Reston Community Center renames theater after longtime director Leila Gordon

Reston Community Center’s The CenterStage will soon bear the name of a woman who has spent decades uplifting it.

The center’s Board of Governors has renamed the 260-seat venue at its Hunters Woods facility (2310 Colts Neck Road) the Leila Gordon Theatre in honor of the longtime executive director and arts supporter.

Gordon, who announced that she will officially retire on Dec. 13, came to RCC in 1983 as a part-time employee. After overseeing the development of the center’s art education programs, she began directing the center’s performing arts portfolio in 1984.

Gordon added the community events calendar to her duties in 2005 and was appointed executive director in April 2008. Throughout her tenure, access to the arts and other “enrichment experiences” has been a “cornerstone of her management philosophy,” RCC says.

“Leila’s insight into how that interest could be fostered and grown led to the expansion of technical and administrative staffing, presenting professional touring artists and the incorporation of specialized visual arts studios at RCC Lake Anne (opened in 1999 and expanded in 2009), as well as bringing visiting artists into Reston schools,” RCC wrote in a press release.

The board’s vice chair Bill Bouie made the surprise renaming announcement at the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s evening performance of “The Complete History of America (abridged)” on Saturday (Oct. 5).

The theater was named CenterStage in 1999 to mark the 20th anniversary of the community center’s opening. Here’s more from RCC on how Gordon helped elevate the theater:

Leveraging her knowledge, she became a strong advocate for the work of ArtsFairfax (formally known as The Arts Council of Fairfax County) and its constituent arts organizations. Leila joined its Board of Directors in 2008 and was named chair of the Fairfax County Master Arts Plan Task Force in 2011. Following 12 years of study, needs analysis, land use research and expanding development potential for arts amenities in Fairfax County, the Board of Supervisors officially accepted the Task Force’s “Fairfax County Master Arts Plan for Facilities” in July 2023.

That same year, RCC partnered with the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) to investigate the feasibility of accepting 60,000 square feet of developable space in the BXP Reston Town Center project for a comprehensive arts center. Adding such an amenity to the community’s public facilities portfolio has been a priority for RCC and the County to provide for the needs of both arts organizations and audiences. The proffer was formally accepted by the Board of Supervisors in January 2023.

BeBe Nguyen, RCC’s former deputy director, succeeded Gordon as executive director last month.

The signage cementing the name change will go up in December when Gordon retires. The new name will be inaugurated at the beginning of the next season in September 2025.

“I found my life’s purpose here,” Gordon said in the press release. “The years have flown by and the opportunity to work with and serve people who are passionate about inclusion, the arts, good health and well-being has given me great joy.”