Community Engagement

Our Community Conversations series offers our patrons the opportunity to engage with and explore our shows beyond our staged performance through post-show discussions featuring the artistic teams alongside community leaders and UVA faculty members and experts. Note: A ticket to the performance is required to attend our post-show discussions.

Check back here in the Spring of 2026 for a list of Community Conversations offered during our 2026 Summer Season.

Our Spotlight on Service program provides complimentary tickets to area nonprofits, allowing us to both acknowledge the incredible work of our partners and engage with new and diverse communities by distributing over 200 tickets each year to individuals in our community who otherwise would not attend.

If you are an area nonprofit interested in learning more about our Spotlight on Service program, please reach out to Jenny Mays, jmays@virginia.edu.

In 2025, VTF engaged with a wide variety of local organizations through Spotlight on Service and a total of 275 tickets were distributed to 23 area nonprofits, including: the International Rescue Committee, Bennett’s Village, Cville Tulips, Jefferson Area Board of Aging, Cultivate Charlottesville, among many others.

Quotes from participating organizations:

“Thank you for always inviting us to see these shows! It is not something we normally would get the chance to do but every time we’ve gone through Virginia Theatre Festival it has been a magical experience. We are so grateful for the opportunity for our volunteers and participants have to see the show and how powerful the theatre is.”

“The actors were fabulous, the dancing, the singing and the acting overall. Thank you again for your generosity with LNE and in the community!”

Thank you to the UVA Arts Council for their support of VTF’s Community Engagement efforts.