Nighttime photo of the corner of 14th and P Streets NW with Studio's lit marquee

Mission

Studio Theatre produces exceptional contemporary theatre in deliberately intimate spaces, fostering a more thoughtful, more empathetic, and more connected community, in Washington, DC and beyond.

Erica Sullivan and Christian Conn in VENUS IN FUR, 2010. Photo credit: Scott Suchman.

About Studio Theatre

Like our yellow marquee lighting up 14th Street, Studio Theatre has been a theatrical beacon in the heart of the DC for more than four decades. A longstanding Washington cultural institution dedicated to the production of contemporary theatre, we are a community of artists and audience members who believe in the power of theatre to help us understand the world, engage with some of the most important ideas and issues of the day, and affirm our common humanity. 

We program the best in contemporary theatre: plays that are provocative, courageous, unexpected, meaty, irreverent, hilarious, tragic. We’re especially passionate about plays that make you think by asking you to feel.

Over more than 40 years and more than 350 productions, Studio has grown from a company that produced in a single rented theatre to one that owns a multi-venue complex stretching half a city block, but we have stayed committed to our core distinguishing characteristics: deliberately intimate spaces; excellence in acting and design; and seasons that feature many of the most significant playwrights of our time. Each season, we present a diverse roster of thought-provoking contemporary plays, featuring local, national, and international artists. We also invest in the incubation and development of new work and nurture the next generation of arts leaders.

Studio is a values-focused organization that pursues artistry and inclusion, and brings characteristic thoughtfulness and daring to our efforts, onstage and off.

We are committed to anti-racism and make a concerted effort to proactively dismantle barriers that have excluded people from joyful participation in our art form. Rooted in our mission to foster a more thoughtful, empathetic, and connected community, Studio's community engagement efforts include access and affordability initiatives, a growing community partner program, free student matinees, and a commitment to opening up our building as a hub for our neighborhood and city. In all that we do, Studio endeavors to make an essential contribution to the vitality of our nation’s capital.

Values

Artistry

In consistent pursuit of excellence onstage and off, we encourage creativity and exploration, and go about our work with exceptional rigor, craft, and attention to detail. 

Inclusion

Embracing the differences that enrich our society and our art, we strive to cultivate a diverse workforce, audience, and repertoire, and to be an especially welcoming place for all.

Company

We foster a supportive workplace in which people collaborate with generosity and trust, nurture future arts leaders through exposure and mentorship, and encourage the professional and personal growth of those who work here.

Stewardship

We use the theatre’s resources mindfully, investing in a vital future for our institution.

Boldness

We take chances, challenge the status quo, and produce theatre that fearlessly interrogates the human experience.

Anti-Racism at Studio

Land, Labor, and Legacy Recognition

2022-2023 Studio Annual Report