Robinson Theater Community Arts Center — Attraction in Richmond

I recently booked the Robinson Theater for my mother’s 50th party for this January. This party was booked beginning of last year. I made every payment on time with no issue. Fast forward to end of December and you have COVID numbers increasing rapidly. As a precaution due to the fact that this event was hosting 60 ppl and majority was older, we decided to reschedule for a later date. No where in the Robinson Theater agreement does it say anything about not being able to reschedule or being penalized for rescheduling. It only speaks to canceling. I reached out to the Event Director Betty Hart and explained that I wanted to reschedule for a later date due to the recent surge in numbers. Her initial response lacked any acknowledgement of my concern but basically stated that their policy has not changed and even if I wanted to reschedule, I would loose everything previously paid. After threatening to make this review, she then decided to appeal to the Board for me to reschedule at a penalty cost. The Board stated that being that CDC guidelines have not limited events of this nature, they will not allow a reschedule at a penalty. I was given the option to cancel with my $200 deposit and $50 speaker fee back. In total I paid $1400. While I appreciate them giving the deposit back, as a venue to not have a reschedule policy is absolutely absurd and to go further and try to lump your cancellation policy together with a rescheduling policy is bad business practice! With the current pandemic, I would think twice about booking this place! Also recently had a friend host an event here, the place looks nothing like the pictures so ensure you do a in person walk through...

We always enjoy community events at The Robinson. This season we enrolled our daughter in their ballet program. It was a great and affordable way to introduce her to an extra curriculum activity.

The directors were always there and available for a warm welcome and to answer questions. We can't say enough about Ms. Roya the ballet instructor. She was incredibly patient and sweet with her students.

We also to advantage of their ballet performance that they offered for free to the community. The ballet students were so excited to see Ms. Roya and the other ballerinas perform and meet them after the show. The final event was the Showcase where the students got to perform on stage and showoff what they had learned this season. It was a great experience and we will be doing it again 😀

Check out their calendar for free community events and consider their paid classes to help support those free...

The Robinson Theater is not just a great place to rent for your special event, it's also part of the glue that holds the community together. I've been here for so many different things over the years: a friend's wedding, block parties, an actual neighborhood "prom," family movie nights, and now my kids take dance lessons here. The staff is super friendly and they're always on top of getting out any news etc. via email. It's easy to sign up for classes and make donations online, and they provide low-cost programs for folks based on income. Our whole family enjoys the programs offered here and we're really lucky to have this resource in our neighborhood as a place where everyone...