HARRISBURG, PA.: Open Stage of Harrisburg has announced that its cofounders, producing artistic director Don Alsedek and educational director Anne Alsedek, will step down from their positions at the end of the 2016-17 season. The Alsedeks, along with Marianne Fischer, founded the theatre in 1983.
Current associate artistic director Stuart Landon will take on the role of producing artistic director, and David M. Glasgow has been named the director of music and education.
“More than 30 years is a long time to have started a theatre from scratch,” said board member emeritus Nick Hughes in a statement. “To be able to pass it on in fine working order to a new generation is a real achievement. Don and Anne have made a difference in the lives of the people who live in and around the city.”
The Adelseks stablished Open Stage after the 1982 Mayor’s Task Force for the Arts for Harrisburg Report cited a need for a theatre of a higher quality in the area. They were also instrumental in the formation of the Capital Area School for the Arts, which opened in 2001 through a partnership between Open Stage and the capital Area Intermediate Unit. Anne leads the school’s studio, teaching performing arts classes to children and adults, which she will continue to do after leaving Open Stage. She also starred in many Open Stage productions, and will appear in the company’s upcoming production of Uncanny Valley. Don has spearheaded the business side of Open Stage, and has directed many of the mainstage shows. He also developed the African-American theatre company Sankofa, which is an off-shoot of Open Stage.
“I’ve enjoyed doing it, and I still enjoy doing it, and I think that’s the time to leave,” said Don Adelsek in a statement. “There are new things on the horizon. There always are.”
