Everybody deserves a place to call their own. Everybody needs a home.

Servant Stage's new home is also the nonprofit's first. Not only are Servant Stage's new digs a product of growth, the location is also a space where it can continue to grow.

"It's almost hard to put into words," said Johnathan Bauer, the founder and executive director of Servant Stage. "It hits every once in a while. This is a home. Like, 'Wow, this is for real.' It hasn't fully sunk in yet. There are a lot of firsts in this place that are really special."

Following 12 years of serving the Lancaster County community through theater and the performing arts, Servant Stage moved into its new headquarters at 1842 William Penn Way, Lancaster, in East Lampeter Township in October. Up until that point, Servant Stage had been doing the best it could with what it had, while the mission around it was flourishing.

"It's so nice to have our own space," said Bauer. "It's fun every day. It's nice to be able to have a conversation and not have to reply to an email. Having no space for so many years, you get used to it. A lot of it was working from home. We were storing sets and props in basements, garages and barns. Efficiency is a huge part of what we do. We were doing so many shows that it wasn't sustainable."

Servant Stage's new home base is eight rooms and 8,500 square feet in size, 5,000 of which is dedicated to a workshop, warehouse and storage space and 3,500 of which is being used as offices and for conferences and meetings. The space can also accommodate smaller auditions and rehearsals for the more than 15 productions and 190 performances that the organization has been staging each year.

"We have been looking and actively exploring spaces for a workshop and theater for like six or seven years now," said Bauer. "Back in May, we came across this place in Greenfield, and our Realtor connected us with the landlord. We knew from the very first visit that it checked all of the boxes. The lease was signed in a month or so. This kind of fell into our lap."

Prior to its recent move, Servant Stage was practicing and rehearsing for performances at Lancaster Alliance Church, at 210 Pitney Road, Lancaster, not far from its new home. Depending upon the demands of each production, some of those rehearsals will continue to be conducted at the church.

"The focus of the mission is on service," said Bauer, a resident of Strasburg. "The idea of using the performing arts and theater to serve the community, that's been the mission from the very beginning and that's why we chose that name. We love theater and the community, and there's both a why and a how behind it."

"With our mission of bringing shows into the community, we've been nomadic," continued Bauer. "Everyone on the team is very flexible and good at problem-solving. We've been able to make it grow so much, but we've grown so much. The amount of programming we're doing is growing, and our staff is growing. You need a space for it. It's definitely long overdue."

Servant Stage is projecting to present 20 productions for both adults and youths with more than 220 total performances in 2026. The traveling troupe's performances will be staged at high schools, churches and retirement communities across Lancaster County.

"When you factor in all the rehearsals, it's a lot," said Bauer. "It's people wanting to be a part of it. We've seen 300 people at auditions for performances that have had 150 spots. That's why we keep adding productions. We keep getting requests for performances. There are certainly plenty of challenges, but we haven't gotten to a place where we've had to cut back on shows because we don't have performing places."

"(Operating our own theater) is definitely a dream as well," added Bauer. "We would love to have a theater to do these shows. It's still a dream down the road that would make more performances possible, but it's one step at a time."

Servant Stage, which is funded through freewill offerings received at performances, business partnerships, sponsorships, individual donations and grant funding, is operated by seven full-time employees, six part-timers and a host of volunteers.

For additional information, go to https://servantstage.org.