Why did Arena Stage force out Hana Sharif?

Once again a Washington, DC, institution is in trouble, but unlike with the Kennedy Center, this time the call came from inside the house. We welcomed Nicole Hertvik, editor-in-chief of DC Theater Arts, for her take on what’s unfolded at the storied Arena Stage, which artistic director Hana Sharif left in what appears to be acrimonious circumstances — the New York Times announced the news on June 26. Nicole’s own reported piece came out on July 5, and there have been more since (including this one by Rebecca Ritzel in NOTUS on July 6 and this one by Trey Graham in Washingtonian on July 8).We discussed the events with Nicole on the podcast, but we also used the opportunity to take a bird’s eye view of Arena Stage’s history as a historical leader of regional theater in the U.S. and the challenges of running an institution in the current arts environment. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marksvincentelli.substack.com/subscribe