Founded in 1950, Arena Stage works to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Our focus is on theater of the Americas; we produce American classics, premieres of new plays and contemporary stories. Our Arena is a forum, a coliseum, a place for audiences to argue, discuss and meet each other over the theatrical divide. At the center is art; all other programs thrive in concentric circles supporting the art. Now in its sixth decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 200,000.