So the big winners at last night’s Helen Hayes awards were… puppets? Indeed, Aaron Posner’s unique vision for Measure for Measure, produced at the Folger this year, where puppets took on many of the play’s roles, earned him a best director trophy (he tied with Michael Kahn, for his zany take on Love’s Labor Lost), as well as the award for Outstanding Resident Play. Signature Theater’s Assassins won the most awards of the night with…

FRIDAY: >> Here at DCist we like to pimp scrappy locals and industrious indies who are charging hard against the establishment. When it comes to stand-up comedy however, sometimes we have to make an exception. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t support up-and-coming local comedic talent. You should. But we’d be the first to admit that there’s something particularly distasteful about amateur stand-up done badly — when a comic punts on stage, you just have…

When trying to help someone you love, which is the proper approach? A brutal honesty grounded in cynicism, or a dreamy optimism which may not be grounded in reality? In Arena Stage’s production of The Rainmaker, the characters learn that a little hope can go a long way towards achieving the reality they desire. The Rainmaker focuses on a simple western family, the Currys. The family’s two brothers, sister and father are more than anxious…

Cheaters…women’s sex lives…Salman Rushdie…during March in the D.C. theater world, looks like anything goes; even Anything Goes. Starting off the month is George Bernard Shaw’s Fanny’s First Play, produced by Washington Stage Guild (March 2). This “comedy within a comedy” should prove witty enough, as Shaw always has a way with words. Speaking of renowned male authors, Haroun And The Sea Of Stories, a Salman Rushdie D.C. premiere, begins at the H Street playhouse this…