Doorway Arts Ensemble Joins Forces with Ally Theatre Company

Matt Ripa, Producing Artistic Director and the Board of Directors are excited to announce that Doorway Arts Ensemble is joining forces with Ally Theatre Company under the Artistic Direction of Ty Hallmark. Ripa and Hallmark made the announcement at the closing performance of Ally Theatre Company's production of The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington.

Doorway Arts Ensemble is dedicated to producing the work of local playwrights and this mission will continue with Ally Theatre Company. Mr. Ripa will continue as a board member of Ally Theatre Company and serve as an artistic ally and advisor. "In a market that is so saturated with theatre companies, I decided it was better to forge partnerships than to compete for audiences and Doorway could not find a better organization than Ally Theatre Company," said Ripa.

Matt was an early advocate of Ty Hallmark's vision and the company's mission of "placing underrepresented populations at the front and center of our narratives and our organization and forming alliances with individuals and organizations who share a similar mission." After speaking with the board of directors and with Ty and Tai Alexander (Managing Director, Ally Theatre Company) in September of 2016, Ripa started the process of uniting Doorway Arts Ensemble under the banner of Ally Theatre Company.

"We are delighted to forge this partnership with both Matt and Doorway Arts Ensemble," says Hallmark, "As Ally moves from its nascent stages, grows and matures, we intend to honor and acknowledge Doorway's long history of developing new work by local playwrights by instituting a development program of our own specifically focused on work created by artists residing in Prince George's County. We hope these new works will be a centerpiece of future seasons and we are grateful to Doorway Arts Ensemble for the solid foundation on which to begin."