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friday,april3,2020eZ
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he first thing I would do is go to
Planet Fitness with my boyfriend,
Louis, because I really love to run
on the treadmill while watching
the Hallmark Channel. I don’t k now why —
it’s terrible — but it really keeps me
engaged. Then I would go to a Starbucks
because I’m not picky, get an iced chai latte
with skim milk, and write a little. I really
like just taking some time to do that.
Then I would go to the Smithsonian’s
National Zoo. I love the orangutans — they
have these weird family dynamics, and it’s
so insanely awesome and human, watch-
ing the moms with the little babies and the
dads not paying attention. I could watch
them for hours, which I probably would,
because I guess time is just a construct on
this perfect day. I love watching animals,
which makes me kind of sad because
they’re in these cages and that sucks. But,
for the purposes of this day, I’m going to
pretend that we’re in a place where they’re
totally happy to be there.
For lunch, I’d go to this place called
Sushi Jin Next Door in Silver Spring and I
would just eat all of the spicy tuna rolls that
exist. Then I’d go to Old To wn Alexandria
and go to this new-age bookstore called
Sacred Circle. It’s just awesome. It has
such a good vibe, and I’d probably buy a
[ton] of new crystals and some sage.
There’s this energy healer there named
Deb, which is the best name for an energy
healer ever, and I would actually get an
energy healing. I expected her name to be,
like, Star Goddess, but it’s just Deb. I was
like, “Deb, I’m going to write a play about
you one day because you are the coolest.” I t
sounds freakin’ nuts, but the healing is
amazing — it uses all of this sound and
these weights and these crystals and in-
cense, and it totally levels you.
Next, there’s this restaurant in Alexan-
dria called Mia’s Italian Kitchen, and I
would just eat my weight in charcuterie
and pasta and sangria. On this perfect day,
you don’t feel bloated after you eat — you
just keep going. I would love to have all of
the wonderful people I’ve met there, but I
could just leave whenever and Irish good-
bye them and nobody’s upset about it.
From there, I would head back to D.C.
and go to Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.
There’s always a line outside, which is wild
to me because it’s just ice cream, but I
would go anyway and eat all of mine and
whatever my boyfriend didn’t want. I like
the blackout chocolate cake, or they have a
cherry and goat cheese — it’s super weird.
Then we’d go home, and I’d watch
“Chopped” with my cat. That’s really the
way for me.
[email protected]My D.C. Dream Day
All around town, but then home again
In D.C. Dream Day, we ask our favorite people in the area to tell us
how they would spend a perfect day in the District.
Dani Stoller knows all about the volatility of live theater, and the
challenge that comes with delivering each scene just as the writer
penned it. But the Silver Spring-based actress also understands
firsthand how much thought a playwright puts into every word: Her
new play, the comedy “Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes,”
recently lit up Signature Theatre with a sold-out run before
coronavirus concerns prompted an early closing, and is now available
to stream on Signature’s website through April 12.
So when Stoller, 32, hit the rehearsal room for her role in the Olney
Theatre Center’s upcoming production of “The Humans,” i n which thescripted dialogue precisely orchestrates every pause, tic and stutter,
she made it her duty to nail each of those subtleties, note for note.
“I have now weirdly become more precious of text,” Stoller says. “I
used to be, not lax about it, but less exacting. Now, I’m like, ‘Well, that
has to be there for a reason.’ I feel a certain amount of allegiance and
allyship with these writers.”
Although the play, originally set to launch April 1, is indefinitely
delayed, the hiatus does give Stoller more of an opportunity to pore over
Stephen Karam’s intricate script. On her perfect day in the D.C. area,
Stoller sets aside some time to work on the next hit play of her own.
— as told to Thomas Floydcalla Kessler/the Washington PostCustomers sample flavors at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams on 14 th Street NW. Actress and playwright Dani Stoller said she likes the
blackout chocolate cake and cherry and goat cheese flavors.Bill o’leary/the Washington Post
LEFT: An orangutan at the National Zoo. Stoller said she could watch them
for hours. ABOVE: After visiting Planet Fitness, Stoller says she would go to
Matt Mcclain For the Washington Post Starbucks for an iced chai latte with skim milk and to write a little.