WASHINGTON, D.C.: Arena Stage artistic director Hana S. Sharif publicly announced her departure from the role on June 26, the opening night of CrazySexyCool: The TLC Musical, after just three years in the role, leading to starkly diverging reports of the circumstances around, and the reasons for, her leaving. (Our full report here.) Edgar Dobie, Arena’s president and executive producer, staff member since 2009, will oversee the theatre in the interim, and the theatre will move forward with the already announced “Act I” or 2026-27 season. The company will work with an artistic advisor to advise Dobie and the artistic team on season planning for Act II of the 2026-27 season and the programming of 2027-28 season.
NEW YORK CITY: The annual experimental performance festival Under the Radar has announced that the co-creative directing team will be led by Jenn Kidwell and Janet Wong for the festival’s 2027-29 seasons. Wong and Kidwell will step into the artistic roles previously held by Kaneza Schaal and Meropi Peponides. In these roles, they will work with UTR’s founder Mark Russell to program, envision, and usher in Under the Radar’s future. Wong previously worked as the associate artistic director of New York Live Arts and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. Kidwell is an Obie-winning performance artist. Since reemerging in 2024, Under the Radar has presented an array of contemporary performances shaped by experimentation. Now a producer and commissioner as well as a presenter, the festival is produced by Thomas O. Kriegsmann and Sarah Bellin of ArKtype. Schaal and Peponides will continue to provide curatorial and creative insight as members of the extended UTR family, with Schaal as a board member and Peponides as creative ambassador.
PHILADELPHIA: In May, the Wilma Theater named actor, director, and educator Lindsay Smiling as its sole artistic director, after his time serving as co-artistic director for the company’s last three seasons. Smiling is an original member of the Wilma’s HotHouse Resident Acting Company, a performing artist, and director. Smiling, who graces the Summer 2026 cover of American Theatre magazine, will play the role of Cowdaddy in DJ Hills’s world premiere of Horsegirl & Cowdaddy, which opens at the Wilma in September.
SAINT PAUL, MINN.: Theater Mu has announced the departure of Anh Thu T. Pham as the company’s managing director. Theater Mu had risen to national prominence during Pham’s tenure through engagement with the Regional Cultural Treasures program of the McKnight, Ford, Bush, and Jerome foundations; the national playwright residency program through the Mellon Foundation and HowlRound Theatre Commons; and the Wallace Foundation’s Advancing Well-Being in the Arts initiative. Mu weathered the Covid-19 pandemic and has navigated a changing funding landscape while prioritizing Pay As You Are ticketing, emerging artist training, and paid fellowships. Mu will be launching a search for its next managing director soon. In the meantime, Pham’s responsibilities will be shared among the staff and board.
CHICAGO: The Albany Theater Project (APTP) has announced leadership transitions as the company approaches its 30th anniversary. This summer, Miguel Angel Rodriguez will step into the role of executive artistic director, becoming the organization’s sole chief executive after five years of shared leadership with APTP co-founder David Feiner. Feiner will transition into founder and director of innovation and advancement, a new full-time role created for him. In this role, Feiner will focus on long-term strategy, fundraising, and the creation of new artistic initiatives. Trina McGee, a longtime staff member at APTP, will assume a new role as managing director where she will oversee operations, finance, and production and organizational systems.
SYRACUSE, N.Y.: Syracuse Stage has announced the retirement of artistic director Robert Hupp after a decade. He will step down after the 2026-27 season ends and will program the 2027-28 season. Appointed in 2016 after tenures at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and Jean Cocteau Repertory in New York City, Hupp directed such Syracuse Stage productions as The Three Musketeers, Next to Normal, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, and Our Town. He oversaw artistic programming that led to years of operating surpluses and a financial foundation, which allowed the company to maintain full employment during the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of the company’s 50th anniversary season, Hupp facilitated the largest single donation in Syracuse Stage history, establishing the Julie Lutz New Play Development Fund to be used for the creation of new work with a particular focus on sharing stories from underrepresented voices. The fund helped produce the world premiere of Rogelio Martinez’s The National Pastime and will support the upcoming world premiere of resident playwright Kyle Bass’s The Black Nationals in 2027. Rupp’s final production will be Les Misérables, which he will direct as part of the company’s annual co-production with the Syracuse University Department of Drama. Over the coming months, Syracuse Stage and Management Consultants for the Arts (MCA) will conduct a national search for the next artistic director.
SANTA MARIA, CALIF.: The Pacific Conservatory Theatre/PCPA announced the retirement of their artistic director/dean Mark Booher this past March. Booher will retire from his role in December 2026 after a 27-year tenure, 21 years of which were spent as artistic director. He is the longest-serving artistic director in PCPA history. He provided artistic direction for more than 220 productions, while working directly on 85 productions as a director, fight director, and actor. Booher’s work will be remembered for its people-centered vision grounded in artistic excellence and rigor, student support and success, and community engagement. Booher’s tenure has been noted for its institutional growth, as he led PCPA through major renovations and upgrades at the Marian and Severson Theatres. He also oversaw the construction of a new production facility (Building T) on the Allan Hancock College campus, expanding resources for scenery, props, and costume production. Allan Hancock College has initiated a search for PCPA’s next artistic director, and Booher, as well as his wife Lindy, will continue to reside on the Central Coast. Booher hopes to continue his work in professional theatre following his retirement from PCPA leadership.
LEWISTON, MAINE: The Public Theatre of Lewiston has announced the departure of executive director Ray Dumont. Dumont has accepted a position at the Academy of Music in Northampton, Massachusetts. Adam P. Blais, a production manager and artistic associate, has been appointed interim executive director. Dumont has spent much of his 30-plus year career working in Lewiston and was appointed executive director of the Public in January 2024.
