NAPLES, FLA.: The Gulfshore Playhouse has named Joel Markus as its managing director, a new position for the company. Markus will begin the role on Aug. 13.

“We are excited about Joel’s experience, wisdom, and dedication to the arts,” said Kristen Coury, Gulfshore Playhouse’s founder and producing artistic director, in a statement. “He is joining us at a pivotal point in our history as we embark on a new Theatre and Education Center that will leave a lasting cultural legacy for generations to come. I’m looking forward to our work together.”

Markus will oversee the company’s day-to-day business affairs and work closely with the executive team to ensure Gulfshore Playhouse is financially and operationally supported through its resources. He will also oversee the creation of the company’s new facility in downtown Naples, which will include two performance spaces and an education wing.

Most recently, Markus served as the production manager at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre, where he produced Broadway-scale musicals and co-productions with other regional theatres. He’s also worked at Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis; Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, N.Y.; Weston Playhouse in Weston, Vt., American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisc; and North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Mass. Markus was awarded with a Creative Renewal Fellowship by the Arts Council of Indianapolis and Eli Lilly.

“I’m honored to join Gulfshore Playhouse, a truly dynamic and inspiring theatre that has grown exponentially in just 14 years,” said Markus in a statement. “I’m passionate about investing the lessons I’ve learned throughout my career—in both the business and artistic side of theatre—to an already thriving organization. I’m looking forward to strengthening and enhancing the theatre’s long-term strategic planning and operational efforts as it transitions into its new home.”