Shanna Tucker; Education & Engagement Director
About the Wortham
Located in the heart of Asheville’s Pack Square Cultural District, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts is a welcoming home for creativity, connection, and discovery. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the Wortham Center is deeply grateful to its donors and ticket buyers, whose support makes its mission possible: to enrich, enlighten, educate, and entertain through the performing arts.
Its three beautiful venues—the Diana Wortham Theatre, Tina McGuire Theatre, and Henry LaBrun Studio—host a wide variety of performances, community events, and arts education programs that inspire audiences of all ages. With convenient parking and plenty of great downtown restaurants just steps away, the Wortham offers an accessible and vibrant space where everyone can experience the joy of live performance.
Wortham Presents
Wortham Center’s ever-popular annual season of national and international touring artists, Wortham Presents, offers the best in music, dance, theatre and special attractions. Past headliners include Pilobolus, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Kathy Mattea, Black Violin, Paula Poundstone, Rhiannon Giddons, Bela Fleck, and DIAVOLO.
Local Community Groups
The Wortham Center brings its mission to life by supporting and celebrating local artists and arts organizations across Western North Carolina. As a creative home for the region’s performing arts community, the Wortham hosts a wide range of groups—among them Adesto Theatre Company, Blue Ridge Orchestra, The Moth Asheville, The Asheville Ballet, Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance, Asheville Musical Theatre, Asheville Performing Arts Academy, Ballet Conservatory of Asheville, Music Video Asheville, and the YMCA of Western North Carolina—just a few of the many that make the Wortham a vibrant hub for the arts.
Student Series
The Kirk & Lucy Borland Student Series brings the Wortham Center’s mission to life—enriching, enlightening, educating, and entertaining through the performing arts. Each year, students from across Western North Carolina experience live performances that make learning come alive—from Shakespeare and dance to stories that explore history, culture, and community. Through the Arts for All Kids program, the Wortham ensures that students and schools facing financial barriers can share in the joy and inspiration of the arts.
Residency Programs
Wortham Center’s residency programs strengthen connections between artists and audiences through meaningful opportunities for outreach, creation, and community engagement. Resident theatre company Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective presents dynamic performances in the Tina McGuire Theatre, while resident dance company Stewart/Owen Dance offers both public classes in the Henry LaBrun Studio and performances. Together, they help the Wortham enrich, enlighten, educate, and entertain—bringing the transformative power of the performing arts to the community.
Past resident artists include cellist and singer-songwriter, Shana Tucker (2019-2020), and Black Box Dance Theatre (2019-2020).
Home – Wortham Center for the Performing Arts
