With the formation of the Harman Center for the Arts, the Shakespeare Theatre Companys mission to be the nations leading force in the presentation and preservation of classic theatre has expanded to embrace the other performing arts.

The new Sidney Harman Hall and the existing Lansburgh Theatre will be unified by a common artistic mission: 1. to make it possible for the Shakespeare Theatre Company to become a national destination theatre, offering a larger number and broader range of works to audiences in the greater-Washington area and across the nation, and 2. to provide affordable, midsized venues to outstanding local, national and international performing arts companies, encouraging synergy among sister arts organizations and stimulating an ongoing artistic dialogue that reaches across a variety of disciplines.

The Harman Center will support a dramatic expansion in the Theatres education and accessibility programs, engaging diverse audiences in the arts through meaningful and long-term experiences.

The Harman Center will be an economic engine for the downtown arts and entertainment district, drawing additional audiences to the neighborhood and contributing to the mayors vision of a vibrant, "living downtown.