From West Side Story to the Revolutionary Stage: Our Partnership with Washington National Opera

A Baltimore Search Finds the Right Partner

Last spring, Washington National Opera went looking for a creative partner who knew Baltimore. The company was bringing their production of West Side Story to The Lyric—entering what was essentially a new market for them—and they wanted real ways to engage the Baltimore community. An online search put Mission at the top of the list, and after reviewing our arts and experiences portfolio and sitting down with us, they brought us on as a creative and strategic partner for the production: developing the show’s key art and creative assets, building connections and promotional opportunities around Baltimore, and shaping and managing a media strategy built specifically for the market.

A New Chapter for an Independent Company

That engagement landed at a defining moment for WNO. In January 2026, the company completed their departure from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and began their first season as a fully independent opera company. Supporting WNO through that transition, and helping them find their footing with a new audience in Baltimore, was incredibly meaningful.

The Opera’s Next Act

That trust has carried forward. WNO has tasked Mission with the key art and promotional materials for their 2026–2027 fall season: three landmark events on the company’s new “Revolutionary Stage” inside DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Under the leadership of General Director Timothy O’Leary and visionary Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, the lineup includes a bold, new production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, the company premiere of John Adams’ Nixon in China, and the concert event We the People. Built with a thrust stage and café-style seating, the Revolutionary Stage transforms Constitution Hall’s historic auditorium into a fully immersive, in-the-round experience—the most ambitious reinvention of the opera-going experience WNO has attempted.

Bringing the Season to Life

Mission’s work for the fall season spans every touchpoint an audience member will see before the curtain rises: the key show art for Madama Butterfly, Nixon in China, and We the People; a full suite of digital advertising assets; the cover design for the season playbill; a series of seven large-format banners that will hang between the pillars outside DAR Constitution Hall; and activations that will welcome audiences to the Revolutionary Stage.

Enter Stage Left: An Unparalleled Opportunity

It would have been easy for WNO’s new independence to be read as a setback. Instead, the company has used it as a catalyst, reimagining what an opera season can look and feel like, and Mission is excited to help tell that story. Out of a genuinely stressful transition has come a genuinely rare creative opportunity: a more immersive, accessible, and surprising Washington National Opera. We can’t wait to help bring their 2026–2027 fall season to Washington, and for audiences to experience it for themselves.