CHICAGO: Court Theatre has announced that Stephen J. Albert will step down from his position as executive director at the beginning of the 2018-19 season. The company will begin a national search for Albert’s successor.

“The Court’s board of trustees has valued the strategic overview that Steve has provided,” said board chairman Timothy Bryant in a statement. “He has kept us engaged, focused, and on target. The progress that Court has made during his tenure reflects his leadership as well as his willingness to stay out of the spotlight while also moving Court forward.”

During his eight-year tenure at the company, the Court Theatre opened its Center for Classic Theatre with the University of Chicago. In addition, the theatre began producing world premieres of new adaptations, increased the annual budget by 50 percent, secured an off-site production center, expanded community engagement, and renewed the Court’s board.

“I am very proud with what Charlie, the Court’s staff and board, and the University, working together have achieved at Court Theatre over the past years,” said Albert in a statement. “There is a generational transfer in leadership taking place in theatres across the country and this is my time. I have been focusing on this timeframe for a couple of years and it is the right time for me to leave Court and return to my company, [the consulting firm] Albert Hall & Associates. I will leave behind rich memories of productions and performances that I will never forget. I am grateful for the trust that Charlie placed in me, to the Court’s Board of Trustees who accepted my leadership and finally, to the University of Chicago for their support.”

Albert is the founding partner of Albert Hall & Associates.