About Us

Our Mission

The Patrons organization was founded in 2019 by a small group of dedicated theatre arts parents. Since then, our group has grown to include theater parents and families across the SCFA and THDS theater programs.

We're looking forward to expanding our impact, and we need you!

Join Now!

Our History

What We Do

Over the years, the Patrons have served hundreds of students, over 15 main stage shows and have granted thousands of dollars to theatre programs at Thomas Dale High School, including direct support of the theater focus area within the CCPS Specialty Center for the Arts. Our organization provides:

Financial and volunteer support for the main stage productions (including musicals and plays)
Stipends for guest artists who provide specialized instruction to our theatre students
Scholarships for graduating seniors
Supplemental funding for participation in the annual Virginia Theater Association (VTA) conference,
Support for our TDHS Outreach company, including their participation in the annual Virginia High School League Theater competition
Support of the student-run TDHS Troupe 924 of the International Thespians Society
Support for TDHS participation in the Richmond Shakespeare Bardathon
Fundraising for material improvements/maintenance of TDHS theaters
... and countless other enrichment activities.

Meet Our Theater Program Directors: Passionate Leaders in the Spotlight!

At TDHS, we are privileged to have a team of dedicated and experienced directors who bring their passion, expertise, and creative vision to our theater program. Our directors play a crucial role in shaping the artistic development of our students and creating memorable productions that captivate audiences.

Allow us to introduce you to our esteemed theater program directors:

Taylor Bernard

Actor’s Studio 2-4, College Acting, College Introduction to Theatre, Honors Outreach Theatre, Honors Theatre Productions 1

Taylor Bernard received a BFA in Theatre Education from VCU and her MA from NYU. This is her third year at Thomas Dale after 13 years at Midlothian Middle School where she was honored as Teacher of the Year in 2013. Last year she received the Theatre Sponsor of the Year Award for Chesterfield County.

In addition to teaching, Taylor directs, costumes, and performs for local theatres including Jewish Family Theatre, Cadence Theatre, SPARC, and Richmond City Arts. She also enjoys mentoring new teachers and developing curriculum; she has written curriculum for CCPS, VDOE, and even Broadway!

Her husband James teaches Mechatronix at CTC-Hull and they are the parents of two beautiful, spunky little girls!

Phil Vollmer

Theatre 1, Productions 1-4, Actor's Studio 1-4

Phil Vollmer is a 15 year veteran of the Richmond theatre community. Phil just finished 8 years at Dogwood Middle school and is so excited to be starting his brand new position as a theatre teacher at Thomas Dale.

Phil is the father of two young girls and his wife is the theatre director at Albert Hill Middle School.

Theatre is his life, working year round on other theatre camps and experiences for young performers. This job feels in so many ways like the perfect culmination of his life's work and he is so happy to be here!

Who We Are

General Membership is open to any parent, custodial parent, step-parent, foster-parent, or guardian residing with a student enrolled in TDHS theatre classes or involved in after-school productions as performers or crew members. We also welcome community and alumni to join and support the Patrons as Associate Members.

We welcome your participation and support!