WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Forum Theatre has announced today that it will close its doors after producing theatre for 14 seasons.

“After nearly 15 years, 53 productions, and 9 world premieres, Forum Theatre will be closing our doors, secure in the knowledge that we have done what we came to do,” managing director KJ Hamos said in a press release. “We’ve had the good fortune of working with hundreds of artists and the pleasure of having thousands of audience members come through our doors to share their own stories and experiences with us and with one another.”

In the Washington Post, Peter Marks reported that the reasons for the closure were a “stagnation in the company’s growth” and a gradual parting of ways between Dove’s aesthetic goals and the interests of the theatre’s board.

Founded in 2003 by Michael Dove, Paul Frydrychowski, Kelly Bartnik, and Mark Wright, Forum Theatre aimed to use theatre to spark dialogue and strengthen community by producing adventurous work from and for a diversity of voices. The social-justice-minded theatre was known for making challenging, ensemble-based works and for engaging its audiences in conversation through OpenForum discussions. Forum Theatre also established a “Pay What You Want” ticket initiative called Forum4All.

Its annual Forum Benefit, planned for Monday, June 11 at the Blind Whino Southwest Arts Club will celebrate Forum’s lasting impact. Cocktails will start at 6:30 pm followed by a staged reading of Caryl Churchill’s A Number featuring Jon Hudson Odom and Craig Wallace.