiences of all ages! Written by the dynamic duo of Drew Anderson and Dwayne Lawson-Brown (nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Production – Theater for Young Audiences for 2020’s FROM GUMBO TO MUMBO), it touches on social and cultural topics with incredible wit and light-heartedness — and, of course, features irresistible hip hop music.
This project was originally workshopped through Keegan’s 2022 Boiler Room Series, a new works-focused initiative working to support and promote theater-makers who are driving theater in DC and beyond to new and unexpected places. LEARN MORE
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities at www.arts.gov.
Saturdays at 2:00 and 8:00 pm
Sundays at 3:00 and 8:00 pm
Tuesdays-Thursdays at 10:00 am
Friday, March 31 at 8:00 pm
Friday, April 7 at 10:00 am
$50 for single tickets
20% discount when you build a package with 3+ mainstage shows
25% discount when you build a package with 7+ mainstage shows
$10 off per ticket when you buy 10+ tickets to a single performance
60 minutes with no intermission
March 31, 2023 | Happy Hour @ 7:00 pm, Show @ 8:00 pm
Discounted tickets are $40 and include 1 pre-show drink, exclusive access to our upstairs lounge, and a seat for the evening’s performance
April 2, 2023 | Following the performance
Free and open to all patrons
Broadway World Review
“With a small cast of just seven people, this show came alive with the energy and excitement that radiated from this group … the clever writing and acting choices completed by this team successfully kept everyone engaged and entertained.”
DC Theater Arts Review
“In a world where critical thinking skills seem to be dwindling, PUSH THE BUTTON is a hero, reminding us to think critically about how we feed into harmful power dynamics and about the information we consume daily.”
Washington City Paper Review
“[PUSH THE BUTTON] is another sweet and salty iteration on the superhero theme that stands out thanks to a rousing hip-hop score … Keegan Theatre’s production balances that blend of spoof and style nicely.”
MD Theatre Guide Review
“[PUSH THE BUTTON] is fun, colorful, and full of sound and motion… It’s the sort of short, eye-catching, modern theatre piece that could capture the imagination of the next generation of audiences.”
DCist Review
“PUSH THE BUTTON is a superhero tale that’s pop-art colorful, incredibly easy to follow, and still a thoughtful fable on systemic injustice. …the show succeeds due to anarchic, megawatt performances.”
A science teacher turned teaching artist, poet/parodist turned playwright, and marathon runner turned motivational speaker, DREW ANDERSON is founder and co-host of Spit Dat (the longest-running open mic in the nation’s capital) and co-creator of the critically-acclaimed stage productions Push The Button and From Gumbo to Mumbo (nominated for the 2020 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Production – Theatre for Young Audiences, winner of “Best Of” at the 2019 Charm City Fringe Festival). A nationally-credentialed teaching artist and DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellow, Drew has merged his passions for entertainment and education into such arts integration initiatives as Spoof School and C.R.U.N.K. Academy, bringing his unique spin on hip hop, comedy, parody, drama and poetry to stages virtual and physical, local and international.
Previous shows include: Keegan Theatre: From Gumbo to Mumbo (co-writer, performer); THEARC/Woolly Mammoth Theatre: Spit Dat: Homegrown (co-writer, performer); Motor House: Fools and Madmen Present Hip Hop Much Ado About Nothing (Don Pedro), Fools and Madmen Present Hip Hop King Lear (Edmund).
DWAYNE LAWSON-BROWN, aka the Crochet Kingpin, is co-host of Spit Dat, the longest running open mic in Washington, D.C. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., they have performed and hosted at The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth, Keegan Theatre, The Strathmore, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and others. In addition to various poetic accomplishments, Dwayne is a Helen Hayes-nominated playwright, competitive karaoke champion, and CEO of Crochet Kingpin Designs.
Previous shows include: Keegan Theatre: From Gumbo to Mumbo (co-writer, performer); World Music Collective at Keegan Theatre: Dear Mr. Duncan (co-writer, performer); THEARC/Woolly Mammoth Theatre: Spit Dat: Homegrown (co-writer, performer).
