The D.C. theater scene is among the nation’s most vibrant. We’ve come a long way since the biggest association most people had of theater in D.C. was a particularly disastrous run of Our American Cousin. Our stages now play host to everything from resplendent Broadway alley-oops, to aggressively kooky experimental shows, and fosters an impressive amount of new and commissioned theater along the way.

There is a staggering number of permanent theater venues in the city, and even more nomadic theater troupes that roam from stage to stage. Our list today showcases the best venues in each of the many niches found in the city, but if we missed your favorite, be sure to add your suggestion in the comments.

Photo by Everett Mar.

FOLGER THEATRE: “Take your parents” is code for “let them pay for your ticket,” right? Folger’s shows can be pricey, and sometimes their special events — they often host visiting theater companies for limited engagements, such as Shakespeare’s Globe’s recent production of King Lear — aren’t eligible for discounts. But the fact is that the world’s preeminent Shakespeare library sits in your backyard, within sight of the seat of American government, and if you haven’t yet taken in a show in their breathtaking Elizabethan Theatre, your visiting folks are the perfect excuse. If the weather’s nice, make an evening of it: bring a picnic to the Elizabethan gardens outside, then wander the exhibition hall (in the past, viewers could see Nelson Mandela’s copy of Shakespeare’s Complete Works, or learn about early modern heraldry) before curtain. — Anya van Wagtendonk

Folger Theatre is located at 201 East Capitol Street SE.

CAPITOL HILL ARTS WORKSHOP: Nestled in the quiet, rowhouse-lined streets behind Barracks Row, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) stands apart as a colorful, funky riff on its immediate surroundings. Inside, it holds a tiny black box with the biggest steal in D.C. theater. For a measly $15, (cheaper than Fringe!) you can regularly catch resident classical troublemakers Taffety Punk and their excellent Riot Grrrls Shakespeare series, or any one of their badass transformations of the Bard. With its reasonable rental rates, CHAW also attracts the most up-and-coming of small, local companies. The venue is a must-visit if you’re into saying “I knew them when” and don’t mind taking a gamble. The staff will warn you to keep it down as you exit back into the residential streets after the show, but good luck suppressing your rebel yell once you discover this bargain basement treasure. — Jonelle Walker

CHAW is located at 545 7th Street SE.

ARENA STAGE: The Kennedy Center isn’t the only grand theater in D.C. to offer amazing river views. Arena Stage’s building on the Southwest Waterfront, completed in 2010, is wholly unique in the city. Massive amounts of wood and glass make up the Mead Center for American Theater, which is home to a cafe, gift shop and three unique performance spaces — a four-sided auditorium, a more traditional theater and a smaller, intimate one. This allows Arena to host a diverse selection of theater, from musicals like Fiddler on the Roof to Our War, a collection of short monologues on the Civil War performed in part by local celebrities. — Sarah Anne Hughes

Arena Stage is located at 1101 6th Street SW.

Photo by T. D. Ford.

STUDIO THEATRE: Looking for a fun spot to take your impressively cultured crush? Studio Theatre has you covered. Long known as one of the best places in the city for contemporary plays, its offerings are reliably fresh, funny, or provoking—sometimes all three at once. Just the thing to spark involved conversation over post-show drinks! (Note: there are several awesome bars nearby; you can check this list for some ideas.) The theater space itself is intimate, so you feel cozy and close to the action, and tickets are priced moderately enough that you won’t need to break the bank in order to have a classy night. Unplug from your Netflix queue and take that special someone someplace nice. They deserve it, dammit.— Landon Randolph

Studio Theatre is located at 1501 14th Street NW.

ATLAS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: If you’ve lived in D.C. for some time, you know the feeling well— the anxiety of friends visiting from the Big Apple, hungry to compare every last cocktail and cobblestone to the “far superior” ones they’ve got in New York City. To avoid their (unjustly) scoffing at D.C.’s burgeoning theater scene, take them to Atlas. It’s right in the thick of it on H Street NE, housed in a building that betrays what’s going on inside. Imagine their surprise when you take them into a glorious-looking interior, renovated from an Art Deco movie theater. You can find everything from go-go symphonies to traditional theater to comedy on the stages within, and the bar is stocked with all kinds of goodies. — Rachel Kurzius

The Atlas Performing Arts center is located at 1333 H Street NE.

