Please Underestimate Me, the new one-woman show starring TV personality, author, chef, and restaurateur Carla Hall in her first professional stage role, will have its World Premiere at Olney Theatre Center in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab (June 3 – July 12, 2026). Directed by Lili-Anne Brown (Fela!), Hall co-wrote the autobiographical script with Lori Kaye and Leslie Thomas, which was developed at Olney Theatre as part of its Vanguard Arts Fund.
Jason Loewith, Olney Theatre Center’s Artistic Director, says, “DC resident and national hero Carla Hall has been a frequent audience member at Olney Theatre. So when I read a profile of her in the New York Times in which she said she was working on a one-woman show, I immediately called her and said, “let’s workshop this right now!” When Carla showed up to the first rehearsal with fresh biscuits and homemade jam, I knew this was going to be more than special. And pairing her with Helen Hayes award-winning director Lili-Anne Brown is the (forgive me) cherry on top.”
Carla Hall, photo courtesy of Olney Theatre Center
Director Lili-Anne Brown returns to Olney Theatre after helming the 2023 production of Fela! which won Helen Hayes Awards for both Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Production of a Musical. Along with Brown, the creative team includes Lauren M. Nichols (Set Design), Harold Burgess (Lighting Design), Paris Francesca (Costume Design), Willow James (Sound Design), and Kelly Colburn (Projections Design). Erika L. Placencia is the Production Stage Manager.
Bridging the food and theatre worlds, Honorary Producers for the production include Chef Eric Adjepong of Food Network’s “Wildcard Kitchen,” author, restaurateur, and TV personality Chef Spike Mendelsohn, food and wine publisher Nycci Nellis, Emmy-nominated journalist and producer Erin Como, and Nina Oduro, Co-founder of Black Women in Food.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Award-winning chef, best-selling author, and beloved TV personality, Carla Hall, is at the top of her game. But getting there was no picnic. In this theatrical one-woman show, Carla Hall invites you to “strap in” for a wild, hilarious, and emotional ride as she reveals how she learned to embrace her own authenticity, “work her quirk” and finally step into her power. From her Tennessee roots as an awkward theater camp kid, to Howard University, to a stint on the runways of Paris, to her irreverent takes on the confusing expectations of Black excellence, crushing sexism, and the many attempts to erase her uniqueness, Carla has had to battle every step of the way to find her true voice – and wait till you hear it. In this insightful and inspiring World Premiere, Carla reveals the secret ingredients to her greatest creation: herself. This intimate exchange will leave audiences laughing, thinking, feeling and… maybe even discovering a little of their own power in simply being themselves.
Carla Hall: Please Underestimate Me runs June 3 – July 12 in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd, Olney, MD. Tickets are $47-$101 and available online or by calling the box office at 301.924.3400. Discounts are available for groups, seniors, teachers, active military, first responders, and students. Visit olneytheatre.org/discounts for details.
Performance Times
Regular performances are Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30 pm.
Matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 pm.
Wednesday matinees on June 10, 24 and July 8 at 1:30 pm
Friday matinees on June 19 and July 3 at 1:30 pm.
No Saturday matinee on June 6.
ACCESSIBILITY
Audio-described performance on Wednesday, June 17 at 7:30 pm
Sign interpreted performance on Thursday, June 18 at 7:30 pm
RELATED EVENTS
Behind the Scenes
Serving a Story
Date: Sat, June 6th, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Location: Mulitz-Gudelsky Lab Theatre
$10 / Free for members
Join Olney on opening night for a special Behind the Scenes conversation for Carla Hall: Please Underestimate Me. This engaging discussion will feature storyteller Amy Saidman of Story District alongside special guests.
Part of Olney’s ongoing tradition to deepen the audience experience, this conversation delves into the “why” behind the production, highlighting themes of resilience, identity, and storytelling that resonate within our community. Blending the worlds of food, performance, and personal narrative, it offers a unique opportunity to experience the heart of the show beyond the spotlight.
In The Community
Story Time at the Olney Library
Story reader: Simone Boyd
Date: Sunday, June 7, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Location: Olney Public Library (3500 Olney Laytonsville Rd, Olney, MD 20832)
No RSVP. Just show up!
ALL Things Maryland Celebration
Date: Saturday, June 27, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Location: Omi’s Pavilion
Celebrate everything that makes Maryland special following the matinee of Carla Hall – Please Underestimate Me a hilarious and heartfelt world-premiere solo show featuring beloved chef and television personality Carla Hall. As the State Summer Theater of Maryland, we’re bringing the community together for a festive afternoon celebrating local flavor, culture, and pride.
Join Olney Theatre Center for a festive afternoon on campus featuring beloved local flavors, culture, and community spirit. Explore a lively marketplace of Maryland small businesses and vendors, enjoy a crab-inspired food truck, and take part in a special tasting experience with Fallen Oak Distilling.
Join short cocktail demos featuring the iconic Orange Crush — often considered Maryland’s state cocktail — along with other drinks that showcase local ingredients and distilling traditions.
Come celebrate Maryland: its food, its makers, and the stories that bring people together.
Onstage Tours
Location:Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab
Sunday, June 21, at 4:00 pm
Sunday, June 28, at 4:00 pm
Cost: $10
How does a professional theater bring the magic of a story on stage? We’re inviting folks of every age to come on stage and see how we do it. Lighting demonstrations, costume and prop displays, scenery moves… Olney’s professional production staff will take you on an amazing Onstage Tour. RSVP early; this event tends to sell out fast!
ABOUT OLNEY THEATRE CENTER
Mission
Olney Theatre Center for the Arts produces and curates theatrical performance for the diverse audiences in our community, and educates, learns from, supports and inspires a more inclusive generation of theater-makers.
Vision
Olney strives to become an arts and culture powerhouse, redefining the American regional theater movement by cultivating and sharing the creativity of its community.
History
Founded in 1938 as a summer playhouse, Olney Theatre Center now produces year-round world and American premieres of plays and musicals, and reimaginings of familiar titles; presents the work of leading companies; tours nationally and locally; teaches students of all ages; and mentors the next generation of theater-makers. For more than 8 decades, Olney Theatre has brought impactful theater performance and education to its community, helping to grow the vibrancy and vitality of our home in central Maryland.
Over the years, some of the biggest names in theater and film have appeared on Olney stages, including Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Bob Fosse, Phillip Bosco, Eve Arden, Eva Gabor, Burl Ives, Jose Ferrer, Carol Channing, Olivia de Havilland, Tony Randall, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Jane Seymour, Anne Revere, Frances Sternhagen, Arthur Treacher, James Broderick, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen, Marica Gay Harden, John Colicos, Uzo Aduba, Alan Cumming, Cheyenne Jackson, Robin de Jesus, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, among many, many others.
Olney Theatre is now the cultural anchor of a rapidly changing region and serves one of the most diverse, best educated, and wealthiest counties in the country. Situated on the unceded land of the Piscataway-Conoy people, the Olney area was once a rural farming community with a unique Quaker heritage. Now the area is occupied by every kind of family that makes up 21st-century America, along with major corporations, shopping districts, civic associations, nonprofit organizations, and a diverse collection of houses of worship. Montgomery County’s 1 million residents play a dynamic role in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, and are a driving force behind the region’s creative economy.