Teresa Coleman Wash is a producer, playwright, and founding artistic director for the Bishop Arts Theatre Center (BATC). Under her leadership, the theatre earned Theater Communications Group coveted Peter Zeisler Memorial Award, 13 Irma P. Hall Awards, approximately $4M in philanthropic support, and the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs’ prestigious Stanford Award for demonstrating exemplary fiscal management. She is a National Arts Strategies fellow who studied at Harvard Business School and earned an MA in Arts Management from Goucher College. She is the recipient of the Irma P. Hall Theatrical Excellence Award, Business Council for the Arts Obelisk Award for Visionary Arts Leadership, and the National Guild for Community Arts Education Milestone Award. Her plays have been seen in New York, Atlanta, Washington, D. C., Detroit, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

In 2005, TeCo Theatrical Productions, Inc. (dba BATC) was the recipient of a 10,000 square ft. dilapidated building near the Bishop Arts District in Dallas, TX. Wash led her team of board, staff, and community members in securing over $1.2M in funding to renovate the blighted facility. Construction began in 2006 and, despite a downward spiral economy, was complete in 2008. Today, BATC is an intimate 165-seat proscenium theatre with dressing rooms, an art gallery, executive offices, a learning lab, two skyboxes, and an arts business incubator center. The theatre receives critical acclaim and has been nationally recognized for its innovative programming, which includes a banned books festival, world-class jazz series, and year-round arts education programs for youth and seniors.

In 2017, Wash was elected to the Dramatists Guild of America Council representing the Southern region, where she served on the Steering Committee. She is a thought leader on bias and racism in the American Theatre. Several of her essays have been published in the Dallas Morning News and Howlround Theatre Commons. 

Published Essays & Features:

Bishop Arts Theatre presents third banned books festival - KERA, February 23, 2024
Women leaders of color are leaving arts groups. Here are 6 ways to change that. - KERA, January 3, 2023
A Time of Interrogation – HowlRound, July 26, 2020
The Ugly Truth About Arts Organizations Led by Women of Color – HowlRound, May 9, 2018
How the arts give Dallas an economic boost – Dallas Morning News, May 12, 2017
How the arts can support public safety – Dallas Morning News, April 4, 2017
It’s Time To Give More Women and Playwrights of Color The Spotlight – Role Reboot, May 20, 2016