About us
Our Mission
Reston Community Players' mission is to: Entertain, engage and enrich Reston and the surrounding region with professional quality productions while creating a safe, positive and inclusive theatre culture.
Our Vision
Reston Community Players will endeavor to
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Produce diverse, creative and collaborative works of theatre noted for variety, excellence and professionalism;
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Provide a collaborative, respectful and safe environment that values and encourages self-expression, diversity and inclusion;
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Express appreciation to our technicians, artists and audiences, while being recognized and respected by the broader community as an award-winning cultural asset;
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Foster innovation in our work, coach and train volunteers, educate and expand viewpoints, and build empathy for one another;
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Ensure RCP remains fiscally sound, properly managed, and efficiently structured as an all volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit organization; and
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Steward a legacy that honors our history, values our community and ensures our mission is successful across generations.
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Mission and Vision Statements revised in November 2025
and approved by the RCP Board of Directors on December 7, 2025.
Our History
In 1961, Robert E. Simon purchased 6,750 acres of land in
Fairfax County, VA, far from the rapidly developing suburbs of
Washington DC, with a master plan for a new planned community
to be called Reston. Simon’s concept was to create a community
based in part on the idea of providing Reston residents with
artistic and cultural experiences close to where they live and
work.
In the spring of 1966, three residents of neighboring Herndon
approached Simon to ask if residents of Reston might like to
perform their original musical, The Greatest Game in Town. The
plot was centered around adventures and misadventures in the
stock market and made a net profit of $200. Thus, the Reston
Players community theatre organization was born.
Over the years, the Reston Players occupied a number of
different performance venues and encountered a number of
challenges, including the 1972 fire at Bowman Chapel that
destroyed all of the Reston Players’ assets. Later that year, the
company reorganized itself as the non-profit Reston Community
Players (RCP).
In 1979, RCP mounted Applause, its first production in the brand
new state-of-the-art CenterStage at the Reston Community
Center in Hunters Woods and has been performing there ever
since.
In 1984, Lindsay Petersen, then Secretary of the RCP Board of
Directors, purchased a warehouse in Herndon that she leased
back to RCP for a nominal fee. The warehouse was converted
into a rehearsal hall, scene shop and office, and provided storage
for costumes, props, and set pieces. Upon her passing in 2002,
Mrs. Peterson transferred ownership of the property to RCP and it
remains our theatre company space to this day.
Reston Community Players celebrated our 50th Anniversary of
providing high-quality theatrical experiences to the Reston
community in 2016 with over 200 main stage productions. Despite
setbacks during the arrival of COVID-19, we continue to put on
quality shows to entertain different audiences. RCP looks forward
to enhancing the cultural environment of our community for many
years to come.
Back Row, Doug Rolston, Michael Barret Jones, Sara Birkhead, Dan Widerski (non-Board), Franklin Coleman; 3rd Row: Liz Mykietyn; 2nd Row: Liz Colandene, Weston Weber, Alexa Yarboro, Leslie Daugherty, Cathy Rieder; Front Row: Charlene Sloan. Missing: Katie Pond
Our Board of Directors
The RCP Board of Directors is comprised of dedicated volunteers who feel that quality theater will enhance the cultural life of the community. While also working on individual RCP productions, Board members serve diligently throughout the year to maintain RCP's financial and artistic health and to ensure its future.
OUR BOARD
Michael Barret Jones
President
Katie Pond
Vice President
Doug Rolston
Treasurer
Sara Birkhead
Secretary
Lizzy Colandene
Executive Producer
Franklin Coleman
Member at Large
Leslie Daugherty
Member at Large
Liz Mykietyn
Member at Large
Cathy Rieder
Member at Large
Charlene Sloan
Member at Large
Weston Weber
Member at Large
Alexa Yarboro
Member at Large
Reston Community Players may have up to 15 board members; if you are interested in discussing board membership, please contact president@restonplayers.org