Three arts nonprofits will share a permanent 9,000-square-foot home when the Revada Arts Center opens at 340 Maple Drive SW on Friday, Oct. 23.

The center houses a 140-seat black box theater, a 58-seat cinema with a proscenium stage, a rehearsal hall and co-working space. Theater Alliance, the 33-year-old company that holds the lease, will share the building with IN Series, a 44-year-old operatic theater company, and 4EYE Film Center, a new nonprofit cinema. The three organizations split costs for carpentry, lighting and other overhead while scheduling programming around each other.

"Anybody who's been through a custody agreement has very good practice with it, because it's like, In Series gets the Christmas show in odd years, and Theater Alliance gets the Christmas show in even years," Shanara Gabrielle, Theater Alliance's executive artistic director, told The 51st.

The opening caps a turbulent stretch for Theater Alliance. The company operated out of the Anacostia Playhouse for about 11 years before an eviction in 2024. Washington City Paper reported that Theater Alliance learned of the eviction from a notice posted on the theater door. The company alleged the Playhouse had not been forwarding its rent payments to the property owner.

Theater Alliance landed at the Westerly development under a pop-up permit program in October 2024. Over the next year and a half, more than 5,000 patrons attended five shows there, even though the only available bathrooms were in the preschool next door.

The company signed what American Theatre magazine described as a 29-year lease with landlord Hoffman & Associates in November 2025. IN Series and 4EYE Film Center each hold seven-year contracts. Three additional residency partners will be announced later.

Theater Alliance raised more than $5 million from individual donors, a grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCAH), and support from the Revada Foundation, an Alexandria-based family foundation for which the center is named. Dan Logan, the foundation's chairman, said in a statement that his family has been in the D.C. area for almost 50 years and wants to ensure the local arts scene thrives.

The center opens as the Kennedy Center, roughly three miles away, contends with controversy that has raised questions about D.C.'s broader arts landscape. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen called the Revada a smart partnership timed to a moment when federal politics have reshaped the local landscape for arts.

Timothy Nelson, IN Series artistic director, drew a sharper line.

Nelson said organizations that can afford to present at the Kennedy Center are not the ones he worries about, according to The 51st. The Revada partnership, he said, will let IN Series spend less time hunting for venues and free up budget through shared resources.

Emily Lenzner, founder and executive director of 4EYE Film Center, previously ran communications for the Motion Picture Association. She launched the nonprofit in 2025 after a failed effort to convert the historic Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park into an arts center. The cinema will charge about $16 for adults and $13 for students and seniors, with some free screenings for community groups. A "Made in D.C." series will spotlight local filmmakers.

Launch weekend schedule, Oct. 23–27:

  • Friday, Oct. 23 — Ribbon cutting and opening ceremony, followed by a panel on building shared arts space.
  • Saturday, Oct. 24 — Community open house with family programming, music classes and acting workshops (noon–2 p.m.), then building tours (2–4 p.m.).
  • Sunday, Oct. 25 — Building open to visitors.
  • Monday, Oct. 26 — Hub Activation co-working session for performing artists, plus free community headshots.
  • Tuesday, Oct. 27 — 4EYE and IN Series screen Blue Moon, followed by a live concert of Rodgers and Hart songs.