RICHMOND, VA.: Virginia Repertory Theatre has named Katrinah Carol Lewis and Steve Perigard interim co-artistic directors, effective immediately, for a six-month engagement.

“As we begin the curatorial process of choosing the 2021-22 season, I needed an artistic partner,” managing director Phil Whiteway said, noting that the Rep has been without an artistic director since last July. “As trusted longtime Virginia Rep artists, Katrinah and Steve will be invaluable in moving our nonprofit company forward.”

Janet Starke, the executive director of Virginia Commission for the Arts, says that the appointment of Lewis is historic. “To my knowledge, Lewis is the first woman of color to be named to the top artistic leadership position of a major Virginia performing arts organization,” she said.

Lewis is an award-winning actor, singer, director, playwright, and historical interpreter. In 2011, she joined the museum theatre department of Colonial Williamsburg as an actor, and was named the program’s artistic director in 2016. She was previously an associate artistic director at TheatreLAB. At Virginia Rep, Lewis directed the 2020 production of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.

Perigard is a theatre artist, administrator, and educator who has been the director of upper school theatre at the Collegiate School in Richmond since 2013. From 1997 to 2009, he was the associate artistic director of Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV, the two companies that merged to form Virginia Rep in 2012.

“Virginia Rep focuses on artistic excellence,” Whiteway said. “We achieve our goals through great storytelling and shared experience. Katrinah and Steve are the perfect artists to lead us as we move forward.”