The text from an unknown number reads, “this is your top secret invitation.” It ends with the ominous tagline, “tell. no. one.”
Receipt of such a text signals that you have been welcomed into “a not so super secret social club” called Tri Theta. The shadowy organization emerged out of nowhere only a year ago but, almost immediately, started to have an impact on the local theater scene.
I first heard of Tri Theta after finding a business card at a performance last fall, paradoxically encouraging me to “Burn this card.” After reaching out via the organization’s Instagram page, I was sent down a path of blind alleys and anonymous messages. Eventually a meeting was set at Common House social club, their operational headquarters.
“I am a representative of Tri Theta’s alleged founder,” says a well-dressed person in their late-20s, early-30s. It quickly becomes clear that they are the actual founder. After all of the cloak-and-dagger tactics, they are alarmingly forthcoming with a downright bubbly personality.
“I’ve been involved in the local theater scene for a number of years now,” they explain. “I have always loved that Richmond has such a robust theater community that is kind of under the radar.”
After briefly moving away from the city, they came back to Richmond post-pandemic. “I was really disheartened,” they say. “Fatigue had settled over the community. I heard from a number of artistic directors how beleaguered they were trying to get audiences back.”
The idea for a secret society started out as a joke: “Then I told friends and they said, ‘That sounds fun; you should do it.’”
Since then, Tri Theta has organized monthly “flash mobs,” encouraging people to “prank our community spaces with positivity.” An invitation goes out to Tri Theta members to show up at a specific performance of a locally-produced show, usually with a suggested dress code to promote group unity. Some events include an informal “mix and mingle” gathering at a nearby watering hole either before or after the performance.
Tri Theta negotiates reduced ticket prices for its members or chooses “pay-what-you-will” performances. The group currently has nearly 300 members and a recent invitation to see Virginia Rep’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” resulted in more than 20 of them showing up.
The focus on “locally-produced” shows is particularly important.
The first production Tri Theta targeted was Fifth Wall Theatre’s “Radiant Vermin” last March; the suggested dress code was “florals.”
“I remember getting a mysterious message with someone wanting to know about group sales,” says Kaitlin Paige Longoria, Fifth Wall’s artistic director and a member of the “Vermin” cast. “I didn’t realize how special it was going to be.”
“We had a nearly sold-out house that performance because of their presence,” she continues. “They had such great energy.”
“Theater companies, not just in Richmond but across America, are struggling to bring in new audiences,” Longoria says. “We get a lot of single ticket sales, people coming to theater by themselves. Maybe some of those singles can join this group and find community.”
“The idea is to game-ify the experience to get audience members back,” says Tri Theta’s founder. While a flash mob in other contexts means audience members may break into an impromptu dance, Tri Theta is just encouraging a mob of people to show up. Having a dress code often results in happy accidents.
“The dress code we had [for one event] was bandanas,” they say. “Somebody showed up with a bandana on who had no idea what the society was, but instantly wanted to be a part of it. Those are some of the coolest moments to date.”
The name Tri Theta was chosen because a triplet of Greek letters has been used by secret fraternal societies throughout history. The pun on theater was right there. “‘Theta, theta, theta’ just made the most sense,” they say.
Though initially formed as something of a lark, Tri Theta has built a coterie of followers thanks to three guiding principles—inform, invite, and invigorate—that help break down resistance to exploring local theater.
“Your average non-audience member thinks theater has a lot of rules to it,” they say. “But if you are invited to be part of a group, it’s less intimidating and more fun. People go, ‘I’m supposed to show up at this place at this time and I’m supposed to wear leopard print? Yeah, sure, that sounds cool.’”
Reach out to Tri Theta by following their Instagram page or by email: secrets@tri-theta.com. There are rumors that their next flash mob will be Sunday, March 16 at Firehouse Theatre’s performance of “Detroit 67.” Shhh….
