Willis Richardson Players

Our Vision

Our vision is to illuminate, celebrate, and advance Black theatre by actively engaging our entire community. We seek to promote powerful stories of the Black experience, involve people of all ages in the creative process, and educate audiences through performances, workshops, and conversations that inspire understanding, pride, and lasting social change.

Square, realistic illustration of a classic theatre stage with open curtains, footlights, and a wooden floor, no photo-style border. On the backdrop above the stage, in large, clear, vintage lettering, it reads exactly: “WILLIS RICHARDSON PLAYERS”. Show silhouettes of Black actors performing on stage in period-appropriate clothing, but keep all of the text unobstructed and fully readable. Old-school, slightly aged feel in black-and-white or sepia, similar vibe to an archival photograph but clearly depicting a real stage, not a framed picture.

Edit the existing square archival-style black and white image currently in this block so that any occurrence of the name spelled “Douggas” is corrected to “Douglass”, keeping the same photo, layout, fonts, and overall design intact. Only fix the spelling of the name, do not change anything else.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide, involve, and educate residents of Wilmington, North Carolina and surrounding area in the performing arts through Black theatre, to bridge the cultural gap by providing theatrical productions to minority communities as well as the local community; to actively promote and produce public performances and productions arising out of the Black Experience within all age levels; and to provide an opportunity for the members of the Willis Richardson Players to develop, perform, and supervise dramatic arts.