CENTERSTAGE: A Brief Institutional Biography
Launched in 1963 by an ambitious group of theater lovers from the community, CENTERSTAGE soon became a leader in the regional theater movement, whose goal was to foster first-rate professional resident theaters across America. Along with theaters like The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Arena Stage in Washington, and Alley Theatre in Houston, CENTERSTAGE changed the way Americans experience theater.
In the decades since its founding, CENTERSTAGE successfully survived its growing pains—including a potentially disastrous fire in 1974—to become Baltimore's leading professional theater and the designated State Theater of Maryland. Each season, we welcome highly diverse audiences to our award-winning theater in Baltimore's historic Mt. Vernon Cultural District. Fueled by the vision of Irene Lewis, who took over as Artistic Director in the 1991–92 Season, CENTERSTAGE continues to present an eclectic and challenging array of work, from classical to contemporary, reflecting a wide variety of perspectives.
Productions occupy two intimate auditoriums: the 541-seat Pearlstone Theater and the smaller, flexible-configuration Head Theater (seating about 375). There, over 100,000 people annually enjoy the work of the finest writers, actors, directors, and designers attracted by CENTERSTAGE’s artistically driven mission, commitment to excellence and accessibility, and record of powerful productions. Recently lauded by The Wall Street Journal as “a model of what regional theater can and should be,” CENTERSTAGE holds fast to its original goal of putting art before commerce. Accordingly, while production quality is high, prices remain low—single tickets cost as little as $10. The theater even offers Pay-What-You-Can performances, at which theatergoers literally set their own admission price.
The tenure of Irene Lewis has been one of continuous growth and constant change. Work—whether classics, commissions, or musical theater pieces—involves collaborative teams of emerging and established artists who create theater that confronts the universal, often difficult questions we all face. Recognizing that the audience is the final collaborator, and that a broadly representative assortment of diverse individuals heightens the theatrical experience, Lewis has made diversity on stage, among the staff, and in the audience a central institutional priority.
A touchstone of Lewis’ tenure has been an increased dedication to access and opportunity—from removing economic barriers to expanding inclusion in many other ways. In addition to extensive community and education programs for students and teachers, CENTERSTAGE also offers a variety of special series designed to enhance the theater-going experience for all. Such programs represent just a fraction of the manifold commitments to diversity, community, entrepreneurial spirit, and audience engagement that support our core artistic mission.
This outlook most recently influenced a profound reconsideration of the season structure at CENTERSTAGE. Seeking new directions and opportunities in artistic impetus—embracing the responsibility of new financial limitations balanced against a continued commitment to artistic integrity—we reconsidered many of the basic assumptions behind our longtime practices. Rather than simply cut back or scale down a traditional six-play season, we reconceived the accepted model of programming and now offer 14 wildly varying productions in a formula dubbed “Theatrical Tapas.”
Even in periods of economic challenge, CENTERSTAGE has matched our artistic accomplishments with a record of balanced budgets for well over 30 years, thanks in no small part to broad local support and an industry-leading board of trustees. Under the leadership of Lewis and Managing Director Debbie Chinn, CENTERSTAGE now approaches our 50th anniversary with a characteristically bold new approach, continuing to pursue our acknowledged role as a Leading National Theater.