One of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital, Ford’s Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through a partnership between Ford’s Theatre Society and the National Park Service, Ford’s Theatre is the premier destination in the nation’s capital to explore and celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s ideals and leadership principles: courage, integrity, equality and creative expression.
The mission of Ford’s Theatre Society is to celebrate the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and explore the American experience through theatre and education. Since the arrival of Director Paul R. Tetreault, critics and the theatregoing public have recognized Ford’s for the superior quality of its artistic programming, with works from the Tony-nominated "Come From Away" and nationally acclaimed "Big River " to the world premieres of "Meet John Doe," "The Heavens Are Hung In Black," "Liberty Smith," "Necessary Sacrifices," "The Widow Lincoln" and "The Guard." For its accomplishments, the organization was honored in 2008 with the National Medal of Arts.
In the past decade, the mission of Ford’s Theatre Society expanded to include education as a central pillar. This expansion led to the creation and construction of the Center for Education and Leadership, which opened in February 2012. Currently, under the leadership of Board of Trustees Chairman Eric A. Spiegel, the Society is building Ford’s Theatre into a national destination for exploring Lincoln’s ideas and leadership principles and finding new ways to bring Lincoln’s legacy to life for the 21st-century learner. For more information, visit www.fords.org.