HOUSTON: The Alley Theatre announced that after nearly two decades of leadership, Dean R. Gladden will retire as the theatre’s managing director at the close of its fiscal year on June 30, 2025. A national search firm, Management Consultants for the Arts, has been engaged to identify Gladden’s successor, with Craig Jarchow, president of the board of directors, leading the board search committee. The new managing director is expected to begin on July 1, 2025.
“It has been the greatest honor of my career to serve as managing director of Alley Theatre,” said Gladden in a statement. “The Alley stands as one of America’s premier theatre companies, recognized for its artistic excellence, resident acting company, and forward-thinking innovations. At the heart of the Alley’s success is its artistic product, which is a testament to the incredible talents of our staff. It has been an extraordinary pleasure to work alongside them, producing theatre of the highest quality for the Houston community.”
Gladden’s career spans 48 years of service to the national arts community, including 19 years at the Alley, which marks his tenure as the longest-serving managing director in the theatre’s 78-year history. Gladden’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, paired with his deep belief in the theatre’s artistic mission, has navigated the organization through the 2009 Great Recession, a comprehensive renovation of the theatre complex which necessitated a 14-month off-site relocation, $26 million in damages from Hurricane Harvey, and the global COVID-19 shutdown.
“I feel so lucky to have worked in partnership with Dean Gladden these past six years,” said artistic director Rob Melrose in a statement. “Dean retires as a true legend in the American theatre, having expertly guided the Alley through some of the most challenging times imaginable including a hurricane and a global pandemic. As his partner, I have benefited greatly from his unwavering support of the art, his commitment to fiscal responsibility, his passion for pushing himself and his teammates to new heights, his tireless fundraising, as well as his strategic mind. He deeply cares about the Alley, and I know that even after his retirement, he will continue to be the Alley’s lifelong friend and greatest advocate.”
Over the course of his career at the Alley, Gladden has produced more than 200 plays, attracting an audience of over 3 million people. He led the two largest capital campaigns in the theatre’s history and oversaw the extensive renovation of the iconic Meredith J. Long Theatre Center. Under his leadership, the total operating budget of the theatre doubled, and Alley productions toured to 15 cities throughout the U.S., including Broadway and off-Broadway. He is currently in negotiations for the Alley to produce the first-ever American international theatre exchange with the Mexican National Theatre.
Before joining Alley, Gladden worked at the Cleveland Play House, where he began in 1985 as associate managing director and was promoted to managing director in 1987, a role he held until 2006. He successfully spearheaded the fundraising and construction of the theatre complex and raised over $70 million in contributions for operational, capital, and endowment needs. His leadership saw the production of 167 plays, including 12 that transferred to Broadway or Off-Broadway.
Prior to his time at the Cleveland Play House, Gladden held several prominent roles in the arts. From 1982 to 1985, he was director of development and administration for the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland. Simultaneously, he served as director of the graduate arts management program at the University of Akron from 1983 to 1985. Before this role, Gladden was the executive director of the arts Commission of Greater Toledo from 1980 to 1982 and the executive director of the Council for the Arts of Greater Lima, Ohio from 1977 to 1980. Gladden was twice named one of Houston’s Most Admired CEOs by the Houston Business Journal and was inducted into the Cleveland Play House Hall of Fame, honoring his enduring legacy in the theatre world.
Founded in 1947 by Nina Vance, Alley Theatre is one of the largest nonprofit professional theatres in the U.S. outside New York City. Their mission is to inspire and enchant lives through a diversity of theatrical experiences at the highest level of artistic excellence with their Resident Acting Company at the center. As of 2023, the theatre’s budget was approximately $26.6 million.
