Virginia Repertory Theatre
Virginia Repertory Theatre aspires to become an artistic home that is multicultural in representation and where everyone is welcomed and included. We acknowledge that white supremacy and racism have permeated our national culture and are pervasive in our society. It is systemic. We stand against this and commit to doing our part to dismantle systems of oppression, not only in the theater community, but everywhere it is present.
As we look inward, we examine our own conscious and unconscious biases. We hold ourselves accountable for the ways in which our organization has caused harm to our artists and to the theater community. By not acknowledging this and the national reckoning, we caused further pain. Following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others, there has been a call for social justice. We at Virginia Repertory Theatre acknowledge this, we accept the call for social justice, and understand how and where we need to change as an organization as we move forward.
We commit to examining our organizational culture to assure that we are an artistic home centered on anti-racist and anti-oppression practices. We will actively pursue and embrace inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in all aspects of art, business, and life in our community.
We will intentionally make space for the diverse voices of our board, staff, artists, and theatre community.
We will seek to include and reflect on the varied experiences of our community to ensure everyone has access to live theatre that entertains, inspires, and challenges. We will be mindful of Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC); Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI); People with Disabilities, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ (LGBTQ+), and other marginalized communities in our efforts and we will actively seek to learn from them.
We make these commitments to the theater community and to the community at large and we ask that they take this journey with us and hold us accountable.
We will commit to implement our action plan so that we can honestly say:
At Virginia Repertory Theatre, everyone has a voice.
At our theatre, everyone is welcomed and included.
Since its founding as Barksdale Theatre (1953), Virginia Rep has maintained a steadfast commitment to racial equity. We proudly acknowledge the roles of our audience, artists and Boards in this hard-won legacy of progress toward inclusion, diversity, equity and access.
1954 In partnership with VUU, and in open defiance of Virginia's Jim Crow Laws, Barksdale welcomes Virginia's first fully integrated audience since Reconstruction
1968 Barksdale casts Carl Lester as Persil-le-Noir in Irma La Douce, marking RVA's first hiring of a Black actor in a major supporting role, not as a servant, in a major theatre
1973 To critical acclaim and sold-out houses, Barksdale stages Lorraine Hansberry's To Be Young, Gifted and Black as RVA's first major production focusing on Black experience
1975 Theatre IV's founding mission commits to excellence in "four equal areas: the arts, education, children's health and community leadership," putting EDA front and center
1978 Barksdale welcomes a guest production of The River Niger, a realistic family drama firmly rooted in contemporary Black experience—another first
1980 Theatre IV places A Raisin in the Sun, staged by Black director Amini Jahari, in its inaugural season—again, a first. In subsequent seasons, we produce 42 additional mainstage shows focusing on Black or Latin experience.
1981 Theatre IV produces its first touring instructional play based on Black History, Bound for Freedom, casting Tony Cosby, Kelvin Davis and Eloise Libron in its resident touring company. In subsequent years, we create 12 additional Black History instructional titles, touring them to schools statewide and nationally.
1986 Theatre IV purchases and renovates the historic Empire Theatre, formerly the Booker T, as our permanent home
1997 Martha Gilbert elected President of the Theatre IV Board of Directors, the first Black Board President of a major nonprofit arts organization in Virginia
2002 Theatre IV presents Buffalo Soldier as the first professional theatre production to be staged in the Pentagon, as a morale booster following 9/11
2009 Barksdale and Theatre IV jointly stage Virginia's first Hispanic Theatre Festival
2020 Virginia Rep Board creates IDEA Taskforce: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access
2021 Katrinah Carol Lewis named Interim Artistic Director, followed by the permanent appointment of Desirée Roots as Artistic Director of Virginia Rep
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