National Sylvan Theater
MIT Concert Band performs at the National Sylvan Theater in 2011
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 National Sylvan Theater
Location within Washington, D.C.
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Washington Monument, National Mall Washington, D.C. United States |
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| Coordinates | 38°53′18″N 77°02′04″W / 38.888333°N 77.034444°W |
| Opened | April 4, 1917 |
The National Sylvan Theater — often simply the Sylvan Theater — is a public sylvan theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument, National Mall, in Washington, D.C., USA. It is located within the northwest corner of the 15th Street and Independence Avenue intersection, about 450 feet (137 m) southeast of the Washington Monument. A wooden stage is set in a graded depression surrounded by a grove of trees and appears as a sort of natural amphitheater integral to the historic greensward of the monument grounds. A gathering of 10,000 event attendees may stretch from the theater stage back to the base of the monument. The Sylvan Theater was the first federally funded theater in the United States.
The theater was the idea of Alice Pike Barney (1857–1931), a campaigner, in efforts to transform Washington, D.C. into the nation's cultural capital during the first quarter of the 20th century. She became known for her lavishly produced, artistically executed ballets, mimes, tableaux, plays, and other theatrical productions. During the First World War, she persuaded Congress to approve and fund the construction of a "National Sylvan Theater" at its present site at the Washington Monument in 1916. As the theater's original playwright, Pike prepared scripts for the first half dozen productions.
It was designed to seat over 8,000 persons. Built and maintained by the War Department in its administration of the park system of the District of Columbia, performances had to receive the approval of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds. While the Federal government supports the stage, including such areas as lighting, policing, and the management of tickets, other expenses fall upon the company producing the event. Its first director was Col. W. H. Harts, Superintendent of Parks in Washington.
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