D.C. boasts a thriving theater scene; you can see a decadent touring production at The Kennedy Center, a scrappy, experimental show at Fringe, and a huge range of high-quality shows in between at any of our favorite venues— which was the focus of last year’s best of list. This year, we’re highlighting some of the best smaller companies—many without permanent performance spaces or venues of their own— that produce some immensely entertaining shows, often at a bargain of a price.

Toby Mulford, Sarah Pretz, Catherine Deadman and Julia Klavans in Absolutely! {perhaps}. Photo: Stan Barouh

CONSTELLATION THEATRE COMPANY: Here’s one reason to go see a show by Constellation: Tom Teasley. The multi-faceted musician has served as a one-man orchestra for several of the small theater’s productions, including interpretations of such epics as The Ramayana and Gilgamesh. He’s a marvel to see in action (Teasley will be back for Journey to the West next year). The eclectic company also excels at farce and black comedy, and their shows always feel like an adventure. — Missy Frederick

Constellation typically operates out of Source Theatre, located at 1835 14th Street NW

FLYING V THEATRE: Take your pick of great local children’s theater companies like Imagination Stage or Adventure Theater for family-friendly fare, but for adults in search of adventurous, playful theater, you can’t beat Flying V. Recent productions have covered superheroes and pirate-themed musicals; their current play, part of the Women’s Voices Theater Festival, takes on the Oregon Trail. — Riley Croghan

Flying V can frequently be found at The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, in Bethesda, Md.

FORUM THEATER: Forum can always be counted on to deliver entertainment at a bargain— their pay-what-you-can policy (available at the door before any production) is one of the most generous policies in the District, making your already-flimsy excuse to never see live theater because it’s “too expensive” especially weak. They’re an active participant in the National New Play Network, and produce experimental works like the walking podcast/tour/play Walking the City of Silence and Stone. — Riley Croghan

Forum is the resident company at The Silver Spring Black Box Theatre, 8641 Colesville Road, in Silver Spring Md.

POINTLESS THEATRE COMPANY: Founded in 2009 by a group of University of Maryland grads, Pointless is producing some of the most original work in town, with productions expertly utilizing music, movement, and puppetry. You may have seen their recent expressionist adaptation Doctor Caligari or last year’s remount of Sleeping Beauty: A Puppet Ballet, which earned a rave write-up in the Post. If you haven’t seen their (currently) semi-annual shows, make sure you do; they are likely to be the most visually imaginative and dazzling stuff you’ve seen outside of D.C.’s major houses. And they have puppets! — Jonelle Walker

RORSCHACH THEATRE: Rorschach Theatre has an uncanny ability to transport the theatergoer to a completely new world. When watching a Rorschach production, the audience forgets they’re at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (or in one of the many venues the theater has taken over as it struggled to find a space over the years). Rorschach productions tend to have a mystical, fantastical bent. They also have serious geek creed, producing plays written by such cult authors as Neil Gaiman and Haruki Murakami. For this season, Japanese ghost stories, Web comic adaptations, and a monster mashup are all on the table. — Missy Frederick

Photo by K-Town Studios, courtesy of Spooky Action Theater.

SPOOKY ACTION “Spooky” is right; much of this company’s oeuvre seems to be pulled from the hazy world of dreams rather than real life, and they’re at their best with otherworldly ghost stories like Kwaidan or absurdist romps like Jarry Inside Out. I’m still kicking myself for missing 2013’s Kafka on the Shore, an adaptation of one of Murakami’s most surreal novels (and that’s saying something). — Riley Croghan

Spooky Action typically performs at the Universalist National Memorial Church at 1810 16th Street NW.

SYNETIC THEATER: Even though they’re working out of a small, subterranean theater facility in Crystal City, the ambitious Synetic Theater has developed a strong reputation for innovative, movement-focused productions. They’re best known for their dance-heavy “Silent Shakespeare” series, bringing to life such works as Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream without using language. But the company has also produced sexy, edgy versions of classics ranging from Faust to The Picture of Dorian Gray. The stories may be familiar, but co-founders Paata and Irinia Tsikurishvili can be counted on to put together a show that feels original and fresh. — Missy Frederick

Synetic Theater is located at 1800 S Bell Street, in Arlington, Va.

TAFFETY PUNK: Taffety Punk takes remixing Shakespeare seriously, from their all-female Riot Grrrrls series to Bootleg Shakespeare, with a steady volume of original work, like The Devil in his Own Words, produced throughout. You can catch them along with some of the many other fine troupes operating out of the Capital Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW). — Riley Croghan

CHAW is located at 545 7th Street SE

ASTRO POP: Highbrow theater this is not. Hell, Astro Pop‘s glittery, hilarious, genre-bending events probably fall more under the category of performance art than theater, but who cares? Where else are you going to see Mr. Peanut beat the shit out of Alvin and the Chipmunks in a show that also features fights between a sloth, Diane Rehm, Vladimir Putin, Keyboard Cat, Alf, and Speedy Gonzales (if you somehow guessed that Diane Rehm came out on top, you’d be correct) in between burlesque acts? Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club is basically a celebrity WWE event crossed with a burlesque show that is hosted by an Elvis impersonator in honor of The King’s birthday. Astro Pop’s other signature event is the annual Countdown to Yuri’s Night, which similarly defies categorization. Suffice it to say that this year’s event included live music, burlesque, a “weird science fair,” and an art exhibition. — Rachel Sadon

Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club takes place at GALA Hispanic Theater in January.

WE HAPPY FEW: Our fair District often gets knocked for the sheer number of Shakespeare productions going on at any given time. Nearly half a millennium (or a Willennium…) has passed, but we still find ourselves wondering “What light from yonder window breaks?” whenever we head to the theater. We Happy Few Productions makes a great case for revisiting the golden oldies. Staging most of their productions during Capital Fringe, this theater troupe has never had a cast in the double-digits and trusts its actors with ye olden dialogue. They’re right too—the troupe makes the words from bygone eras feel fresh and urgent. My first taste of We Happy Few was their take on Romeo and Juliet, a production so good it moved me to write a sonnet. Their most recent Fringe offering was one of Shakepeare’s less appreciated works—A Winter’s Tale—demonstrating the group’s willingness to take on a challenge, and force the audience to do the same. We Happy Few doesn’t just do the Bard, either. Last year it channeled John Carpenter when it staged John Webster’s The Dutchess of Malfi. This is definitely a crew you want to keep on your radar. — Rachel Kurzius