Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

Preferred Citation

Richmond Triangle Players Archives, Collection Number M 347, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va.

Historical Note

In 1992, Marchcus Miller, Steve J. Earle and Mike Gooding produced a three night run of one act plays called Safe Sex based on Harvey Fierstein's trilogy. Fierstein gave special permission to add Forget Him which he had never let anyone else produce. The objective was to raise money for the AIDS crisis, which after 10 years of incubation in big cities, was then reaching serious proportions and looming large in the consciousness of Richmond. Richmond Triangle Players (RTP) were formed from this first production.

In the early years, RTP focused on AIDS related shows including As Is by William Hoffman, Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens by Bill Russell and Steven Dietz's Lonely Planet . The intention was to make the company and its productions inclusive, bringing in new directors, and to offer opportunities to aspiring artists and playwrights. RTP efforts at consciousness-raising have expanded to plays dealing with the Gay experience in many forms: breast cancer, diversity, aging and dying, and almost always dealing with relationships.

Scope and Contents

This collection is mostly composed of photographic and ephemeral material relating to the various productions that Richmond Triangle Players (RTP) have undertaken from 1993-2007. This includes advertisements, programs, and photos, and reviews. Most of the reviews were done by representatives from either the Richmond Times Dispatch or Style Weekly Magazine . Despite the lack of administrative records, the collection is rich in other ways. There is material related to a broad range of topics, from AIDS and gay/lesbian related issues to local (Richmond) personalities. Some of the first productions staged by RTP dealt with the AIDS crisis; shows like Ten Percent Revue and Lisbon Traviata attempted to shed light on this important aspect of gay experience. Other shows with a focus on AIDS include Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens, and Steve Moore's I Never Knew Oz Was in Color .

Homophobia is another theme that RTP address in their programming. The Richmond Triangle Players produced The Laramie Project in conjunction with another Richmond theatre group (Barksdale Theatre). The play focuses on the reactions of residents of the small town of Laramie, Wyoming to the brutal murder of gay college student, Matthew Shepard. Stop Kiss by Diana Son tells the story of a young woman who was attacked after she was seen kissing another woman.

Other prominent themes in RTPs productions include gay/lesbian relationships ( The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told , The Judas Kiss , and Taken In ) and growing up gay ( Hysterical Blindness and I Never Knew Oz Was in Color ). Despite a large number of productions devoted to gay/lesbian themes, RTP does not focus solely on these. My Left Breast is about one woman's struggle with breast cancer and The Last Session chronicles the experiences of a self-proclaimed sex addict. Important locals within the collection include comedian Steve Moore and actress Marchy Sue Carroll.

Another important element of this collection is several Virginia gay/lesbian periodicals ( Out in Virginia , Out and About , The Virginia Gayzette ). These date from throughout the 1990s. Items of interest contained within them include gay reaction to Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign, the impact of AIDS on the gay community, as well as guides to gay establishments in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas.

Arrangement

The contents of this collection are arranged chronologically by season, and according to the opening date of each production. The periodicals are arranged alphabetically following the production materials.

Related Material

For other information about Richmond and HIV/AIDS, see Fan Free Clinic collection, M 344. For other Virginia-area LGBTQ+ publications and newspapers, as well as other materials from the Richmond Triangle Players, see Central Virginia gay and lesbian publications collection, M 334.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Gay activists -- Virginia -- Richmond.
• Gay newspapers.
• Gay theater -- Virginia -- Richmond.
• Richmond Triangle Players (Theater company)
• Theater -- Virginia -- Richmond.
• Theatrical companies -- Virginia -- Richmond