Virginia Stage Company Welcomes New Senior Staff

Virginia Stage Company (VSC) has announced the addition of a General Manger to its staff. This new position at VSC will be filled by Foster J. Billingsley, formerly the Executive Director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts. Billingsley brings over 20 years of experience in all aspects of professional theater and arts management, from Regional and Broadway Stage Manager to Company Manager to most recently his roles as Deputy Director and Executive Director at the Virginia Commission for the Arts, where he served for the past 14 years.

Billingsley will start at VSC on July 7th. "I stage managed two shows at VSC in the late nineties, and I'm excited to return home to my theater roots," says Billingsley. With the relocation of Billingsley from Richmond to Norfolk he is fulfilling a lifelong dream to manage a professional theater company.

Other recent additions to VSC's Senior Staff include the promotion of Janelle Burchfield to Director of Marketing and the hiring of Steven Suskin as Director of Development. Over the past 10 years Burchfield has worked various positions in the Company's marketing department giving her an in-depth knowledge of VSC's audience. Burchfield has already implemented several new marketing initiatives that are up and running. Suskin started just two weeks ago, and VSC has put his 30 years of experience in arts fundraising to good use. "I'm thrilled to be part of a company where I can combine my professional experience and my passion for theater," says Suskin.

Keith Stava, VSC's Managing Director said, "The addition of Foster, Steve and Janelle to the VSC team really strengthens our staff and puts us in a great position to move the Company forward with our Wells Theatre renovation plans and audience engagement initiatives."

Virginia Stage Company is the region's only fully professional resident theater company, serving an audience of over 70,000 annually. VSC's mission is to "enrich, educate and entertain the region by creating and producing theatrical art of the highest quality and worthy of national prominence."