John Harney Takes Us Somewhere, Virginia!

What happens when the political world you built your life around suddenly changes—and you’re forced to figure out who you are without it? Playwright John Harney joins Robert Bannon on The Roundtable to talk about his timely new play, Somewhere, Virginia, making its world premiere September 8–12 as part of Theater for the New City’s 14th Dream Up Festival.

The drama follows Clare, an ambitious congressional chief of staff who abruptly walks away from Washington following the 2024 election and disappears from the lives of those around her. When she unexpectedly summons three former colleagues to an old house in the Virginia countryside, the reunion forces them to confront careers and relationships changed by the election—and the question of what comes next. Meanwhile, an unseen mother upstairs and the history buried in the land outside give the story an almost haunting presence.

Harney talks with Robert about creating a play that wrestles with politics without simply becoming a political play, the complicated relationships among these four Washingtonians, and how America's past continues to echo through its present. Directed by Anna Rebek, the 90-minute production stars Jake Steinberg, Janelle Clayton, Chase Cortland Erwin, and Laura Whittenberger.

Somewhere, Virginia plays September 8–12, 2026 at Theater for the New City in New York City. Tickets are $18.

Tickets and show information at the Dream Up Festival

For more info, go to RobertBannon.com and follow Robert on IG @RobertMBannon.

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