Our Mission

To cultivate and share experimental works of contemporary performance, to champion artists both near and far, and to provide a home in Seattle for artistic risk and discovery.

Our Vision

A more inclusive, creative, and forward-thinking culture, enabled through the power of artistic experimentation and live encounters.

We believe that the alchemy of gathering people in real time, combined with artists’ ability to bring us to the edge of uncertainty, complexity, and imagination, creates the unique conditions to invent meaning together and discover what’s possible. 

These values describe how we practice our mission. They articulate the principles that guide decision-making across artistic, organizational, and relational choices—especially in moments of uncertainty, constraint, or tradeoff:

  • Artists and Their Work
    Artists and their process, work, and presentation are central to OtB.

  • Artistic Experimentation and Risk
    OtB embraces diversity, complexity, and experimentation as necessary conditions for discovery and cultural change.

  • Live and Embodied Experience
    OtB values live embodied performance as a powerful site of shared presence and transformation.

  • Belonging and Access
    Creating communities of belonging and connection around unique and boundary-pushing live art experiences is core to our mission. 

  • Stewardship, Care, and Organizational Sustainability
    OtB stewards its people, resources, and relationships with care and integrity, leading through collaboration and mutual respect.

We welcome all races, religions, countries of origin, sexual orientations, and genders here.

About OtB

Founded in 1978, On the Boards has spent nearly five decades presenting boundary-pushing contemporary performance and introducing Seattle audiences to groundbreaking artists from around the world. As one of the leading organizations of our size and focus in the United States, On the Boards is dedicated to experimental performance across disciplines in our annual season of local, national, and international artists curated by our Artistic Director and Curatorial Council. We bolster  the vitality of arts and culture in our region by launching and continuing the careers of some of its most promising artists while growing audiences for experimental performance. We make significant investments in the performing arts community to help artists develop new work: commissioning with the National Performance Network, presenting new works at the NW New Works Festival, partnership with Base on the 12 Minutes Max showcase, and developing artists’ practice through paid residencies.

Since its inception, On the Boards has featured pioneering performances by artists including Laurie Anderson, Bill T. Jones, The Wooster Group, Spalding Gray, Dumb Type, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Sankai Juku, Gisèle Vienne, Bruno Beltrão, chelfitsch, Romeo Castellucci, John Jasperse, Jan Fabre, Back to Back Theatre, Faustin Linyekula, Mark Morris, Pat Graney, Dayna Hanson, Amy O’Neal, Zoe | Juniper, and Crystal Pite.

Our publishing platform, On the Boards TV, is a one-of-its-kind portal that features HD performance films and contextual educational material to deepen audiences’ understanding of the field of contemporary performance, now with screenreader compatibility and subtitles on all films

Creating communities of belonging and connection around unique and boundary-pushing live art experiences is core to our mission. We offer pay-what-you-can, student, and artist discounts as well as permanent Far-UVC infrastructure for cleaner air and wider accessibility. Our FUBAR lobby and post-show events provide our audiences with ample opportunities for socializing, and our creative partnerships with other arts leaders in Seattle nurture a more robust and connected creative community.


Building

On the Boards moved in 1998 from Washington Hall into its current space, the Behnke Center for Contemporary Performance,in Seattle's lower Queen Anne/Uptown neighborhood in the historic Queen Anne Hall. The ADA Accessible building is home to two theaters: our 300-seat Merrill Theater and our black box Studio Theater The street level offers several storefronts, including one that hosts the OtB Artist Residency space.

Land Acknowledgement

On the Boards acknowledges that we work on the unceded ancestral home of the Duwamish and many other Indigenous peoples, recorded and unrecorded, who have been the custodians of this land since time immemorial. As settlers on this land, we extend our deepest gratitude and respect to Indigenous people past, present, and future. 

On the Boards is exploring ways to better align our practices with Coast Salish protocol. Part of our understanding of the protocol is making material gifts to the Indigenous peoples of this land as a way of recognizing their historic and present dedication to the well-being of the territory and all beings who make a home here.  

We encourage you to donate online at Real Rent Duwamish.

This acknowledgment does not take the place of authentic relationships with Indigenous communities but serves as a first step in honoring the land we occupy. To learn more about land acknowledgments visit the Native Governance Center.