Artistic director Hana S. Sharif has announced her resignation from Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage, effective June 30. In an email sent June 26, Sharif said she found herself in conflict with Arena Stage’s board.
“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 in an email to the theatre’s board of trustees, which was provided to Playbill. “What art belongs at its center, how its teams should be built and empowered to evolve, and what a sustainable path forward truly requires.”
The New York Times first reported the news, and also reported that Arena Stage will have more information to share about Sharif’s resignation June 29.
This abrupt departure is surprising, considering the short length of Sharif’s tenure, becoming the Tony-winning D.C. institution’s first Black female leader when she took the reigns in 2023, and adding the company to a very short list of major theatre companies run by Black artists. Previously, Sharif led the Repertory Theater of St. Louis.
During her time at Arena Stage, the company premiered the musical Swept Away, which briefly played Broadway, and it has fostered a number of other shows with commercial ambitions, including Chez Joey (a reimagining of Rodgers and Hart’s Pal Joey), a re-written Damn Yankees, and CrazySexyCool – The TLC Musical (which opened June 26).
Arena Stage also recently announced its 2026–27 season, its 76th, which includes a new musical about Nikola Tesla. But in her email, Sharif said that despite premiering nine new works at Arena Stage in her tenure, she also experienced numerous challenges. “Over the course of my tenure, I have witnessed our field undergo a profound and irreversible transformation—one that has demanded not only artistic courage, but a reimagining of the very systems, processes, and structures that sustain our institutions. I have approached that challenge with everything I have.”
Below is the full text of Sharif’s resignation letter.
Dear Board of Trustees,
After careful reflection and meaningful dialogue with the Arena Stage Board Leadership and Edgar Dobie, I am announcing my resignation as Artistic Director, effective June 30, 2026.
Leading Arena Stage has been one of the greatest honors of my professional life. Over the course of my tenure, I have witnessed our field undergo a profound and irreversible transformation — one that has demanded not only artistic courage, but a reimagining of the very systems, processes, and structures that sustain our institutions. I have approached that challenge with everything I have.
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: what art belongs at its center, how its teams should be built and empowered to evolve, and what a sustainable path forward truly requires. It is precisely because of my deep respect for this organization that I believe this transition is the right and honest choice for us both.
I leave enormously proud of what we have built together. During my tenure, Arena Stage produced 9 world premieres, 8 second step productions, advanced 8 commercially enhanced productions that extended our reach and impact, launched 62 bold activations serving 274,627 patrons, and deepened our relationships with the communities we exist to serve. This community now includes 55,691 New-to-File households and a total of 344,765 patrons, representing 68% of our audience over the last three years. None of that is small. None of that is forgotten.
I hope you will join me in thanking the artists, staff, audiences, and community members who have trusted Arena with their stories, their voices, and their presence over the last three years. They are the reason this work matters.
I step away with full confidence in Arena Stage’s future and with an ambitious vision I look forward to bringing to new communities hungry for art, innovation, and leadership that balances risk with purpose.
With deep gratitude and enduring respect,
Hana S. Sharif
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