The Jungle Theater in Minneapolis announced in July that its founder and artistic director Bain Boehlke (left) will retire at the end of this season, which marks the company’s 25th year. Boehlke founded the Jungle in 1991 and upon retirement will become its emeritus artistic director. His future plans include traveling and directing one or two shows a year at the theatre. A search is currently underway for his replacement.
Meghan Pressman (right) has begun as managing director of Washington, D.C.’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Pressman comes from the Signature Theatre in New York City, where she was the director of development for two years.
In August, Penobscot Theatre Company in Bangor, Maine, named Mary A. Budd as its executive director. Budd has been the interim managing director since February. Penobscot also amended artistic director’s Bari Newport’s title; Newport is now the producing artistic director.
Carrie van Hallgren (left) will step in as American Players Theatre’s managing director in January, the board of the Spring Green, Wisc., theatre announced. Van Hallgren is a native of Platteville, Wisc., and was most recently the producing director of the department of theatre arts and dance at the University of Minnesota.
Paul Whelihan has been named artistic director of Pushcart Players in Verona, NJ. Whelihan has been a performer, stage manager and director in New York and regionally, and was the co-founder of Running Rabbit Theatre.
After 40 years in theatre, Heather Kitchen is retiring. She leaves the managing director position at Dallas Theater Center, which she held since 2011. Prior to that she was executive director of American Conservatory Theater, and also worked for Theatre New Brunswick and at Canada’s Stratford Fesival.
