Artistic Director - Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF    1995-Present

​​​​

Executive Snapshot

• 31+ Years as Artistic Director

• $6M Annual Budget

• 35 Full-Time / 100+ Seasonal Staff

• 53,000 Sq. Ft. Arts Complex

• 256+ Productions Produced

​

Description

Lead the artistic vision of a $6 million professional regional theatre, overseeing season planning, artistic personnel, new-play development, education, partnerships, and major capital initiatives across a 53,000-square-foot performing arts complex.

​​​

Responsibilities​​​

Selecting production season, budgeting, hiring artistic and production personnel, directing, acting, playwriting, developing new plays, teaching classes, attaining funding, managing staff, supervising rentals to non-profit and retail groups, working with board of directors, and volunteers, creating long-range plans, capital campaigns, maintaining relationships with UCF, and providing vision for the theater.

​​​​

Organizational Growth

• Expanded pre-existing one month Spring season of 2 Shakespearean plays (1994) into year-round season of mainstage productions for adults, children's plays, concert series, new play festival, and special events.

• ​Hosted national and international conferences of the National New Play Network (NNPN) and the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA)

• Founded The Harriett Lake Festival of New Plays. Keynote speakers have included Anna Deavere Smith, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Olympia Dukakis, Theresa Rebeck, John Pielmeier, and Pulitzer Prize Winner Robert Schenkkan.  ​

• Maintained budgets throughout tenure. The theatre has no debt and maintains cash reserves and endowment funds.

​

Artistic Achievement

• Reviews include Wall Street Journal: “Broadway worthy... Theatrically Potent… Exciting, Absorbing… Sumptuous… a company that deserves to be far more widely known outside Florida.”  Orlando Shakes national recognition includes NBC's Today, ABC's Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning,  American Theatre,  Southern Living, TheaterWeek, Washington Post, Playbill, Backstage, PBS, NPR.

• Created special events, star performances, and speakers including Sir Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Denée Benton, Norm Lewis, and Roger Rees.

• Produced 256 plays and musicals, 180 +new play readings, and extensive educational programming.

​​

Facilities & Capital Projects

• Created vision, located site, and supervised capital campaign and building of $3,500,000 renovation of former science center to create new Shakespeare center for the theater including 2 new indoor theaters, 4 rehearsal halls, scenic, props and costume shops, patron’s room, administrative offices, box office, catering kitchen, lobby areas and outdoor courtyard. Project completed and funded at budget.

• Currently completing $8M replacement of roof and HVAC system of 53,000 sq ft complex, funded by the City of Orlando, with a matching grant from Orange County Government. 

• Conducted capital campaign, design and renovation ($158,000) of Mandell Studio Theater and Santos Dantin Theatre ($100,000).

​

Fundraising

• Fundraising includes donor cultivation, sponsorship, and writing on grants (ex: National Endowment for the Arts, Schubert Foundation, Dr. P. Phillips Foundation, Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation, Edyth Bush Foundation, Orange County TDT grant, Florida Theatrical Association, and more).

• Fundraising events: annual gala, bowlathon, golf tournament, poker tournament, musical fundraiser, etc., capital campaigns, endowments, galas, and annual fundraising drive. 

 

Education​​

• Increased educational programming to include full-time staff, community classes, intern training program, summer camps and K-12 programming.

• Established new MFA in Acting, a partnership between UCF and the OST.

​

Computer Skills

Very familiar with Windows and Apple systems. Programs: Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams), Google Suite (Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Admin, etc.), QuickBooks, Theatre Manager, Spektrix, FileMaker Pro, Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier, Acrobat Pro),  iMovie, Vectorworks, Audacity, QLab, and others.

​

Awards

Jim Helsinger 30th Anniversary Celebration Day                         City of Orlando 

Director, The Comedy of Errors - Best of Honoree                   Orlando Sentinel
Director, Much Ado About Nothing - Best of Honoree            Orlando Sentinel

Director, Noises Off - Best of Honoree                                       Orlando Sentinel
Fifty Most Powerful People in Orlando  (2019, 2021)              Orlando Magazine

Director, The Hound of the Baskervilles - Critic’s Pick               Orlando Sentinel

Sidney Berger Award                                                 Shakespeare Theatre Assoc. 

China, The Whole Enchilada,  Outstanding Musical                  New York Fringe

Gross Indecency… , Best Actor in a Play                Central Florida “Lilly” Award

Gross Indecency… , Best Play                                 Central Florida “Lilly” Award

Complete Works ... (Abridged), Best Play              Central Florida “Lilly” Award

The Taming of The Shrew, Best Play                       Central Florida “Lilly” Award

Frankenstein...,  Outstanding Performance     Cincy Enquirer “Acclaim” Award