HOUSTON: The Alley Theatre has announced that Jennifer Bielstein will be its new managing director, effective Oct. 20, succeeding Dean Gladden after his nearly 20 years in the post. Bielstein, a Texas native and Houston high school graduate, brings more than two decades of leadership in regional theatre, most recently as the executive director at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Bielstein previously held leadership positions at the Guthrie Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Writers Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. She also served as the board president of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), is currently on the board of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the publisher of American Theatre.
“To return home and serve the city’s flagship nonprofit theatre is truly an honor,” said Bielstein in a statement. “I am grateful to Dean Gladden for his generous collaboration during this leadership transition, to the managing director search committee under the guidance of board president Craig Jarchow, and to artistic director Rob Melrose, whose vision I am eager to support in partnership. I look forward to working alongside the Alley’s exceptional board, staff, crew, and artists, and to engaging fully with the Houston community as we build an exciting future together.”
Added Melrose in a statement, “I’m so grateful to the Alley board for doing the impossible: finding a new managing director to replace the irreplaceable Dean Gladden. It is hard to imagine a better choice than Jennifer Bielstein. Jennifer is already a legend in her own right, with successful tenures at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Guthrie Theater, and American Conservatory Theater. I also feel that Jennifer’s warmth, kindness, and collaborative spirit are just what we need as we chart our way to Alley Theatre’s next era of success. I’m delighted to welcome Jennifer back to Houston and to create a successful partnership together.”
Beilstein’s predecessor, Gladden, navigated the organization through the 2009 Great Recession, a comprehensive renovation of the theatre complex, which necessitated a 14-month off-site relocation, $26 million in damages from Hurricane Harvey, and the global COVID-19 shutdown. The Alley’s budget as of 2024 was around $25 million.
I spoke to Bielstein recently about her career and about the state of the American theatre.
ROB WEINERT-KENDT: Jennifer, congratulations! We’ve followed your career through so many different theatres and regions. I didn’t realize this new gig is actually a homecoming for you.
JENNIFER BIELSTEIN: Yes, I went to high school in Houston and my parents still live there. My father is originally from Houston and my mother is originally from Dallas.
You cut your teeth in Chicago, is that right?
I moved to Chicago just after I graduated college at UNC Chapel Hill and started work at my first theatre, at Apple Tree Theatre; I worked in the box office and front of house, and coordinated the Theatre for Young Audiences program. Then I went to Northlight Theatre as a marketing associate or marketing manager—I forget my title—and then had a brief stint at Lincoln Park Zoo. But then I went to Steppenwolf Theatre and was marketing manager, then director of marketing and communication. My first executive director job was at Writers Theatre in the Chicago area.
Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Guthrie followed, and now you’re at ACT in San Francisco. Tell me, how was ACT doing when you got there in 2018, and how is it doing now?
What has been really exciting and a pleasure at ACT has been to be in partnership with Pam McKinnon; we were hired and started at pretty much the exact same time—she started in July 2018 and I started in September 2018. We’ve been pretty much in lockstep the whole time. Some of the things we have accomplished together are really meaningfully broadening the representation of our programming, from the work on the mainstage, in the conservatory, and in our education and community efforts, and making it a truly welcoming place for all, whether you’re working there or attending as an audience member or participating in one of our programs. Most of our tenure has been through the pandemic and rebuilding from that. At ACT we are still in the thick of that, of building back audiences throughout the Bay Area. Really, we’re all working on that collectively in this region.
You certainly know about leading in a crisis: A lot of your time Actors Theatre was during the Great Recession, and you’re now heading to a theatre that weathered a hurricane, among other challenges. The field in general is in a rocky place. What do you see as the main challenges and opportunities as you take on this new job?
I think the opportunity is to build on the strength of the Alley. They are in a comparatively strong position coming out of the pandemic, in terms of finances and staff and all of the support structures. So the focus is really on continuing to build committed audiences who will return again and again, whether through subscriptions or ways of building loyalty to the work that they do.
Your predecessor, Dean Gladden, has been there for two decades—not quite as long as Sandy Speer at Actors Theatre when you took over, but a good long while. So you’ve also had experience succeeding a longtime leader.
What’s great about this transition into the Alley is that Dean is going to work up until the minute that I start, and we’re already overlapping and in conversation about some things that need to be focused on during this transitional time. I think he’s done a terrific job representing the Alley, leading it and in terms of fundraising and developing relationships across the Houston community. So being able to partner with him on making introductions to folks throughout Houston who support the Alley is a great opportunity. In the same way that I will remain a friend to ACT and will be there to answer questions that are needed, he’ll be the same for me at the Alley into the future, because I know he wants to see the work that he put into it to continue to be successful.
Another throughline of your career has been serving on the boards of larger organizations, like the League of Chicago Theatres, LORT, and now the TCG board. Can you tell me about that part of your work?
It has always been important to me to operate collectively, whether that’s in the local community or region, or nationally. I just believe we are stronger together. I don’t think I’ve never once felt in competition with another theatre or arts organization. I think the more we can get people coming to any art form, the better it will be for the rest of us. That’s always been a strong belief and strategic point of view that I’ve had, so it just makes sense for me to step into this work and participate through boards or other organizing activities.
From that vantage point, how do you think the larger field is faring these days?
Gosh. I am optimistic about the future. We’re certainly in a period of consolidation. We have lost a number of theatres. But I think that we are essential to people’s lives and there is the need for the work that we do. We are in the process of rebuilding, with consumer patterns changing so dramatically because of the pandemic. But we’re seeing increases in audiences, and we are introducing new people to theatre across the country. Different communities have bounced back more quickly than others, you know. So we can’t 100 percent say how the field is doing; in some places, it’s stronger than others. But I’m optimistic for the future.
We’re about the same age, and both of us have watched and been part of efforts to diversify the field, and I think we’ve seen it take steps forward as well as backward. I wonder how the demands for more diverse hiring and programming since 2020 influenced your work, and how those values sit with you now?
It has been a huge part of my work throughout my career. With LORT, I was the person who got to launch our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, collectively—none of us do anything alone—beginning in 2012. At ACT, we were deep into that work as an organization for a long time, preceding Pam and me. Then Pam and I were very focused on it when we began. In 2020, with the murder of George Floyd, and We See You, White American Theater coming out in the field, we were able to really deepen and expand the work we were doing as an organization. It has manifested itself in the results that you see in programming, that you see in audiences, with those participating in our classes—again, being a welcoming environment for folks, both audiences and staff.
On a personal note, how are you feeling about the move?
My husband and are house hunting next weekend for the first time there. It is a very driving town. It’s the fourth largest city in the country, and it is incredibly diverse. It has a lot going on in terms of exciting things to do in the arts and sports, in restaurants, shopping, everything. I’m excited to build a life there.
Rob Weinert-Kendt (he/him) is editor-in-chief of American Theatre.
