Virginia
Virginia Rep Welcomes 3 Artistic Directors
RICHMOND, VA.: Virginia Repertory Theatre has stuffed all of the roles in its new, tripartite inventive management mannequin, which it first introduced within the fall of 2021, as a substitute for the earlier mannequin and inventive director Nathaniel Shaw, who served as inventive director from 2016 to 2020 (following the lengthy tenure of founding inventive director Bruce Miller). As introduced earlier than, Desirée Roots will probably be inventive director of group. Newly added to the management workforce are Todd D. Norris, who will function inventive director of schooling, and Rick Hammerly, inventive director of programming.
“Earlier than Theatre IV and Barksdale Theatre merged to turn out to be Virginia Rep,” mentioned board chair-elect and board choice committee chair William H. Carter in a press release, “Theatre IV’s mission was to hunt nationwide caliber excellence equally in 4 areas: the humanities, schooling, kids’s well being, and group management. This mission impressed Theatre IV’s title, and these commitments proceed to function the pillars of Virginia Rep’s operations right this moment.”
At Virginia Rep, Desirée Roots works on applications that join youth with group well being and wellness applications, in addition to the theatre’s Inclusion, Variety, Fairness, and Entry programming. Roots is a singer, actor, and dancer with longstanding ties to the Richmond group. She beforehand served as program coordinator for the Richmond Jazz Society and as reserving supervisor for Downtown Presents.
Todd D. Norris is a director, educator, author and actor. He served as president of the Worldwide Museum Theatre Alliance, was affiliate vp of interpretation and household applications on the Youngsters’s Museum of Indianapolis, and was senior supervisor of efficiency interpretation on the Colonial Williamsburg Basis. He has taught and directed at a number of faculties, together with the Faculty of William and Mary, Christopher Newport College, Alice Lloyd Faculty, and Wright State College. Norris will lead all programming for kids, households, and faculties. He’ll co-lead Virginia Rep’s award-winning Group Well being + Wellness program alongside Desirée Roots.
Rick Hammerly is a D.C.-based actor, director, filmmaker, and humanities supervisor with over three many years of expertise within the business. He obtained a 2018 Helen Hayes Award for his path of Lela & Co. and a 2020 Helen Hayes Award nomination for his path of Agnes of God. His different directing credit embody Dizzy Miss Lizzie’s Roadside Revue’s The Brontes, Reykjavik, Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight, Driving Miss Daisy, Junie B. Jones Is Not a Criminal, Useless Man Strolling, and Closet Land. He was chosen to take part within the Shakespeare Theatre Firm’s inaugural administrators’ studio program. Hammerly is a founder and the present producing inventive director of Manufacturing unit 449 and is the present govt director of the Washington Space Performing Arts Video Archive (WAPAVA). In his function at Virginia Rep, Hammerly will lead all programming for grownup audiences (Signature Season, Hanover Season, Cadence Season).
Virginia Repertory Theatre is a regional skilled theatre headquartered in downtown Richmond, and one of many largest performing arts organizations in Central Virginia. Virginia Rep levels 4 seasons yearly: the Signature Season on the Sara Belle and Neil November Theatre, the Youngsters’s Season, the Hanover Tavern Season, and the Theatre Gymnasium Season produced in partnership with Cadence Theatre Firm. As of 2019, Virginia Rep had a funds of round $5.6 million.