Living Stage Theatre Company is the outreach arm of Arena Stage, one of the countrỳs preeminent professional regional theaters. Living Stage is an improvisational theater program that draws from the lives and concerns of audience members to develop the content for its performances. The four ongoing workshops, for physically disabled toddlers, impoverished second graders, teen mothers and incarcerated youth, give traditionally overlooked populations a voice. The first part of each workshop focuses on a scenario in which the main character is always the same age as the participants and faces a dilemma. At a crucial moment, the scene freezes, and the group improvises how the scenario can be resolved. During the second part of the workshop, the participants work on theater exercises to develop skills in communicating emotions and creating characters, on building sets and more. Then, each group works together to create an improvisational performance of its own. Professional actor/educators lead the workshops, tailoring each to the specific needs of the group. Youth participate weekly over a 5-month period, working 11/2 to 3 hours in groups of no more than 20.