PHOENIX and TUCSON, ARIZ.: Arizona Theatre Company (ATC) has named Matt August, a director and educator, their new artistic director. He succeeds Sean Daniels, who will serve as director of the new Recovery Project at Florida Studio Theatre.

“We’re delighted to have Matt on board as we continue our legacy and forge ATC’s next chapter,” ATC executive director Geri Wright said in a statement. “Matt brings a wealth of theatre experience, connections, creativity, and innovative and thoughtful work to ATC.”

August directed the popular 2006 production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical on Broadway, which he directed again in the 2007 holiday season, as well as helming the musical’s national and U.K. tours. At ATC, August directed Discord in the 2015-16 season and King Charles III in the 2016-17 season. He recently served as an assistant professor of directing at Utah Valley University and has mentored directors through the Drama League fellowship and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation. A Drama League fellow, August is a former member of the artistic advisory board at Independent Shakespeare Co. and served as the staff repertory director at the Acting Company. He holds a BFA from the University of Colorado and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts.

“It’s a new era for Arizona Theatre Company, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to partner with Geri Wright as we steward ATC toward its unlimited potential,” August said in a statement. “As the official state theatre of Arizona, we will be producing work that will delight audiences and illuminate imaginations.”

Arizona Theatre Company’s mission is to create world-class theatre about what it means to be alive today to inspire curiosity and creativity and bring all Arizonans together. ATC shares the power of theatre through a variety of outreach programs, educational opportunities, access initiatives, and community events. As of 2021, the theatre had a budget of approximately $4.9 million.