American Stage hires second new artistic director in a year

For the second time in a year, St. Petersburg’s American Stage is announcing the hiring of a new producing artistic director.

Playwright and director Helen R. Murray, the founder and former artistic director of The Hub Theatre in Reston, Virginia, and most recently the executive director of the Aurora Fox Arts Center in Aurora, Colorado, will join the company in October, American Stage leaders said in a statement.

She succeeds Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, who joined American Stage last summer and stepped down in April for what the theater said were “personal reasons.” He was the first person of color to lead the company when he replaced Stephanie Gularte, who left the company after five years because of health issues.

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Murray, chosen during a national search, was “the most well-rounded candidate with just the right skill set and demeanor,” board chair Anastasia C. Hiotis said in a statement.

Murray, in a statement, said she was drawn to the company’s “push for the inclusion of new narratives on their stage. This is central to who I am as a theater maker. After meeting the board and staff, I felt an allyship in how art is integral to quality of life and I understood the passion and care they take with this company.”

American Stage recently announced shows for its 45th season, which has the theme “This is America, This is American Stage.” The selection process was led by interim executive director CJ Zygadlo.

The season will open Sept. 7-Oct. 2 with a production of “Green Day’s American Idiot,” with music by Green Day and lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong. It will be followed by George C. Wolfe’s “The Colored Museum” (Nov. 2-27); Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Crimes of the Heart” (Jan. 11-Feb. 5); Ayad Akhtar’s 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning “Disgraced” (May 31-June 25); and one more show to be announced (July 19, 2023-Aug. 23, 2023). The Tony Award-winning musical “Ragtime” will be the outdoor American Stage in the Park production at Demens Landing Park, April 12-May 14.

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Murray said the theater “welcomed the artist that I am and the leader I always endeavor to be. I hope what I am bringing to St. Petersburg and American Stage audiences is a willingness to listen to what is happening in this community, the state and the nation; and an invitation to our community to be both challenged and welcomed with our programming.”

Hiotis said American Stage worked on the search with Management Consultants for the Arts, the same firm that is partnering with Sarasota’s Asolo Repertory Company as it looks to replace Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards and Managing Director Linda DiGabriele. Both announced in May that they would step down in June 2023 at the end of their current five-year contracts.

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: St. Petersburg’s American Stage hires new artistic director