DCist has had the opportunity to enjoy a number of Actors’ Theater of Washington productions over the years. But we’ve learned that the theater company, which targets Washington’s gay and lesbian community, will be expanding its focus and rebranding its identity.

ATW will soon begin to operate as Ganymede Arts, a name taken from the first Greek myth to reference same sex love, and a character and concept that has found its influence in everything from Renaissance art to church history to astronomy (Jupiter’s largest moon, for instance).

“The scope of it kind of matches the scope of what we want to do; it has its fingers in everything,” artistic director Jeffrey Johnson said.

Johnson always has had the vision of making his company a group with a theater base that reaches into other areas of the arts. With a brand new staff and board of directors behind him (and the help of generous patrons such as the neighboring shop Go Mama Go), the company hopes to expand into art, dance and music.

“Instead of coming into the lobby at 7:45 with your ticket, we want people to come by at 7, have a glass of wine, and listen to a musical performer or poetry,” Johnson explained. “That way, it becomes more of an arts event.”