The Atlas Performing Arts Center is delighted to announce that The Theatre Lab, D.C.’s largest and most comprehensive school for the dramatic arts, has joined as a Resident Arts Partner. With missions that are aligned, this partnership affirms our combined commitment to advancing artistic excellence, arts education, equity, inclusion, and community engagement.
The Theatre Lab has been transforming lives through arts education for nearly 35 years. Located in Mount Vernon Square, The Theatre Lab enrolls over 3,000 students of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels each year, believing that theatre is not only an art form, but also a powerful tool for personal growth, empathy, and connection. According to DC Theater Arts, “The Theatre Lab has long been a leader in this space, and […] offers something deeper: a reminder that the power of live theater lies not just in spectacle, but in story, connection, and the belief that even the youngest voices can carry ancient truths.”
As a Resident Arts Partner, The Theatre Lab’s two teen summer musicals will anchor Atlas’ performance season while sharing administrative resources alongside Capital City Symphony, Mosaic Theater Company, Solas Nua, and Visionaries of the Creative Arts (VOCA). This partnership exemplifies Atlas’s commitment to arts education, collaboration, and innovation, offering the organization a flexible, supportive environment to ignite new ideas and creative growth.
“The Theatre Lab has been part of the Atlas family for years, filling our stages with sold-out teen productions, participating in the Atlas Broadway Master Class Series, and apprentices learning their craft alongside our production team. Making that relationship official as a Resident Arts Partner is a natural next step. When young people discover what they’re capable of on our stages, and young adults build careers in our booths and on our catwalks, the whole arts community grows stronger. We couldn’t ask for a better partner in that work.”
– Jarrod Bennett, Executive Director, Atlas Performing Arts Center
“The Theatre Lab is thrilled to formalize our partnership with the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Both of our organizations share a deep commitment to expanding access to the transformative power of theatre. By joining forces, we are able to showcase extraordinary young talent in a respected professional venue, train the next generation of technical theatre professionals on state-of-the-art equipment, and ensure artists from historically underrepresented communities take center stage.”
– Deb Gottesman, Co-Executive Director, The Theatre Lab
About The Theatre Lab
The Theatre Lab is DC’s largest theatre school, serving an enrollment of more than 3,000 students each year. Driven by a mission to transform lives through theatre education, The Theatre Lab combines comprehensive dramatic arts training for youth, adults, and aspiring professionals with arts-based social justice and outreach, ensuring everyone has a place to hone their craft, share their story, and shape their community.
THE THEATRE LAB SCHOOL OF THE DRAMATIC ARTS
(202) 824-0449 | boxoffice@theatrelab.org
PROGRAMMING AT ATLAS
Musical Theatre Institute for Teens:
The Theatre Lab’s renowned Musical Theatre Institute is an intensive four-week musical theatre program for teens in which students rehearse and perform a full musical production under the guidance of the DC area’s most esteemed directors. This exhilarating program is designed to challenge young performers—both artistically and personally—while providing a supportive, caring environment in which to develop. This past summer, the Musical Theatre Institute for Teens performed sold-out productions of Chicago (Teen Edition) and Something Rotten at Atlas.
The Arts Institute for Creative Advancement (AICA):
Launched in 2023, the Arts Institute for Creative Advancement (AICA) is a year-long paid apprenticeship program that seeks to help young adults ages 18-25 who have faced barriers to livable wage employment to establish careers in technical theatre. Atlas Production staff volunteer with this program to mentor apprentices in lighting, sound, and rigging.
Atlas Presents Broadway Master Classes:
Audiences are welcome to observe acclaimed Broadway performers lead dynamic master classes with students from The Theatre Lab. Participants are coached on stage presence, song selection, and the art of authentic performance—offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at the process of shaping Broadway-caliber storytelling.
Visit atlasarts.org/partnerships/ for more information. Find us on social media @atlaspacdc and on YouTube @AtlasPerformingArtsCenter.
