NEW YORK CITY and ATLANTA: American Theatre magazine, published by Theatre Communications Group (TCG), has hired Kelundra Smith to be its next managing editor. A frequent contributor to the magazine, Smith is an Atlanta–based journalist, playwright, and storyteller whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, Andscape, Food & Wine, Garden & Gun, The Bitter Southerner, Atlanta magazine, and elsewhere.
“I’m so proud and heartened to welcome Kelundra Smith to our team,” said Rob Weinert-Kendt, editor-in-chief of American Theatre, in a statement. “There’s a reason she’s been such a frequent contributor to our pages over the years, covering not only theatre in her region but also training her focus on trends in the entire U.S. theatre field. Her knowledge, taste, and acuity as a writer and thought leader make her a natural editor, and she’ll be an ideal partner in envisioning and executing the magazine’s return to print after three years online only.”
Said Smith in a statement, “I am excited to join TCG as the new managing editor of American Theatre magazine. I have been reading American Theatre since high school, so I know how vital this magazine is to encouraging the next generation of theatre artists and patrons. I can’t wait to imagine new ways of storytelling and to widen our coverage as we bring back the print issues.”
Smith initially got into theatre because, as she put it in a statement, “that’s where teachers put the kids who talk too much in class.” As a playwright, she has a passion for Southern narratives rooted in the African diaspora. Her long-term goals, she said, are to land on The New York Times bestseller list, travel the world, open a late-night dessert restaurant, as well as have her plays adapted for television.
Founded in 1984, American Theatre is the preeminent magazine for and about professional theatre in the U.S., covering national, regional, and global trends, artists, productions, and companies with a mix of news, features, interviews, critical and personal essays, and investigative reporting. American Theatre has also been the proud publisher of hundreds of complete playscripts by playwrights including Tony Kushner, Lynn Nottage, Qui Nguyen, Annie Baker, Luis Alfaro, Yussef El Guindi, Sam Shepard, John Belluso, Larissa FastHorse, Jeremy O. Harris, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Maria Irene Fornes, and dozens of others. In 2014, with the launch of AmericanTheatre.org, it expanded its coverage and sharpened its timeliness with daily news and features. It has been online-only since May 2020, but will relaunch the print edition on a quarterly basis in October 2023 based on widespread demand.
