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Camping Out

“To say this is one of the most important stories to put on our stage is a complete understatement,” said Artistic Director of Arena Stage Molly Smith at the world premiere of Camp David. “It’s important to be reminded of a moment—now 35 years ago—when people from very different cultures and perspectives risked their lives and careers and put themselves on the line personally, intellectually and spiritually by sitting down to forge an agreement.”

Camp David (renamed after Eisenhower’s grandson) is the rural retreat of US Presidents ensconced in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Maryland, some 64 miles northwest of Washington. Its history includes the meeting there during World War II between President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and has been the scene of a number of high-level presidential conferences with foreign heads of state. The Accords are considered by most historians to be the greatest accomplishment of the Carter Presidency.