In 2019, Lauren Van Hemert started RDU On Stage with a tight local focus. But when the pandemic made live theater impossible, RDU On Stage figuratively kept the theater doors open by becoming a key online gathering spot. 

“When the pandemic hit, the community part of it just exploded,” Van Hemert says. “I started a series of online, streaming live-chat interviews, which I thought would go on for two weeks or so and then everything would go back to normal. Well, that was over hundreds of livestreams and podcasts ago. Now, it’s become about connecting the community one conversation at a time.”

In the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Van Hemert decided to shift her focus and engage the community in conversations about race relations and diversity. She reached out to Juan Isler, a local actor, to host it, and what started as a one-off event became a running series called “TORN,” with Isler talking to a range of guests. The name is an acronym for “Theater On Racial Negativity,” and Isler served as host.

“Racism in theater is a touchy subject, and I figured nobody would want to acknowledge it. But we’ve brought it to the forefront,” said Isler.

“The perception is that the creative arts community is so inclusive,” Van Hemert says. “But once you peel back the layers of the stories that are being told and produced, they are predominantly white with undercurrents of systemic racism,” said Van Hemert.

In 2021, Van Hemert and Isler received the Raleigh Medal of Arts for their advocacy work during the pandemic. That year, they formed Beltline to Broadway with a focus on community building and arts advocacy.