A Listening Session on the Topic of Race at Virginia Rep

 

Purpose

Listening sessions aim to provide a safe, impartial space for artists, patrons, donors, and community stakeholders to candidly express their lived experiences, thoughts, and concerns. The intent of this specific event is to provide a platform to voice concerns and experiences related to the company’s complex history of race relations and harm caused, especially to communities of color.

VA Rep’s senior leadership and members of the board will be present to actively listen and truly learn without offering rebuttal, interruption, or response; instead allowing the experiences of the attendees to take precedence above explanations.

This public session is an extension of work being done internally. VA Rep has participated in two guided preparations for our leadership to make this session productive and will be holding an internal listening session and workshop for our entire full-time staff a few days before this public event. This public event is also not the end of our process but one part of a larger plan of action for Virginia Rep to improve and take accountability.

As part of creating a safe, immediate space for people to share their experiences – VA Rep will not be making a formal recording or transcription of this event. There will be a member of the facilitation team taking notes on the themes of the experiences shared in order to help facilitate a debrief and to inform a plan of action for moving forward. An acknowledgement of the themes shared, as well as a DEI roadmap and accountability statement will be made available to the public later this year.

What Can Attendees Expect

VA Rep’s event will take place at The Workshop by T & D (1400 Mactavish Ave, RVA 23230) on Tuesday, September 16 from 6PM to 8PM.

Members of Rep’s senior leadership will offer a brief welcome – restating the purpose and methodology of the session. Following that, VA Rep will be there to listen, not to talk.

A trained facilitator, Kim Hawkins, will then open the floor for attendees to share — focusing on people who have experiences around the issue of race while working, patronizing, or otherwise interacting with VA Rep — particularly those belonging to communities of color.

VA Rep Commits To

  • Providing a space that is physically and psychologically safe – at a neutral site with a trained facilitator
  • Actively listening to and accepting what is shared without offering rebuttals, explanations, or excuses
  • Centering the experiences of members of communities of color
  • Ensuring that there is no retaliatory behavior during or after the event

Outcomes

The purpose of this session is not to provide explanations but to hear and take accountability for the harm caused in the community and set actionable steps to make improvements moving forward and rebuild trust.

Timeline
  • September 2024 – Staff proposes need to Exec Management, Listening Session proposed
  • February 2025 – Sr. Management team begins working cross departmentally to format session structure
  • March 2025 – Virginia Rep begins the search for a qualified facilitator
  • June 2025 – Virginia Rep engages Kim Hawkins and begins regular meetings
  • August 11, 2025 – Executive/Board Leadership Session
  • August 12, 2025 – Senior Management Session
  • September 15, 2025 – Virginia Rep holds INTERNAL listening session among staff and board
  • September 16, 2025 – Virginia Rep holds EXTERNAL community wide listening session
  • Wednesday, September 17, 2025 – VA Rep’s Executive Team debriefs with facilitator
  • Week of Oct. 6, 2025 – Facilitator delivers a DEI roadmap to VA Rep
  • Later this Season – VA Rep will report back to the public regarding the theatre’s next steps

Please see the additional tabs for information on our facilitator and the venue (including parking information)
Additional questions about the event can be sent to listeningsession@virginiarep.org