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Our History
- Founded in 1964 as The Smithsonian Puppet Theater, performing in
a room in the NMAH on the third floor. *Interesting fact: an electrical fire two weeks before the theatre opened destroyed all of Bob Brown’s Marionette puppets, and delayed the opening by two months while new puppets were constructed.
- In 1979, the theater moved into the historic Arts and Industries
Building and rechristened as Discovery Theater. The theater continued
to feature puppets and began to include other traditional arts such
as storytelling, acoustic music from around the globe, mime and commedia
clowning; retelling of classical Greek and Roman fables and myths and
ensemble performance in the manner of festival or street performers.
The theater’s inclusion as part of the Smithsonian Associates
defined its mission as serving primarily the Metropolitan area’s
children and their teachers and families. *Interesting fact: Harold Closter, now Director of Smithsonian Affiliations, as a program assistant helped lay the original carpet and stage and remembers the excitement of the theater’s opening well!
- By 1995, Discovery Theater had broadened its reach to present the
heritage and cultural arts, and accessible science and math; reflecting
the larger collections and making it a ‘gateway’ to the
Smithsonian for local children. Its affordable ticket price and community
of educational artists, teachers, parents, children who had grown up
with Discovery Theater and the Smithsonian make this a destination
in our nation’s capital, and most area schools children’s
first visit to both a theater and a museum. *Interesting fact: Dinorock, award winning puppet and music artists, premiered every one of their
7 shows right in Discovery Theater before heading out on their National
tours—(you see it first at Discovery Theater!)
- In 2004, the Arts and Industries (one of the two oldest buildings
at the Smithsonian, built in 1882) closed its doors to the public to
await a much needed renovation. Discovery Theater, its 300+ annual
shows and programs, 50,000 children and adult audience members, (and
the puppets!) moved into a beautiful new boutique performing space
designed for them by Sachs Morgan Studios, one of the leading designers
of theaters in the country. *Interesting fact: In this same year, Discovery Theater began the first tour of its blockbuster Black History piece, Black Diamond: Satchel Paige and the Negro Leagues; written by Raquis Petree with music by
Marion Johnson. The program, part of a series entitled The Greatest
Stories Never Told, stills tours today, now with two other pieces
from the series Going the Distance: Wilma Rudolph and Jesse Owens; and How
Old is a Hero? Young People of the Civil Rights Movement
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