AfterWork Theater envisions a world in which play doesn’t end just because you grow up.

AfterWork Theater enriches the everyday lives of adults by creating the opportunity to participate in theatrical experiences that promote fun, community, and creative self-expression. No audition required.

AWT is committed to being a diverse, inclusive, and critically conscious community, not just in intention but in action and impact. As a group of storytellers, we believe that the more perspectives represented in the space the more authentic and rich our stories – and thusly our experiences of telling them – will be.

Beyond that, we acknowledge that we are in a position to either replicate or disrupt oppressive systems depending on the practices, policies, and choices we make day-to-day. Creating a space in which every individual feels free to achieve their full potential relies on our being deliberate and responsive in all that we do.

Integrity dictates that this responsibility be reflected at every level of AWT including participants, creative staff, and organizational leadership. We invite all AWT stakeholders to hold us accountable for fulfilling on this commitment.

AfterWork is about many people working together toward a common goal. No matter what role we play—be it director, ensemble member or spotlight operator—collaboration and creativity are required to make the most of the experience. It’s up to each of us to remember that there is nothing small about who we have the potential to be as a member of this community.

Commitment is key at every level of AfterWork. As individuals, we are each expected to show up on time, finish what we start, and do what we say we’re going to do with integrity. As a community, it means understanding the importance of asking for and offering help in times of need.

Borrowed from the first rule of improv, “Yes, and..” means being open to possibilities we hadn’t considered before. It’s about trusting the process and those around us. Things don’t always go the way we expect and that’s okay! With creativity, collaboration and bravery, we not only make it work but we make it better than we thought it could be.

Community is at the heart of the AfterWork experience. We strive to create an inclusive and accessible environment that values and celebrates an intersectionality of identities, passions, and life experiences. This value shows up in our leadership, our participants, and the ways in which we recruit and cast our shows. In understanding that we have the power to transform the world around us, we are in constant dialogue about the impact of our actions and decisions, as well as the individual and collective power of our community.

Sometimes that means stepping forward and sometimes it means stepping back. It’s the constant negotiation of being and putting forth our best self. It requires each of us to examine and challenge the role we play as members of the AfterWork community.

The theatrical process is an electrifying experience. Constantly teetering between freedom and structure; harmony and dissonance, no two moments are the same. It’s a process that requires patience, understanding and positivity. When the adrenaline gets high, the ways in which we communicate can make or break an experience. While everyone doesn’t communicate the same way, we strive to be a space in which everyone communicates thoughtfully and with intention.