PORTLAND: Performer, playwright, and teatrista Maya Malan-Gonzalez has been named Milagro’s new interim artistic director. Malan-Gonzalez, whose work centers Latine culture and women’s voices, began in the post on Jan. 1, bridging a leadership gap as Milagro prepares a nationwide search for its next artistic director. A lifelong Milagro member, she is also its board president and the daughter of co-founders Dañel Malán-González and José Eduardo González y Salazar, as well as a Studio Luna ensemble member. Since this season’s start, Dañel Malán-González has been the executive artistic director, as Eduardo González y Salazar has begun his retirement transition and became chief financial officer. She first performed at Milagro at the age of 6 and has since appeared in 20 productions at the theatre. She has performed across the U.S. and globally, including Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Seattle Rep, South Coast Repertory, Portland Center Stage, Cara Mia Theatre, El Teatro Campesino, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Latinx Theatre Commons’ Carnaval, and Latino Theater Company’s Encuentro. Milagro commissioned and produced four of her plays: Blast Off, Huelga, A Xmas Cuento Remix (an NNPN rolling world premiere), and Worry Dolls. Screen and voiceover credits include Apple TV’s Lessons in Chemistry, Friends in High Places, My Friend Frida, and Audible’s Women of Fire and Talking While Female and Other Dangerous Acts, which featured her story “Down the Side of the Mountain.” She holds a BFA in acting from the Theatre School at DePaul University with a concentration in Latino studies. She is an alumnus of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures’ Leadership Institute and the Candela Playwriting Fellowship.
BALTIMORE: Everyman Theatre has named Brandon Weinbrenner, a Houston-based director and producer who currently serves as associate artistic director at the Alley Theatre, as its next artistic director. He takes over the position from founding artistic director Vincent M. Lancisi, who is finishing the 2025-26 season and retiring after 35 years. Weinbrenner will relocate to Baltimore and assume the role starting in July. At the Alley, Weinbrenner directed plays that broke box office records and earned acclaim. As one of the founders of the Alley’s All New Festival and an inaugural team member and directing fellow at Berkeley Rep’s the Ground Floor, he has a passion for new work. He also spearheaded the formation of the University of Houston/Alley Theatre MFA in Acting program, directed more than 25 plays, assistant-directed on 13 others, and served as producer or consultant on numerous others. Both Everyman and the Alley have established resident companies with professional actors who perform regularly each season. Weinbrenner intends to uphold a commitment to producing theatre with local actors and artisans, strengthening the community and providing work opportunities. As artistic director, Weinbrenner will partner with Everyman’s managing director, Marissa LaRose, who has been with the theatre since April 2020. Weinbrenner holds a BFA in acting from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theatre’s acting program.
NEW YORK CITY: Off-Broadway’s HERE Arts Center has announced that co-director Lauren Miller will be departing the organization at the end of January to focus on political organizing. Miller joined a cohort of four leaders as the second generation of leadership at HERE in 2024, and noted in a statement that she “could not have predicted the ways in which the political landscape would change, nor how urgent the crises facing immigrants in the neighborhoods surrounding HERE would become in the months since,” and is leaving the organization because she feels “a personal calling to respond to this political moment in a new way.” Jesse Cameron Alick, Annalisa Dias, and Lanxing Fu will continue in their current leadership roles as HERE co-directors.
LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF.: Laguna Playhouse has announced Adele Adkins as its new managing director. Adkins is a nationally respected arts leader with more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit theatre management and programming. Most recently, she served as managing director of Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania, where she expanded earned and contributed revenue, increased subscriber growth, and spearheaded key initiatives focused on equity, accessibility, and community engagement. Throughout her career, Adkins has booked major performances across a wide range of venues, from intimate 100-seat theatres to 7,000-seat arenas, presenting everything from classical music and Broadway tours to major country music artists and diverse genres in between. She has also led the Clark State Performing Arts Center in Ohio and the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine. A Juilliard-trained cellist, Adkins brings a lifelong dedication to performance, education, and cultural leadership to Laguna.
