COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.: The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (FAC) at Colorado College has promoted Christopher Sheley to producing artistic director. He has been serving in an interim capacity for the past nine months. Sheley succeeds Pirronne Yousefzadeh in the position, who departed the organization in December, citing a misalignment of values around the college’s commitment to anti-racism. Yousefzadeh’s departure after just 18 months on the job continues a pattern of leadership turnover that began when the company’s longtime producing artistic director Scott RC Levy left in 2021, followed by the departures of executive director Idris Goodwin and associate artistic director Nathan Halvorson in 2022.
“Chris has been a veteran member of the performing arts leadership at the FAC for more than a decade and has worked tirelessly within the community to expand our influence and impact,” executive director Nicole Herden said in a statement. “I look forward to supporting him and maximizing our mutual vision for what FAC’s performing arts company can achieve in the years to come.”
Sheley has been with the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company for 19 years. He has also served as a production manager at the Court Theatre and as the technical director of the Court and of Light Opera Works (now Music Theater Works). He came to FAC in 2005 as production manager and technical director, and was named director of production in 2015. He is the recipient of a Henry Award, a BroadwayWorld Award, and several Denver Post Ovation Awards. Sheley studied set design and theatre technology at DePaul University.
“I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to get behind the wheel and see where we can go next,” Sheley said in a statement. “I have always believed in the upward trajectory of this company and know there are no limits to what we can do.
The Colorado Spring Fine Arts Center at Colorado College hosts a museum, a performing arts theatre, and a community school. The award-winning FAC Theatre Company produces an annual season of innovative theatrical productions and is committed to creating stories that heal, uplift, educate, and enlighten. As of 2021, the center had a budget of approximately $856,400.
