What’s in a name?

Theater of the First Amendment (TFA) is the professional theater company of George Mason University’s Center for the Arts. Our name derives from the writings of George Mason, namesake of the University that created us in 1990.

George Mason was the author of the original Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was the basis for the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees, among other things, freedom of speech.

We develop and produce new plays, including new translations and adaptations of classic work. We also produce regional premieres of recent work.

The style, target audience, themes, and genre of these plays vary. We believe in telling good stories through the art of theater. We believe in giving playwrights the freedom to explore their ideas without imposing an agenda on the outcome, other than artistic excellence. By bringing these voices to the stage, we celebrate truly free speech.

Growing Region, Growing Goals

In the 18 years since TFA was founded, something has changed. Not our mission, not our values, but our neighborhood. Since 1990, Northern Virginia has developed, diversified, and transformed itself from a region of bedroom communities into one of the centers of the global knowledge economy. George Mason University, and its arts programs, have grown, and transformed alongside the region.

There have been growing pains, to be sure. But they helped us realize that Theater of the First Amendment and the Center for the Arts are in a unique position. We have the opportunity to create something new, something with a scope far greater than a traditional theater season, but also able to engage far more of our community. And so the Festival was born. Anchored by TFA, the Festival has grown to include more than thirty regional arts groups.

Our mission is to celebrate our region's amazing diversity of artists, promote arts education for all ages, and encourage innovation by bringing artists from different genres and communities together. Over the last two years, we have worked to bring our region's student, community, and professional arts groups together and create something new, exciting, and (we hope) festive! Come join us at the inaugural Mason Festival of the Arts and see what we can do-- together.