{"id":3272,"date":"2026-09-05T05:14:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T05:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/florida-studio-theatre-opens-search-for-artistic-director-amid-leadership-shift\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T05:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T05:14:03","slug":"florida-studio-theatre-opens-search-for-artistic-director-amid-leadership-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/florida-studio-theatre-opens-search-for-artistic-director-amid-leadership-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Studio Theatre Opens Search for Artistic Director Amid Leadership Shift"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Florida Studio Theatre (FST) has begun a search for an <strong>Artistic Director<\/strong>, a newly conceived position that will guide the planning and delivery of the theatre\u2019s core programs. The role debuts as FST\u2019s long-serving Producing Artistic Director moves toward retirement and overall leadership shifts to an <strong>Executive Director<\/strong>\u2014effectively a chief executive officer\u2014who will lead a team that includes the Artistic Director and an incoming <strong>Managing Director<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align:left\">Role scope and artistic vision<\/h2>\n<p>The Artistic Director will shape programming for FST\u2019s signature platforms, curating seasons and engaging artists in alignment with the company\u2019s mission and its aesthetic\u2014centered on authentic, engaging storytelling rather than large-scale spectacle. The portfolio includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Winter and Summer Mainstage Series<\/strong> (seven productions)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stage III<\/strong> (three productions)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Children\u2019s Theatre<\/strong> (four productions)<\/li>\n<li><strong>New Play Development<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Alongside season planning, the Artistic Director will participate in FST\u2019s creative life through their own practice\u2014as a stage director, actor, designer, or another individual discipline\u2014while recognizing that the primary charge is to serve as the overall producer of the theatre\u2019s principal offerings. In close partnership with the Executive Director, the leader in this role will calibrate artistic ambition with attentiveness to audience needs.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align:left\">Search process, timeline, and compensation<\/h2>\n<p>FST has engaged <strong>Management Consultants for the Arts<\/strong> to oversee the search, and applications are being accepted through that firm. The theatre aims to make a hiring decision by <strong>Spring of 2027<\/strong>, with the selected candidate anticipated to transition into the role in the <strong>Fall of 2027<\/strong>. Compensation begins at <strong>$160,000<\/strong> per year, with full benefits. FST affirms equal opportunity, celebrates diversity, and maintains an inclusive workplace. Employment offers will be contingent upon successful background and reference checks.<\/p>\n<p>Founded in <strong>1973<\/strong> by artist <strong>Jon Spelman<\/strong> as an alternative touring group, FST brought theatre to isolated and underserved audiences in nursing homes, migrant farms, and prisons. In <strong>1980<\/strong>, when <strong>Richard Hopkins<\/strong> became Producing Artistic Director, he launched FST\u2019s <strong>Mainstage Series<\/strong> with <strong>103<\/strong> subscribers. Today the organization serves over <strong>45,000<\/strong> subscribers and an annual audience exceeding <strong>225,000<\/strong> across its programs, making it the state\u2019s largest subscription theatre. Now in its <strong>53rd Season<\/strong>, FST operates across five stages and produces over 20 professional productions each year.<\/p>\n<p>For theatre professionals eager to lead a robust slate of plays and musicals\u2014and to steward a company with deep community reach\u2014this appointment represents a significant opportunity at a pivotal moment in FST\u2019s evolution.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><em>V\u00eda <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/2026\/09\/artistic-director-florida-studio-theatre-working-with-management-consultants-for-the-arts.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">artsjournal.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida Studio Theatre has launched a search for a new Artistic Director, a role within a reimagined leadership team, with programming oversight across Mainstage, Stage III, Children\u2019s Theatre, and New Play Development. Management Consultants for the Arts is managing the search; FST targets Spring of 2027 for a decision, Fall of 2027 for transition, and lists a starting salary of $160,000 with full benefits.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3271,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-happening-now"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echoartfoundation.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}