Established in 1950, the Arena Stage is considered a pioneer of the American regional theater movement.The trio of Zelda and Tom Fichandler and Edward Mangum opened a 247-seat theater in the Hippodrome, a converted movie house on New York Avenue. It was the first professional, desegregated theater in the District.
By 1955, the Fichandlers had taken sole ownership and the theater moved to a 500-seat home in the old Heurich Brewery in Foggy Bottom.
In 1961, a new 800-seat theater opened in the current Southwest location. Around that time, it became one of the first regional theaters to convert to nonprofit status as a way to keep ticket prices affordable.
The Arena Stage is perhaps best known for being the first to debut a regional production that transferred to Broadway with “The Great White Hope” in 1968.
It was also the first American theater to tour the Soviet Union, presenting Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” in 1973.
In 1980 it became the first American company to perform at the international Hong Kong Arts Festival.
The early 2000s saw several record-breaking years in ticket sales. The 2003 production of “South Pacific” was the most financially successful show in the theater’s history. – Liz Farmer
