BALTIMORE: Center Stage has announced that artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah will step down at the end of the 2017-18 season on June 30, 2018. The board of directors will begin a search for a new artistic director in the coming months.

“I have had the most wonderful six years leading Baltimore Center Stage with Stephen Richard, and now with Michael Ross,” said Kwei-Armah in a statement. “Together we have achieved considerable success, including many great shows, an amazing new building, and a deep reconnection with the community resulting in a substantial increase of new audiences. I have felt profoundly supported by the board and the Baltimore community and have endeavored to reciprocate by seeking new and innovative ways to serve. I love Baltimore.”

Kwei-Armah has been the artistic director since 2011. He has directed Jazz, Marley, One Night in Miami, Amadeus, Dance of the holy ghosts, The Mountaintop, An Enemy of the People, The Whipping Man, and Things of Dry Hours at Center Stage.

“Kwame brought a level of creativity and energy to Baltimore Center Stage that was fresh, inventive, and filled with purpose,” said Terry Morgenthaler, president of the board of directors in a statement. “He challenged everyone, from his actors and his production team, to his staff and board, to bring a higher level of artistry to our work. ‘Access for All’ became his signature mission and it is reflected in everything we do now. We look forward to his final Baltimore Center Stage season and future collaborations with this magnificent artist.”