Arena Stage
Regional theater in Washington D.C. / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C.[1] Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C.,[1][2][3][4] and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement.[5][6] Its theater complex was completed for the company in 2010; it is called The Mead Center for American Theater.
Address | 1101 Sixth Street Southwest, Washington, D.C. United States |
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Coordinates | 38°52′38″N 77°01′13″W |
Public transit | Waterfront station (Washington Metro) Metrobus (Washington, D.C.) |
Operator | Molly Smith, Edgar Dobie |
Genre(s) | American Plays & Playwrights |
Capacity | 1,392 |
Construction | |
Opened | 1950 |
Renovated | 2008–2010 |
Years active | 1950–present |
Website | |
arenastage |
Since 1998 the theater's Artistic Director had been Molly Smith, who retired in July 2023.[7] The current Artistic Director is Hana S. Sharif. The Executive Producer is Edgar Dobie.[8] It is the largest company in the country dedicated to American plays and playwrights.[9] Arena Stage commissions and develops new plays through its Power Plays initiative.[10] The company serves an annual audience of more than 300,000.[7][11] Its productions have received numerous local and national awards, including the Tony Award for best regional theater[12] and over 600 Helen Hayes Awards.[13][11][14]