Arena Stage, a Washington-based nonprofit theater that is one of the nation’s leading regional institutions, has abruptly parted ways with its artistic director, who submitted a resignation email on Friday, hours before the opening night festivities for a new musical about the ’90s girl group TLC.
The departing artistic director, Hana Sharif, made it clear that she was leaving under pressure.
“Ultimately, the board and I arrived at a crossroads — one defined not by a lack of shared love for this institution, but by differing visions for how Arena Stage should meet the future,” she wrote on Friday, “what art belongs at its center, how its teams should be built and empowered to evolve, and what a sustainable path forward truly requires.”
In a separate email to the theater’s staff, she wrote, “when vision diverges at that fundamental level, the most honest and courageous thing leadership can do is acknowledge it — and create space for new paths to open.”
Her last day on the job will be Tuesday.
Ryan Impagliazzo, the theater’s communications director, wrote in an email on Friday afternoon: “Hana shared her decision to step down as artistic director with the board and staff this afternoon. We’re grateful for her tenure and will have an official announcement and more information to share on Monday.”
Sharif is one of a small number of Black women leading major theaters in this country; she previously led the Repertory Theater of St. Louis, and her arrival there in 2018 was described as the first time a Black woman had led a major American regional theater.
Her tenure in Washington was brief. She took charge of the theater in 2023, succeeding Molly Smith, who had been with the company for 25 years. Her time was characterized by ambitious programming — nine world premieres, she wrote — and a high level of staff turnover.
“CrazySexyCool: The TLC Musical,” scheduled to open Friday night, is the latest in a string of musicals with commercial ambitions presented at Arena Stage during Sharif’s tenure. In late 2023, the theater staged “Swept Away,” with songs from the Avett Brothers; that show transferred to Broadway in 2024. This year, it presented “Chez Joey,” a reimagined take on “Pal Joey,” and last year it staged a revised “Damn Yankees”; both of those shows had Broadway hopes. (“Damn Yankees” is expected on Broadway next spring.)
Arena Stage, founded in 1950 and located in Southwest Washington, is a sizable nonprofit — in the 2025 fiscal year it had a $30 million budget and, according to a tax filing, ran a deficit of $1.8 million.
