2026 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 234

Commending Reston Community Players.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026

Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026

WHEREAS, for 60 years, Reston Community Players has celebrated the performing arts, supported local artists and technicians, and delighted audiences through diverse, creative, and collaborative productions and programs; and

WHEREAS, Reston Community Players traces its origins to 1966, when Herndon residents invited a group from Reston to perform an original musical, The Greatest Game in Town; and

WHEREAS, in its early years, the troupe occupied several different performance venues and overcame a number of challenges, including the 1972 fire at Bowman Chapel that destroyed all of its assets; later that year, the company officially reorganized itself as the nonprofit Reston Community Players; and

WHEREAS, in 1979, Reston Community Players mounted Applause, its first production in the brand new state-of-the-art CenterStage at the Reston Community Center in Hunters Woods, now known as the Leila Gordon Theatre, which continues to serve as its main venue; and

WHEREAS, in 1984, Lindsay Petersen, then secretary of the Reston Community Players Board of Directors, purchased a warehouse in Herndon for use as a rehearsal hall, scene shop, and office, and storage space for costumes, props, and set pieces; and

WHEREAS, Reston Community Players attracts audiences from throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area with its acclaimed productions; the company consistently earns many nominations at the Washington Area Theatre Community Honors (WATCH) and broke a record in 2023 by winning 13 WATCH awards; and

WHEREAS, Reston Community Players embraces its responsibility to give back to the community by offering annual scholarships to local high school seniors who intend to study the performing arts in college; and

WHEREAS, the Shelton Hall Memorial Scholarship was named in memory of Shelton Hall, a staple of the Reston Community Players stage for many years; recipients of this scholarship must demonstrate a commitment to performance and ability to grow their performance skills even as they sustain high academic achievement; and

WHEREAS, The Bruce Marson Memorial Scholarship was named for Bruce Marson, who helped Reston Community Players create high-quality sets as a key member of its technical team and also made his way to the stage as an actor; recipients of this scholarship must demonstrate a unique mix of technical and creative abilities crucial to innovative design; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Reston Community Players on the occasion of its 60th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Reston Community Players as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the theatre company's commitment to artistic excellence and contributions to cultural life in Northern Virginia.