Founded in 1950,
Arena Stage achieved national attention and spurred growth in the city's independent theater movement, which now includes the
Shakespeare Theatre Company,
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and
Studio Theatre. Arena Stage reopened after a renovation and expansion in the city's emerging
Southwest waterfront area in 2010. The
GALA Hispanic Theatre, now housed in the historic
Tivoli Theatre in
Columbia Heights, was founded in 1976 and is a National Center for the Latino Performing Arts.