Deb Gottesman

The Theatre Lab is Washington, D.C.’s largest and most comprehensive independent, nonprofit school for the dramatic arts. Our mission is to transform lives through theatre education. We work to make the real-life benefits of theatre training accessible to all regardless of age, income, or experience level. Serving an enrollment of over 2,800 each year, our programs teach beginners and veteran actors alike through a wide range of classes: summer camps for kids, acting and playwriting courses, public speaking for non-theatre professionals and more. For those 18 and older preparing for a theatre career, our intensive, year-long Honors Acting Conservatory is the closest thing to graduate-level training students can get without having to quit a job to attend school full-time. We put into practice our belief that theatre is for everyone by extending theatre education to traditionally underserved populations. We do this by offering tuition assistance and work-study to disadvantaged kids, youths, and adults. In addition, we run innovative, free Life Stories programs for incarcerated and at-risk youth, homeless women, adults and teens in addiction recovery, wounded veterans, and seniors throughout the D.C. metro area. Life Stories gives vulnerable individuals a unique opportunity to transform how they view themselves and the world around them through creative self-expression. The Theatre Lab is recognized by Catalogue for Philanthropy as one of “the best small charities in Washington.” Our directors have received the prestigious Linowes Leadership Award from the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region for their efforts to improve the metropolitan community through accessible arts training. We received the Mayor's Art Award for Innovation in the Arts. The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities has recognized us as one of the 50 “top arts- and humanities-based programs in the country serving youth beyond school hours.”