Major support
The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund
Creator of the Baker Artist Portfolios — Baltimore's gold standard for individual artist recognition. bakerartist.org →
Home/Mission
Theatre Project · Since 1971
We exist to present What's Next.
A 150-seat black box on West Preston Street where Baltimore meets the artists who are inventing live performance — before anyone else has heard of them.
Mission
Through innovative contemporary works in performing and visual arts, Theatre Project connects Baltimore with a diverse community of emerging and established artists — local, national, international — who create original work across every genre live performance can hold.
What that looks like in practice
01
We present, we don't produce.
We're not a producing theater with a single house style. We're an incubator — the venue that lets an aerial artist, an experimental composer, and a puppet company all share a season because the work is what matters, not the format.
02
We back original work.
Every season features new and original pieces from resident artists, guest artists, and Baltimore companies. If you saw it here, chances are you saw it first — before the tour, before the press, before the rest of the country.
03
We do more than shows.
Workshops, master classes, artist discussions, visual art exhibits in the John Fonda Gallery — the building works year-round as a place where artists and audiences meet outside the proscenium.
Five decades on West Preston
We started in 1971 by passing a hat at the door — admission was whatever you decided to put in. Half a century later, the radical idea is still the same: make the work first, figure out the rest.
1971
Founded
150
Black box seats
20'
Acoustic dome
12+
Genres per season
60%
Sixty cents of every dollar goes directly to the artists. The other forty keeps the lights on, the chairlift running, and the doors open for whoever's next.
— Theatre Project operating model
Who stands behind this work
Funded by people who fund the real thing.
Operating support comes from competitive grants and juried foundations — the kind that look at the work first and the press release second. We're proud of every name on this list.
Operating grant
Maryland State Arts Council
The state agency cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive — across every county in Maryland.
Civic partner
Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts
Funded by Mayor Brandon Scott, the Baltimore City Council, and the Creative Baltimore Fund.
Operating grant
Baltimore County Commission on Arts & Sciences
County-level support that lets us serve audiences from across the region, not just the city.
Foundation
France-Merrick Foundation
Long-running Baltimore philanthropy supporting the city's cultural institutions.
Foundation
Deutsch Foundation
Backers of arts and education work across the Baltimore region.
Season hotel
The Lord Baltimore Hotel
Our season hospitality partner, hosting visiting artists steps from the venue.
Donations platform
Network for Good
Our tax-deductible giving partner — every donation is processed securely and routed direct to operations.
Support the work
Keep What's Next coming.
A donation goes 60% to the artists and 40% to the building that makes them possible. Both halves matter.
Donate →Better yet — show up
See it before everyone else does.
The single best thing you can do for an experimental venue is sit in a seat. Buy a ticket, grab a Flex Pass, or just see what's on this week.
See What's On →ALTERNATIVE STYLE BELOW
Home/Mission
Theatre Project · Since 1971
We exist to present What's Next.
A 150-seat black box on West Preston Street where Baltimore meets the artists who are inventing live performance — before anyone else has heard of them.
Mission
Through innovative contemporary works in performing and visual arts, Theatre Project connects Baltimore with a diverse community of emerging and established artists — local, national, international — who create original work across every genre live performance can hold.
What that looks like in practice
01
We present, we don't produce.
We're not a producing theater with a single house style. We're an incubator — the venue that lets an aerial artist, an experimental composer, and a puppet company all share a season because the work is what matters, not the format.
02
We back original work.
Every season features new and original pieces from resident artists, guest artists, and Baltimore companies. If you saw it here, chances are you saw it first — before the tour, before the press, before the rest of the country.
03
We do more than shows.
Workshops, master classes, artist discussions, visual art exhibits in the John Fonda Gallery — the building works year-round as a place where artists and audiences meet outside the proscenium.
Five decades on West Preston
We started in 1971 by passing a hat at the door — admission was whatever you decided to put in. Half a century later, the radical idea is still the same: make the work first, figure out the rest.
1971
Founded
150
Black box seats
20'
Acoustic dome
12+
Genres per season
60%
Sixty cents of every dollar goes directly to the artists. The other forty keeps the lights on, the chairlift running, and the doors open for whoever's next.
— Theatre Project operating model
Who stands behind this work
Funded by people who fund the real thing.
Operating support comes from competitive grants and juried foundations — the kind that look at the work first and the press release second. We're proud of every name on this list.
Major support
The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund
Creator of the Baker Artist Portfolios — Baltimore's gold standard for individual artist recognition. bakerartist.org →
Operating grant
Maryland State Arts Council
The state agency cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive — across every county in Maryland.
Civic partner
Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts
Funded by Mayor Brandon Scott, the Baltimore City Council, and the Creative Baltimore Fund.
Operating grant
Baltimore County Commission on Arts & Sciences
County-level support that lets us serve audiences from across the region, not just the city.
Foundation
France-Merrick Foundation
Long-running Baltimore philanthropy supporting the city's cultural institutions.
Foundation
Deutsch Foundation
Backers of arts and education work across the Baltimore region.
Season hotel
The Lord Baltimore Hotel
Our season hospitality partner, hosting visiting artists steps from the venue.
Donations platform
Network for Good
Our tax-deductible giving partner — every donation is processed securely and routed direct to operations.
Support the work
Keep What's Next coming.
A donation goes 60% to the artists and 40% to the building that makes them possible. Both halves matter.
Donate →Better yet — show up
See it before everyone else does.
The single best thing you can do for an experimental venue is sit in a seat. Buy a ticket, grab a Flex Pass, or just see what's on this week.
See What's On →