SALT LAKE CITY: Pioneer Theatre Company (PTC), Utah’s largest professional theatre, has announced the appointment of Adrian Budhu as the company’s new managing director. Starting Aug. 1, he will join current PTC artistic director Karen Azenberg in co-leading the renowned regional theatre, located on the University of Utah campus. Budhu succeeds interim managing director Diane Parisi, who recently retired after serving the organization for 30 years, and who stepped into the gap left by the sudden resignation of previous managing director Christopher Massimine. The search was led by Cynthia Fuhrman from Tom O’Connor Consulting Group.
“Adrian Budhu…brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of effective leadership in arts organizations across the nation,” said PTC artistic director Azenberg in a statement. “His visionary approach and support of the high-caliber work which Pioneer Theatre Company produces is so thrilling. We’re confident that under his leadership, PTC will continue to grow for many years to come.”
Budhu has recently held interim leadership positions as the executive director at both the
Broadway Advocacy Coalition and The Theater Offensive, as well as the role of managing
director at East West Players. Prior to these roles, he served as the chief operating officer and
deputy director at Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national nonprofit dedicated to
supporting professional theatre and the publisher of American Theatre. Before his work at TCG, Budhu spent five years as the managing director of The Theater Offensive (TTO), an LGBTQ nonprofit arts organization based in Boston. His extensive professional background spans multiple sectors, including the GLBTQ Domestic Violence Project, XAMonline.com, Metro Boston newspaper, and John Hancock Financial. His insights on leadership, decision-making, culture, and programming have been featured in this magazine, and he has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts in theatre and musical theatre grants, as well as for TCG’s A-ha! program. Budhu holds a B.S. in Management Studies from Boston University and has completed further training in fundraising, along with earning a Harvard Business School Online Certificate in Disruptive Strategy.
“Since relocating to Salt Lake City last year, I have fallen in love with this community,” said Budhu in a statement. “It’s also been a joy to discover Pioneer Theatre Company, which offers this community something incredibly special. Stepping into the role of co-leading Pioneer Theatre Company fills me with immense excitement. I look forward to celebrating the transformative power of theatre and supporting the wonderfully unique work that PTC brings to its audiences.”
In recent decades, Pioneer Theatre Company has gained a reputation for top-tier regional premieres, as well as world premieres, including the pre-Broadway engagement of Shucked, A Distinct Society by Kareem Fahmy, and The Messenger by Jeff Talbott. According to a job listing posted earlier this year, the theatre had a budget of approximately $5.5 million.
