By Jim Roberts
The Zeiders American Dream Theater—better known as “the Z”—is marking its 10th anniversary in 2025. To reflect on the milestone and what the theater has meant to the community, Veer Magazine spoke with founder and namesake Mike Zeiders.
Veer Magazine: Your background is in business. What was your involvement in the arts before the Z started?
Mike Zeiders: The arts has been a very serious avocation of mine. … I wrote a musical comedy while I was in the Navy that the Navy recruiting headquarters funded to take on tour through 13 cities in California and Arizona. … I just learned to appreciate the joy that can come from the creative process … even if it was the first small audience that was seeing something that had never been seen before. That whole process, I just found very, very exciting. It was the ultimate. It was no different than any other entrepreneurial experience I’ve had.
Veer: Is there a single performance from the last 10 years that really sticks out in your memory?
Zeiders: The first Fringe Festival I found really exciting for multiple reasons, so I would maybe put that at the top. We had 30-some different performances over a two-and-a-half day period. The energy in the hallways and the theaters was just palpable. It was a great validation that there is incredible creativity and talent all throughout our community. … The Vocal Jazz Summit has been very, very satisfying to see too, because we have actually had participants fly in from South Africa and from Europe. This is developing a presence for the arts community–not just in Virginia Beach or Hampton Roads, but actually nationwide and outside the country. There’s been many, but those two kind of jump out because I was very pleased how they came together.
Veer: Was there ever a doubt in your mind that it would succeed? Or was there a point where you thought, ‘Wow, this is really working?’
Zeiders: I don’t think there ever was a time that I doubted that we could be successful with this. I never expected that there wouldn’t be some unanticipated hurdles … but there was never a concern that we wouldn’t bring this together. It was just going to be a matter of how long and exactly what form would take shape.
Veer: The theater is branded as “the Z,” but the “American Dream” is an important part of the name. How is the theater helping people realize that dream?
Zeiders: Beyond seeing artistic creativity being born and blooming and growing on our stages, I would also like to think that people who are watching the shows can leave and go, ‘I’ve got a dream too. I feel something I’d like to do.’ It may not be artistic; it may be working, doing something in the community; it may be a business idea, maybe entrepreneurial in nature; it could be anything. That ultimate vision of what the mission of the theater is, is really captured in the ‘American Dream Theater.’ I really believe that we’re fortunate to live in a country, that we can have an American Dream, which just means to follow that fire in your belly and make something happen with it. The theater is there to provide a forum to inspire and encourage that to happen.
Veer: Anything else you want to share?
Zeiders: We have our first annual Z Creativity Honors gala on Sept. 13, which is really to celebrate creativity, both artistic and non-artistic, within the community. We got an incredible, incredible group of nominations. I’m very, very pleased with the way it happened the first year.
The Zeiders American Dream Theater is located at 4509 Commerce St. in Virginia Beach Town Center. For more information about upcoming events, including the Z Creativity Honors and Proteus Festival (Oct. 9-11) , visit thez.org.