Photo by Kevin Harber

THE KENNEDY CENTER Home to the Washington National Opera, National Symphony Orchestra and Suzanne Farrell Ballet, the Kennedy Center is the premiere location in D.C. to see performances. It’s also one of the few places left where wearing jeans to a performance is considered inappropriate. (People do it, but my god.) Truly the greatest place to be exposed to every type of live art — from jazz to opera to musicals and symphonies — the Kennedy Center offers old-world grandeur but with affordable prices, from the free Millennium Stage performances to the Generation O discount program. Those savings can be used to buy a glass of expensive champagne to be consumed on the Center’s glorious terrace overlooking the Potomac. — Sarah Anne Hughes

The Kennedy Center is located at 2700 F Street NW.

IMAGINATION STAGE: Our sole entry outside of D.C. limits, the Bethesda-based Imagination Stage is a perfect refuge for families looking for shows devoid of profanity, blood, and violence. To each their own. They’re currently playing 101 Dalmatians, technically an adaptation of the book rather than the Disney movie. We’re betting your toddler can’t tell the difference.

Imagination Stage is located at 4908 Auburn Avenue in Bethesda, Md.

BACK ALLEY THEATER: Describing this as a “venue” requires some tolerance for loose interpretation, much like your typical experimental theater show. The name “Back Alley Theater” has been applied to garages, churches, and schools since its creation in the late ’60s, then lay dormant for 30 years before being resurrected. Consider their underground cred cemented by the fact that most shows are announced via Facebook word-of-mouth or their bare-bones tumblr.

Back Alley Theater currently plays at a (literally) underground space at the corner of Colorado Avenue and Kennedy Street NW

GALA Hispanic Theatre: Located in Columbia Heights, GALA gives Latino playwrights, artists and performers a dedicated space that serves as a National Center for Latino Performing Arts. Productions in Spanish are accompanied by “surtitles,” making the performances available to everyone, and the theater also hosts special performances like a current one from the Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company.

GALA Hispanic Theatre is located at 3333 14th Street NW.

Photo by Wes Stone

WOOLLY MAMMOTH: Active in the National New Play Network, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is nationally known for showcasing new, edgy, quality work. In fact, over half of their plays are world premieres. Their theater is bigger and fancier than where you’d expect to see new work; it comfortably seats 265 attendees. My favorites are usually the one-person shows or the brainy, intellectual performances where the audience is challenged or actually learns something. The last show I saw was amazing, enlightening and a history lesson: We Are Proud to Present: A Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South-West Africe, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915. (Trust me, the name may sound like a bore, but the play was anything but.) It’s not all serious though. Past shows like the One Man Star Wars, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (by the Neo-Futurists) and America: All Better!! (by Chicago’s Second City) have always been a good time. Next up for me at Woolly: Famous Puppet Death Scenes this December and January—that’s got to be hilarious. — Lynne Venart

Woolly Mammoth is located at 641 D Street NW.

SOURCE THEATRE: The Source black box plays host to a variety of theater troupes without current homes; its currently decked out in art deco glimmer for Constellation Theater’s Absolutely! {perhaps}. It also serves as a home to Washington Improv Theater, one of the most finely-polished improv groups in D.C., a group that occasionally finds situational fodder when the black box theater they perform in is occupied by an elaborate set for a different production.

Source Theatre is located at 1835 14th St NW

NATIONAL THEATRE: While the biggest musical ever can only be contained by the massively huge Kennedy Center when it comes to town, most touring Broadway shows find a D.C. home at National Theatre. The stage has hosted your dad’s favorite musical (Spamalot), your mom’s favorite (Mamma Mia!), and your DCist editor’s childhood favorite (Les Miserables). This coming season will see Pippin and Newsies added to that list.

National Theatre is located at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.