Ryan McCartan, Shereen Pimentel Will Star in Washington National Opera's West Side Story

Ryan McCartan, Shereen Pimentel Will Star in Washington National Opera's West Side Story

The production will run at two Baltimore venues this May.

February 17, 2026 By Meg Masseron

Casting has been revealed for the Washington National Opera's production of West Side Story, which will run at two Baltimore venues this May. For the foreseeable future, the D.C. based opera institution will no longer stage their productions at the Kennedy Center in protest of President Trump's takeover of the venue.

Conducted by Bernstein protégé Marin Alsop (May 8, 9, 15) and Grammy Award-nominated conductor James Lowe (May 10 and 14), West Side Story will run at the Lyric Baltimore May 8-10, and Baltimore's the Music Center at Strathmore May 14-15.

The production will star Ryan McCartan as Tony and Shereen Pimentel as Maria. Pimentel reprises her role from the 2020 Broadway revival, and at Houston Grand Opera in 2025 (the latter the staging now coming to the National). They will be joined by Taylor Harley as Riff, Amanda Castro as Anita, and Yurel Echezarreta as Bernardo.

Directed by Francesca Zambello alongside associate director Eric Sean Fogel, the production will feature choreography by Joshua Bergasse, associate choreography by Kiira Carper, scenic design by Peter J. Davison, costume design by Jessica Jahn, lighting design by A.J. Guban, and original lighting design by Mark McCullough,.

WNO's search for new venues came on the heels of the Kennedy Center board voting to rename the historic venue the Trump-Kennedy Center, a legally dubious move that requires Congressional approval to become official. The voting board of the Kennedy Center were all appointed by Trump earlier this year. The official website has changed its header to read "The Trump Kennedy Center," though the URL remains Kennedy-Center.org.

The Washington National Opera is not alone in cutting ties with the Kennedy Center. In response to the change in leadership, a number of high profile artists and shows (including the Hamilton tour) have cancelled their engagements at the Center, and ticket sales have fallen as a result. The American College Theatre Festival has also suspended their affiliation with the Kennedy Center.

For tickets and more information, visit WashNatOpera.org.