Ten Contemporary Figures to Know

The original list of individuals for this chapter has changed drastically since it was first conceived in 2017. Since then, the #MeToo movement, the pandemic, and social justice have radically altered the policies and agendas of regional theatres and the people working in these institutions. As a reaction to these events, as well as other planned retirements, there has been a massive turnover in leadership positions in the last decade. Several older leaders warned of younger artistic directors and general managers becoming beholden to the moment and following cultural/social movements as opposed to pursuing a course of action based upon financial realities (pursuing principle without proper consideration of the practical). The regional theatres in this country are in uncharted territory, and these concerns are addressed thoroughly in the final chapter, but the truth remains that a new generation of leadership is charting the course for the future of regional theatre (if there is one) and how best to tackle the many problems that they have inherited.