The theater was founded in October 1984 as Alias Stage by seven members of the graduating class of Trinity Rep Conservatory.

They performed at the Riverside Mills in Providence's Olneyville neighborhood, but that space was destroyed by a fire on December 18, 1989.

The group moved to a semi-permanent garage space in the Providence Jewelry District in 1994, backed by a board of directors.

They then changed their name to the Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre after receiving a donation of $100,000 from Alan Shawn Feinstein in memory of his sister.

[2][3] The theater remained in the cramped Jewelry District until October 2002, when they were in need of a larger space and financial re-organization.