Providing a nurturing environment to develop new plays and outstanding artists.

The Black Experimental Theatre (BET) a.k.a. The Riant Theatre, was founded in 1979, as a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization, by Artistic Director, Van Dirk Fisher. BET is a theatre that entertains as well as teaches by nurturing and developing new works by playwrights that encompass the historic and social progression of the Afro-American and the contributions the Afro-American has made in the United States.

Through the years BET has grown to include all nationalities (Asians, Afro-Americans, Hispanics, Anglo-Saxon, etc.) as its main focus, because we believe that by furthering the understanding between the races we can all advance as a people and learn to live in harmony. We celebrate our diversity and take joy in sharing our cultural differences and similarities. To this end BET was founded. We acknowledge that theatre is an important tool that has been used for centuries to help people see themselves in a new light and achieve a new perception of themselves and the world in which they live. The Riant (which means merriment and laughter in French) has grown to become a place where artists (singers, writers, actors, directors, musicians, & visual artists) can come together to collaborate on new works and share ideas.

Every year, The Riant Theatre produces The Strawberry One-Act Festival. Now in its 8th season, The Strawberry Festival, serves as a wonderful showcase for the Riant to discover outstanding artists and provide them with an environment to flourish and develop their craft.

The Riant Theatre commissions new plays and musicals and develops them through a series of readings, workshops and productions. In addition to developing new works, every season The Riant Theatre stages a classical play as well as contemporary plays by highly acclaimed playwrights.

The Riant Theatre reaches out to our community and our youth with innovative programs in education that encourages and nurtures artistic expression with an impressive internship and professional training program. In addition, special programs have been created to provide a comfortable environment to address issues for teens-at-risk and substance abusers. Our Outreach Program visits the shut-ins at hospitals, nursing homes, detention centers and senior citizen centers.The Riant Theatre's goal is to reach the widest audience possible. We intend to do this with our touring unit, as well as extended performances of in-house productions, transferring shows to larger theatres and collaborating with other theatre institutions.

We judge our success by the number of artists lives we have helped over the years by giving them a home where they can develop their craft in a nurturing environment. We also offer the networking capabilities of referring artists for work at other theatres as well as job opportunities in film, television and radio. We consider our home The Riant, a vessel which many ships may harbor, trading their ideas, talents and experiences before moving on to the world beyond our shores.We believe everyone has the potential to succeed. It is our mission to help the artist discover and tap that talent inside their souls and help them grow! Let's make it happen. We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming performances.