Southwest DC gains arts hub with three resident groups

Revada Arts Center opened October 23 at 340 Maple Drive SW, giving Ward 6’s Southwest waterfront a new home for Theater Alliance, IN Series and 4EYE Film Center.

The center matters for residents because it combines three nonprofit arts groups in one venue, including 4EYE, described by its organizers as Southwest DC’s only movie theater and downtown DC’s only arthouse cinema.

The multidisciplinary space includes a black box theater, cinema, micro-proscenium, rehearsal studio, scene shop, and community engagement and co-working space. The three resident organizations are co-stewarding the building as creative partners under Theater Alliance’s founding vision.

“I’m excited that Ward 6 and the Southwest community will be home for this smart partnership, timed at a moment when federal politics have changed the local landscape for arts,” Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen said. “In this moment of great upheaval, there’s opportunity for our local arts and performance scene to grow and capture new audiences suddenly looking for where to take in their next performance.”

Dan Logan, chairman of the Revada Foundation, said the foundation partnered with Theater Alliance to create the center. “We love this community, and we love the arts,” Logan said. “We want to make sure that DC’s vibrant arts scene thrives for many years to come.”

The opening gives Southwest another civic destination at a time when the waterfront area has been reshaped by new housing, restaurants and entertainment uses. For nearby residents, the center adds a place for performances, screenings, workshops and public gatherings beyond the commercial venues clustered around the Wharf.

The launch included a multi-day opening festival. A ribbon-cutting and panel discussion took place October 23 with leaders from the partner organizations and local arts and political figures. On October 24, the center hosted a neighborhood Community Day with family programming, including music classes, acting workshops and hands-on creative play.

An open house followed the Community Day, giving attendees a look through the building and an interactive tour of the back-of-house areas. Each of the three organizations also staged its own opening programming, including season-preview events, workshops and a sneak-peek film screening.

The center also plans to host additional resident arts organizations, expanding its role beyond the founding partners. That model is meant to share space and resources among nonprofit arts groups that need performance, rehearsal, film and community facilities.

Theater Alliance brings more than two decades of DC theater work to the building. IN Series, founded in 1982 and independent since 2000, focuses on opera theater. 4EYE Film Center, founded in 2025 by Emily Lenzner, is a nonprofit created to support arthouse cinema through film presentation, education and community engagement.

Shanara Gabrielle of Theater Alliance, Timothy Nelson of IN Series and Emily Lenzner of 4EYE Film Center said in a joint statement: “We are thrilled to share this new center for the arts community, the Southwest neighborhood and the city as a whole.”