Ornate Elizabethan corsets and gowns, daggers and swords, goblets and plates, crowns and false jewels, golden fleece... OK, we might be getting a little carried away, but you get the idea.
This isn't your typical garage sale.
The Washington Shakespeare Company is offering goodies from 20 years of theater history during a weekend-long sale from Friday, June 10 to Sunday, June 12 at the Clark Street Playhouse (601 S. Clark St., Arlington). You can find thousands of items, from costumes and artwork to set decorations and furniture -- and even home appliances of the non-Elizabethan variety.
“There are no words I can describe that can stop the jaw-dropping impact when they walk in,” said Warren Arbogast, executive director of the theater company.
The first day on Friday, June 10 is exclusive to theater companies and non-profits. The main sale occurs on Saturday, June 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- and items still around on Sunday are a free-for-all. Yes, you read correctly, although good luck hauling the items out of there.
“It’s an unusual opportunity to see more than a decade’s worth of theatrical stuff from the D.C. area,” Arbogast said. The company moved to the Artisphere in Arlington and is looking to get rid of its inventory.
Expect “bid what-you-will pricing,” Arbogast said, although, as presumed, larger items will be more expensive. Now, if your heart is set on a piece, but you don’t have say, the 25 bucks to buy it, “we’ll let them have it,” he said.
Part of the proceeds will go toward the local children’s theater program. In the past, professional actors have worked with local kids to teach them about classic playwrights such as Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams, Arbogast said. The kids had opportunities to add a contemporary twist to stories from past eras, he said.
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