Founded in 1984 as American Showcase Theatre Company, Inc., MetroStage is the oldest professional theatre in Northern Virginia. From its inception until 1996, MetroStage operated out of a series of converted storefronts on Duke Street, until redevelopment in the area required their demolition. MetroStage re-opened in its new theatre at 1201 North Royal Street in north Old Town Alexandria in July 2001. The theatre’s opening came about through Producing Artistic Director Carolyn Griffin’s commitment to finding a new home for the theatre, which required a major $450,000 fundraising effort. Today, MetroStage is once again a significant member of the Washington theatre community, drawing its audiences from the Washington metropolitan area and beyond.
MetroStage’s new theatre is a converted lumber warehouse, the former home of Alexandria’s Smoot Lumber Company. Board member and architect Skip Maginniss converted the 35-year-old, 4000 square foot building into a modern, 130-seat theatre with a stunning glass entrance and a floating staircase leading to theatre offices. The 30-foot high warehouse offers an interior volume that lends an expansive, dramatic feel to the space. Yet to maintain the intimate theatre environment for which MetroStage has become recognized, seats on risers wrapping around a “thrust” stage keep the audience in close proximity to the actors. The location offers on-site and street parking and is convenient to many local restaurants and shops for before- or after-theatre enjoyment. CLICK HERE TO TOUR THE THEATRE.
MetroStage’s new location has added a feeling of stability to the theatre, and expands the realm of possibilities for the company. Since the 2001 opening of the new facility, MetroStage has produced a season of five plays. The unique theatre space provides an added artistic challenge for set designers, and tables and chairs in the front row contribute to an intimate “cabaret” feeling for certain musicals. The expanded 130-seat facility has put MetroStage back on the theatre map in Washington with its season of plays and musicals, in addition to its FirstStage series of staged readings, and the Cabaret series that it began five years ago.
MetroStage attracts playwrights, directors, designers, and actors from across the country, and continues to showcase the best of contemporary theatre with its productions.
Producing Artistic Director
Carolyn Griffin has been with MetroStage since its founding in 1984 and has produced over 75 mainstage productions, including 3 plays and 7 musicals that were world premieres by Washington area and national playwrights. She is committed to producing the best contemporary writing and showcasing the best regional acting talent for a broad-based audience from the Washington metropolitan area.
She is the co-founder of the Alexandria Arts Forum which she chaired for five years and has served on many regional panels for area arts commissions. She has received many awards including the Actors' Center Award of Distinction, the Cultural Affairs Award from the Alexandria Commission for Women and the 2005 ALEX Award. She was named a Living Legend in Alexandria in 2007. She is on the Board of The Playwrights Forum and was chosen by the Canadian Embassy and the Helen Hayes Awards to travel to Canada in 2004 as part of the Canadian/Washington Theatre Partnership.
She holds a Masters degree in Psychology from Catholic University and an MBA from Georgetown University. She has four children who live in Washington DC, New York City, Savannah, GA and Alexandria, VA.
Founded in 1984 as American Showcase Theatre Company, Inc., MetroStage is the oldest professional theatre in Northern Virginia. From its inception until 1996, MetroStage operated out of a series of converted storefronts on Duke Street, until redevelopment in the area required their demolition. MetroStage re-opened in its new theatre at 1201 North Royal Street in north Old Town Alexandria in July 2001. The theatre’s opening came about through Producing Artistic Director Carolyn Griffin’s commitment to finding a new home for the theatre, which required a major $450,000 fundraising effort. Today, MetroStage is once again a significant member of the Washington theatre community, drawing its audiences from the Washington metropolitan area and beyond.
Carolyn Griffin has been with MetroStage since its founding in 1984 and has produced over 75 mainstage productions, including 3 plays and 7 musicals that were world premieres by Washington area and national playwrights. She is committed to producing the best contemporary writing and showcasing the best regional acting talent for a broad-based audience from the Washington metropolitan area.