Mission & Vision

The mission of the Ancram Center for the Arts is to engage, entertain and forge connection in rural Ancram and beyond through the performing arts. We envision individuals and communities being empowered, healthier, and happier when the arts are part of everyday life.

Core Values

Immediacy—There’s no fourth wall in our intimate space. The performer and audience are in direct communication with one another.

Relevance—We bring to life stories that reflect the lived experience of our community, while also sharing stories not as representative, believing in theater’s capacity to foster understanding and empathy.

Adventure—Every production offers a chance to innovate and try something new. We support artists of all backgrounds and their unique processes to create surprising, ground-breaking new work.

Participatory—We celebrate the essential role that audiences play in live performance. Our many storytelling and theater-making workshops cultivate learning, self-expression, collaboration, and connection for community members of all ages and experience levels.

The power of listening

Ancram Center programming centers on the power of storytelling, yet the act of listening is equally vital so that we and the community can grow and learn from one another. We are particularly indebted to artists of color who have said "yes" to working and sharing their stories at Ancram Center, an organization led by a white staff and serving a predominately white audience. Recognizing that racism is inextricably embedded in contemporary life, we aim to provide time and space for harm-reduction, healing, and a re-imagining that dismantles racism through the work we do, and how we approach it.  

A center for the arts for all

Underlying Ancram Center for the Arts’ mission, vision, and values is a commitment to being a diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization where all patrons, artists, staff, interns, volunteers, and board members feel respected and valued. To thrive, all are welcome; and in our programming, we tell stories and illuminate experiences that reflect the diversity of the world in which we live. In every facet of our operations, we seek to encourage access and participation in the arts regardless of one’s gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, visible or invisible disability, education, financial circumstance, or any other historically marginalized status.