Home/About
A presenting venue · since 1971
A 150-seat
Intimate theatre bringing
Baltimore
What's Next.
More than half a century of nurturing artists.
The Quick version
Founded
Philip Arnoult opens the doors. Admission was whatever you put in the hat at the end.
A presenting theatre
Becomes a venue for traveling and emerging companies — an arts incubator.
Resident artists
Anchors a roster of resident companies alongside local, national, and international guests.
Still What's Next
Multiple genres each season, workshops, master classes, artist discussions, and visual art exhibits.
Theatre Project is the place for artists to experiment, succeed, sometimes fail, but always grow.
Go deeper
Explore our story.
Choose whichever aspect you like— the mission, the artists, the building, the people running it, or how to support the work.
Mission
Connecting Baltimore with a diverse community of emerging and established artists who create original work.
Resident Artists
The companies and creators that call Theatre Project home — Alex & Olmsted, Happenstance Theater, and more.
Theatre Project's History
From a 1971 Free Theater experiment to a fixture of Baltimore's cultural landscape.
Staff & Board
The small team and volunteer board that keep the theatre running and open year-round.
The IOH Building
1896 fraternal lodge, 1920s dance academy, Greek community center — the building had a vibrant life even before us.
Our Supporters
The Baker Fund, MSAC, BOPA, county arts councils, foundations, and individual donors making this possible.
Donate
Theatre Project’s vitality is a direct result of your support. Thank you.
Contact
Box office for tickets and pass questions, office for everything else — including artist inquiries and press.
The building has had quite the past.
45 W. Preston has been many things. This is the latest.
Built in 1896 as a fraternal lodge for the Improved Order of Heptasophs. It has been a dance academy, a Greek community center, a real estate office, and an experimental Free Theater. We're the stewards of the latest chapter.
Full building history →- 1896Improved Order of Heptasophs headquartersBuilt as a fraternal meeting hall.
- 1920sFarson's Dance AcademyHosting Baltimore's Roaring-Twenties social scene.
- Mid-centuryGreek community centerA neighborhood gathering place for decades.
- 1971The Free TheaterTheatre Project is born - no admission - pass-the-hat at the end.
- Today150-seat, acoustically great, intimate theatreADA-accessible, year-round, still presenting What's Next.
Visit
45 W. Preston St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
Box Office