Washington Drama Society Inc

Washington Drama Society Inc, also known as Arena Stage, is a dynamic center for the production, presentation, development, and study of American theater. With a mission to encourage public interest in the arts, particularly drama, the organization offers instruction and experience in the experimentation and development of drama and performing arts. It strives to improve the standards of performance in these areas through education, research, and experimentation.

Arena Stage, the voice of American theater in the nation's capital, has been operating for over seven decades. The nonprofit focuses on American artists and their stories, producing innovative and representative works from across the country. They nurture new plays and reimagine classics, celebrating democracy and diversity through a multitude of voices in their productions and community engagement programs. Arena Stage's productions are passionate, exuberant, profound, entertaining, deep, and sometimes dangerous – reflecting the American spirit.

Amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arena Stage continued its operations with six productions and various community engagement programs. During the 2021-2022 season, they opened with "Toni Stone," a show about the first woman to play baseball in the Negro Leagues. Next, they presented "Celia and Fidel" in their Power Play Commission Series, which explored the power struggle between Cuba's most influential female revolutionary and its most notorious political leader. The season continued with August Wilson's "Seven Guitars," which delved into the lives of seven friends who are irrevocably changed when an old friend returns. Craig Lucas' "Change Agent" followed, a powerful play set during the volatile 1960s, and the adaptation of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" in musical form. Additionally, Arena Stage began a multi-year partnership with Step Afrika!, and the first production, "Drumfolk," was inspired by the Stono Rebellion and the Negro Act of 1740 in South Carolina.

Arena Stage continued to support their next generation creators through Camp Arena Stage, offering young artists the opportunity to learn and hone their craft as well as explore new areas of creation. Despite the ongoing restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, they provided a virtual audition intensive and continued their long-running program, Voices of Now (VON), an internationally recognized, devised theater program where ensembles of middle-school, high-school, and adult artists work together to create autobiographical plays and films. The VON Festival made a successful return to live performance during May 2022, featuring a mix of short films and in-person, multimedia performances.