Stages theater must be setting some kind of record for changes at the top. First longtime Artistic Director Kenn McLaughlin announced in late June he was leaving — albeit with a year to go before he exits.
Then public relations specialist Lindsey Brown and husband celebrity chef Chris Shepherd announced she was closing up shop on Lindsey Brown Public Relations to become the executive director of the Southern Smoke Foundation, the non-profit they co-founded in 2015. Brown and her company had headed up public relations efforts for Stages .
Now comes word that Stages Managing Director Katie Maltais who joined Stages just two years ago, is leaving to become Managing Director of The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, a prominent musical theater company.
“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside Kenn McLaughlin and the entire Stages leadership team,” said Maltais in a statement released by Stages. “Kenn’s care of this theater and this city through his decades of service enabled me to bring big visions to life quickly and successfully. I’m so proud of the growth of Stages in ways visible to the public, of course, and even more so in ways that impact the lives of our staff team and artists. Stages is an amazing and special place for all who enter. I look forward to watching it continue to thrive for generations to come.”
According to Stages, Maltais was responsible for stewarding the launch of the Houston Theater Training Coalition, in support of developing young people interested in theater.
And the 2022-23 season for Stages saw that almost 50 percent of ticket sales were to people new to Stages, a younger and more diverse audience than ever before, according to Stages.
According to George Lancaster, Stages chair emeritus, Stages will be engaging an interim managing director in the near future.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
