Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission

Mission StageWorks provides radically inclusive theater arts experiences to empower voices and strengthen community relationships.


Rooted in equity and innovation, Mission StageWorks cultivates welcoming space for creativity and joy that uplifts our multigenerational, multicultural Bay Area community, including LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and immigrant peoples. Our approach centers on person-to-person engagement to foster authentic, meaningful connections and neighborly engagement—ensuring that heart and home are felt throughout our organization. Every person’s voice counts; stories and the stage put voice in the light.

Vision

Our vision is to be an arts community center, a home for creativity and connection for Bay Area people to experience arts through accessible and inclusive education, community events, mentorships and artist support programs. Innovative, inspiring performances are symbols of the people we serve and the landscape we inhabit. We see a vibrant, welcoming family of seekers and practitioners learning from and with one another, building relationships, and celebrating our diverse city together through a love of the arts.
Our third place.

Values

  • Mission StageWorks fosters the pursuit of finding your voice and the choice to express through art.

    It is the courageous act of authenticity—rooted in vulnerability, joy, and boundless imagination. It is the drive to communicate ideas in new and poetic ways that reflect the complexity of our experiences and the richness of our humanity.

    Here, artistry is not just a practice. It is a process of becoming—one that calls us into connection with ourselves, our communities, and the ever-evolving relationships to the work. It is responding to challenge with possibility. In a world where creativity and innovation are in constant motion, we meet that demand by designing space to nurture an idea, explore an expressive device, stumble in practice, and to rise through resilience to clarity of voice.

  • Read our Commitment to Antiracist Practices

    Mission StageWorks seeks to reduce barriers to spaces, experiences, and resources. We blend professional-quality teaching & learning experiences through an open-access community platform:

    • Anyone—whether an emerging artist, teaching artist, student, or longtime community member— has the opportunity to participate.

    • Everyone—of every identity, ability and disability, history, belief system, individual expression, and financial status—has the opportunity to participate. MSW strives to make that possible - to open doors everywhere.

    In addition, we strive to create access for working artists to have a place to practice teaching and creating performance works. As we grow, we’ll aim to hold spaces for creators and performers to bring their works in to exhibit and share with the community.

    Mission StageWorks is committed to cultivating an inclusive arts environment where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. We welcome participants, collaborators, and audiences across all identities of the Global Majority.

    Diversity is representative of the community we are surrounded by and in that truth guides who we are as an organization and the aspired thrivepoint we reach through shared differences.

    Equity guides our policies and practices to ensure fair access to opportunities, resources, and leadership.

    Inclusion informs how we co-create spaces that affirm and uplift underrepresented and marginalized communities.

    Belonging is an outcome we strive for—where each person can show up fully and authentically, and, without inhibition, feel woven into the fabric of our home. To be in community wholly and authentically.

  • We believe that genuine artistic expression and growth can only flourish in environments rooted in trust, empathy, and respect. By prioritizing care—both interpersonal and structural—we create spaces for our community to feel seen, valued, and supported. This commitment shapes how we teach, collaborate, tell stories, and build relationships, ensuring that our work reflects the humanity and heart of the community we serve.

A circular diagram with arrows illustrating a continuous improvement cycle, labeled from start to finish as Connect, Inspire, Learn, Discover, Empower, Perform.

Picture of Process

Picture of Engagement

A diagram illustrating a community involvement structure with interconnected circles representing various roles and groups, centering around the purpose. The roles include students, staff, volunteers, artists and creators, community members, local businesses, community organizations, and collaborators. The roles are connected to broader groups and individuals involved in the community.
Gold circle on a black background.

Why a circle

everyone can be seen, everyone is included

expandable

inclusive

honors the work

honors the moment

center-focused

protective

audience & stage

holds us together

passed down through time

flexible

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Information desk
(415) 289-9679

Contact us

About Mission StageWorks
Who We Are

Proud member of:

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Theatre Bay Area logo with stylized pink circular design and black text
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