NEW YORK CITY: Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre and the publisher of this magazine, has announced several staffing changes.
TCG has named Kelundra Smith director of publishing for both TCG Books and American Theatre magazine, as part of an overall restructuring. As director of publishing, Smith will establish, oversee, and administer an organization-wide publication structure to achieve the goals of TCG and the publications department, which currently includes American Theatre magazine, advertising (including ARTSEARCH), and independent publishing arm TCG Books.
“Kelundra has done an amazing job as managing editor for American Theatre, helping us to navigate the evolving theatre landscape in a way that reflects our industry’s needs,” said TCG co-executive directors Emilya Cachapero and LaTeshia Ellerson in a joint statement. Prior to being named publisher, Smith served as managing editor of American Theatre. She is an Atlanta-based journalist, playwright, and storyteller with bylines in The New York Times, ESPN’s Andscape, and Food & Wine, among others. Her play The Wash is receiving a National New Play Network rolling world premiere.
Said Smith in a statement, “As a career journalist and a lover of dramatic literature, I feel honored that TCG trusts me to lead the publications department into this new era. My hope is to build on the legacies of my predecessors by amplifying the work of our playwrights and authors, creating new opportunities for writers from marginalized communities, and being more intentional about looking at plays across the entire country.”
Jerald Raymond Pierce, formerly the magazine’s Chicago editor, has been named American Theatre’s new managing editor, spearheading the day-to-day operations of the print magazine and supporting online strategy. Pierce is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and reviews for the Chicago Tribune. He served previously as arts and culture reporter and theatre critic for The Seattle Times and as a Chicago correspondent for American Theatre. He studied acting at Ohio University and received his M.A. in arts journalism from Syracuse University.
Said Pierce in a statement, “I feel incredibly lucky, as a former actor, stage manager, and general theatre artist, to have been able to call American Theatre my journalistic home for the majority of my career. Now, to have an opportunity to help steward a magazine that covers an industry that has supported me for so many years, I can’t express the honor I feel. I look forward to continuing the magazine’s decades-long tradition of covering theatre around the country, especially as I get to do so from my home base in Chicago, and bringing American Theatre in print to theatremakers and theatre leaders around the country.”
Gabriela Furtado Coutinho, formerly the magazine’s Chicago associate editor, has been named digital editor of American Theatre, responsible for AmericanTheatre.org, podcasts, e-newsletters, and social media. Furtado Coutinho is also a Chicago-based actor, playwright, and poet. She graduated in theatre and English creative writing from Northwestern University, where she now guest lectures in care-based rehearsal practices and nonprofit cultural strategy. She formerly worked with The Kennedy Center in their theatre education/TYA division and Emmys/Television Academy in development of new kids’ TV. A Brazilian immigrant, she creates and laughs across three native languages.
Said Furtado Coutinho in a statement, “Having my experience as an immigrant on staff affirms an expansive quality to the American theatre landscape. I’m excited to infuse my warm, Brazilian, Gen Z artist sensibilities into the work of extending bridges within a shifting industry, between journalists and creatives, and across the generational divides of our readership. National creative intimacy and understanding begin, in the digital age, with a strong online presence. Over the past year, I’ve gotten to know so many innovative leaders and feel excited to take a page from their books in charting new strategies. It’s an honor to serve this theatre ecology.”
The announcements come on the heels of TCG’s recent news of executive restructuring in which three directors will serve as co-leaders of the organization. Two of these leadership positions have been filled by LaTeshia Ellerson as co-executive director, national engagement, and Emilya Cachapero as co-executive director, national and global programming. The search for the new co-executive director, national operations and business development, is currently underway.
American Theatre magazine is the nation’s only general circulation magazine devoted to theatre. Its current editor-in-chief is Rob Weinert-Kendt. Founded in 1984 by the pioneering arts service organization Theatre Communications Group. Since the fall of 2023, its print edition is published quarterly. Also founded in 1984, TCG Books publishes a who’s who of contemporary playwrights, anthologies of culturally diverse plays, and resource materials for theatre professionals. Its editorial director is Kathy Sova.
TCG leads for a just and thriving theatre ecology. Since its founding in 1961, TCG’s constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to over 700 Member Theatres and affiliate organizations and over 7,000 Individual Members. Through its programs and services, TCG reaches over one million students, audience members, and theatre professionals each year. TCG is the publisher of this magazine.
