Our History in Richmond Theatre

Our History. Our Roots.

Co-Authored by Harry Kollatz Jr.

On Sunday, October 17, 1993, Harry Kollatz, Jr., Carol Piersol, Anna Senechal Johnson, Bill Gordon and Janet Wilson  gathered around Carol and Morrie Piersol’s kitchen table and formulated their notions for making a theatre company. In just two weeks time, on October 31, 1993, they both ratified the mission statement and chose the Firehouse Theatre Project’s name.

It had been a chance meeting at the Davis & Main Restaurant between Carol Piersol and Fan District mover-and-shaker, Bev Lacy, that first turned the founders onto the possibility of producing at the firehouse: knowing of their need for a space, Lacy suggested to Carol she check into Station #10, which was getting closed down by the city.  Bill Gordon entered first – and first realized their destiny.

The founders chose as their primary mission ‘to produce Richmond premieres written by contemporary American playwrights’. This was buttressed by classes instructing actors in the Sanford Meisner acting method, which was, in part, responsible for bringing the founders together. 

The city didn’t initially sell FTP the building, but allowed the company to utilize the firehouse, and generally—whether by intention or not—allowed the founders to make the space their home.

In the early days of 1999, the city gave FTP ninety days to raise $80,000 to purchase the firehouse, or vacate. The founders embarked on an aggressive awareness and fundraising campaign, but as of April time was running out. At intermission of a performance of John Patrick’s Shanley’s Four Dogs and a Bone, possibly Firehouse’s final production, Harry Kollatz Jr. was approached by Roy Sutton who simply said, “I’ll buy the building for you.” Later he and wife Barbara gifted the building to the company. Adventurous, thought-provoking performance found a home in the space from that time on. 

Founding Artistic Director Carol Piersol led The Firehouse Theatre project for another fourteen years, until she and the board of directors decided to part ways. Carol’s departure from the Firehouse was not without controversy in the creative community as she and the theatre synonymous with her name had grown into a beloved and vital part of the Richmond theatre fabric. She and other former Firehouse members went on to found the 5th Wall Theatre Company. 

Following an interim period led by Jase Sullivan, Dr. Joel Bassin took the reins as Producing Artistic Director in 2015. Bassin came to Firehouse following an already active career in the performing arts that crossed artistic, administrative, academic, and technical areas. He toured the world as Managing Director of The Wooster Group and worked with other renowned ensembles such as Mabou Mines and Theatre de la Jeune.  Bassin worked steadily to repair Firehouse’s tarnished reputation in the community, and gradually renewed Firehouse’s reputation as an essential venue in the RVA arts scene. During Bassin’s tenure, Firehouse dramatically expanded community access to the well-established venue, creating both recurring and one-time producing partnerships with a wide array of organizations and independent artists. Under Bassin, Firehouse delivered like never before on its mission as a thriving hub of creative activity, producing or partnering in over seventy performances per season, often hosting over two hundred evenings of live entertainment annually.

In 2020, compelled by the social unrest of that summer, and inspired by the theatrical experiments seen during the Covid-19 shutdown, roundtable discussions with artists, administrators, philanthropists, and innovators led to the birth of The New Theatre, led by Artistic Director Nathaniel Shaw and Executive Director Vida Williams. Established in 2021 to challenge and expand art and industry, The New Theatre envisioned a more innovative American Theatre that better reflected the entirety of the American experience. Shaw joined The New Theatre following a stint as Artistic Director for Virginia Repertory Theatre, as Founding Artistic Director for The Active Theatre (NYC), and as Glass Half Full Productions initial director of new works. Williams brought a twenty year career in data and technology, including being named VCU’s first Innovator in Residence, to the innovative start-up company. 

Flash forward to the summer of 2021, Nathaniel Shaw was working for Joel Bassin as a guest director at Firehouse. Following a rehearsal of the US Premiere of The Barber of Moville, Bassin informed Shaw that he was ready to retire, and asked if he would consider merging The New Theatre and Firehouse to create a more durable, effective organization with their shared commitment to new plays. After a brief courtship and thorough due diligence, both boards voted unanimously to bring the two organizations together. 

Firehouse’s 30th Anniversary season kicked off with Angelica Chéri’s Berta Berta, as the first production at The New Theatre at Firehouse. Berta Berta was also the first production on the newly minted Carol Piersol Stage, following Firehouse and 5th Wall’s joint effort to honor their shared founder in the playhouse that holds the lion’s share of her creative history. Both Carol Piersol’s legacy of adventurous new work, and Bassin’s meaningful expansion of community participation, are firmly embedded in the vision of new Producing Artistic Director Nathaniel Shaw. With the addition of New Theatre core commitments and values, Firehouse is poised to become an essential and vibrant incubator of new American theatre, where we are all welcome, where we are all seen, and where we are all inspired.