Here We Go

Welcome to the official blog of the Firehouse Theatre Project in Richmond, Va.

The Firehouse Theatre was formed in 1993 to provide contemporary American theatre otherwise unseen in the Richmond area. We pride ourselves on presenting plays that hold a mirror to society and challenge our audiences' notions of what they thought they believed about themselves and the world around them.

In seeking to communicate with existing patrons and find new ones, the Firehouse embraces new and emerging media. While blogs have been around awhile, we haven't seen many theatres using them often or well. We believe that new and social media provide and opportunity to tell the story of the theatre itself as well as specific productions in a new and exciting way. Theatre is not static, as is a print ad or a Web page or any other traditional marketing tool. It is dynamic, exciting, immediate, and reflects the entire range of human emotion. We hope to find ways to use new media to help bring our shows to life and generate interest in them within the Richmond community and beyond.

As such, we have stepped up our presence on several fronts. We have a more active Facebook fan page, where followers can engage with us and receive information about shows and special offers. We are using Twitter to send out up-to-the-minute updates; follow us: @firehouserva. We have posted a cool documentary about the origins of the Firehouse on our YouTube account, and our Flickr page is being used to showcase the elegant production stills captured by our incredible photographer, Jay Paul.

As for the blog, we want to use this space to peel back the layers of the theatre and each performance by offering a variety of voices from each production. The second show of our 2009-10 season, Neil LaBute's "This is How it Goes" opens Thursday, Oct. 29, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 21.

Leading up to opening night, we plan to let you hear from various members of our staff, cast and crew about their unique experiences putting this production together. On Wednesday, Oct. 21, you'll hear from Carol Piersol, the Firehouse's founding artistic director, about how and why "This is How it Goes" was selected for production. We'll update the blog with a new post every other day through the first weekend of the run with insights from members of the cast and crew who will share their personal experiences and thoughts, and twice a week from then until the show closes.

So stick with us. We promise an interesting story will unfold that will enhance your theatre-going experience. And, in the meantime, head on over to www.firehousetheatre.org and reserve your tickets today!

Many thanks for your support of the Firehouse and Richmond theatre in general.

Bill Farrar
Public Relations & Marketing Manager