Around the Hearth

Around the Hearth: An Original Play About the Ball-Sellers House

When: August 13, 2026 at 7 PM

Where: Library Auditorium, Marymount University

Join the Arlington Historical Society for an encore performance of Around the Hearth, a play about the generations of people who lived in the oldest building in Arlington County. The families living in this mid-18th century farmhouse experienced colonial Virginia, the American Revolution, the tumult of the 19th century, and the growing pains of the 20th.

Meticulously researched and written by local playwright and Washington Liberty High School (WLHS) alum Layla Johnson (now attending Oberlin College), Around the Hearth breathes life into this varied group of Virginians. Audiences meet John Ball, a colonial farmer and miller; William Carlin, an Alexandria tailor who is the name sake of the Glencarlyn neighborhood; Ann and Andrew Carlin, entrepreneurial siblings who ran the Carlin Springs Resort and Spa for 30 years; Irene Young a suffragist and math teacher; Julia and Will Powell, both veterans of World War I, and their niece Marian Sellers who donated the house to the Arlington Historical Society in 1975.

Produced and directed by Matteo Hope, also an alum of WLHS and now attending George Mason University, Mr. Hope has assembled a cast of young and old alike to enthusiastically portray each generation.

The performance will NOT be available via Zoom, and it will NOT be recorded.

Tickets are free, but we hope you donate toward the preservation of this unique historical treasure. Seating is limited so please reserve your seats(s) at this link: https://arlhist.org/around-the-hearth/