Artistry is voice.

It is the courageous act of authentic expression—rooted in vulnerability, joy, and boundless imagination. It is the drive to communicate ideas in new and poetic ways that reflect the complexity of our experiences and the richness of our humanity.

Here, artistry is not just a practice. It is a process of becoming—one that calls us into connection with ourselves, our communities, and the ever-evolving relationships to the work. It is responding to challenge with possibility, finding more that one way through an exploratory heart. In a world where creativity and innovation are in constant motion, we meet that demand by designing space to nurture an idea, explore an expression, stumble in practice, and to rise with resilience and clarity - picking up new tools along the way.

Mission StageWorks seeks to reduce barriers to spaces, experiences, and resources. We blend professional-quality teaching & learning experiences through an open-access community platform:

• Anyone—whether an emerging artist, teaching artist, student, or longtime community member— has the opportunity to participate.

• Everyone—of every identity, ability, history, belief system, individual expression, and financial status has the opportunity to participate. MSW strives to make that possible - to open doors everywhere.

In addition, we strive to create access for working artists to have a place to practice teaching and creating performance works. As we grow, we’ll aim to hold spaces for creators and performers to bring their works in to exhibit and share with the community.

Mission StageWorks functions as an open-access theatre generator—it’s an inclusive platform that lowers the traditional gates, bringing creative theatrical visions and storytelling opportunities to life with vital support, space, and opportunity.

Mission StageWorks is committed to cultivating an inclusive arts environment where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. We welcome participants, collaborators, and audiences across all identities, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, age, socioeconomic status, body size, religion, language, and immigration status. 

Diversity is representative of the community we are surrounded by and in that truth guides who we are as an organization and the aspired thrivepoint we reach through shared differences.

Equity guides our policies and practices to ensure fair access to opportunities, resources, and leadership.

Inclusion informs how we co-create spaces that affirm and uplift underrepresented and marginalized communities.

Belonging is an outcome we strive for—where each person can show up fully and authentically, and, without inhibition, feel woven into the fabric of our home. To be in community wholly and authentically.

Read our Commitment to Antiracism=t Practices

Impact is prismatic.

Maybe your own experience impacts yourself through honing and refining your artistic technique. Maybe it’s developing interpersonal skills and relationships.

Or maybe it’s through something that you created affecting another person. Maybe what you said resonated with a group of people.

It might be watching a performance in unison with an audience and finding meaning and commonalities. And maybe that work can be brought out into the greater community to make a social change.

Everything we do can make a difference; big or small, it counts. We can see things differently and have dialogues to get closer to understanding.

How we choose to hold our power and use it is a matter of our principles.

We believe that genuine artistic expression and community growth can only flourish in environments rooted in trust, empathy, and respect. By prioritizing care—both interpersonal and structural—we create spaces where people feel seen, valued, and supported. This commitment shapes how we teach, collaborate, tell stories, and build relationships, ensuring that our work reflects the humanity and heart of the community we serve.