After a 10-year hiatus, ATLAS Partnership has relaunched Coffee & Conversations, a beloved free community gathering featuring panel discussions about a variety of theatre topics, and of course, coffee and pastries. All presentations take place at Henrico County Public Library - Libbie Mill Branch. Past and upcoming dates and topics are as follows:

• Thursday, January 16, 2025, 10:00 am - The Platinum Jubilee of Professional Theatre in Greater Richmond, celebrating the formative years of the Modern Era of professional theatre in the Richmond region (1953-1964). Panelists included Bruce Miller, representing Barksdale Theatre, founded 1953 in Hanover, VA, where he served as Artistic Director for 12 years before the company merged with Theatre IV to become Virginia Rep; Brad Armstrong, representing John Rolfe Players, founded in Chester, VA, in 1954 by his parents, Dottie and Larry Armstrong; Steve Murden, VMFA archivist representing Virginia Museum Theatre/TheatreVirginia, founded 1955 in Richmond, VA; and Charles Wax, representing Chamberlayne Actors Theatre, founded 1964 in Henrico, VA, where he currently serves as President of the Board. Access the video recording of the panel discussion here.

• Thursday, April 17, 2025, 10:00 am - Gabriel, a True Story of Freedom, highlighting the new musical about the Henrico blacksmith born into slavery in 1776 who planned a rebellion to free over 370,000 enslaved Virginians. Panelists included author Jerold Solomon and author/composer Ron Klipp from the creative team, who discussed the show itself, our Media Advisor and radio icon Gary Flowers, who spoke about early African American church practice, and woodcut artist Dennis Winston, who discussed his creative process to design artwork in honor of the show. 

• Thursday, July 17, 2025, 10:00 am - Walking the Line: Protecting Students from Opioid Misuse through the Prevention Power of Theatre, discussing the reboot of the substance misuse prevention play, Walking the Line, originally created in 1989 to address crack cocaine crisis among teens. Panelists included Dr. Colin Greene, Special Advisor on Opioid Response for the Commonwealth of Virginia; Karleen Wolanin, Founder and President of Virginia Fentanyl and Substance Awareness; Kathy Wrenn, Executive Director of ILLUME Family Recovery; and Bruce Miller, author of Walking the Line.

• Thursday, October 16, 2025, 10:00 am - Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of Haymarket Dinner Theatre. A panel comprising the theatre's founders, Bev Appleton and Jan Guarino, along with Desirée Roots, will discuss the 9 years and 47 shows produced at the Haymarket. Join us for 2025's final installation of C&C! Click here for the Facebook event page.