Cinnabar Theater Welcomes Berkeley Rep's Terence Keane as Executive Director

Cinnabar Theater is setting the stage for an exciting future. Cinnabar's board of trustees has announced the appointment of an executive director to lead the Sonoma County non-profit into a new decade of exceptional entertainment.

Terence Keane joins Cinnabar Theater on May 1 to work hand in hand with esteemed Artistic Director Elly Lichenstein. Most recently Keane served as Director of Public Relations and Associate Director of Marketing and Communications at the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Together he and Lichenstein will continue Cinnabar's commitment to provide sophisticated shows for local audiences and irresistible arts education for young people in the community.

"Terence brings exactly the experience needed to carry us forward," said Lichenstein. "His passion is palpable, he fits beautifully with Cinnabar's family-style culture, and he has great respect for the artists and our creative work. Bringing him aboard feels like an entry into a true partnership."

Keane has served grassroots, national and global non-profits on both coasts. After a decade supporting health and environmental causes, he returned to his first love: theater. In eight years at Berkeley Rep, he helped lead an 11-person marketing team to the highest ticket revenue in the company's history and transformed the theater's reputation with relentless exposure in local, national and international news outlets.

"I'm delighted to become part of the Cinnabar family," said Keane. "I love its unique blend of drama and music, and I look forward to collaborating with Elly, co-founder Jan Klebe, Cinnabar's staff and this terrific team of volunteers. After more than eight years and 75 shows at Berkeley Rep, this feels like the perfect next step. I'm eager to connect with Cinnabar's audience and learn how we can work together to deepen the theater's involvement in the local community and raise its profile on the wider stage."

Keane worked on 75 shows at Berkeley Rep, including 25 world premieres, two American premieres and 12 West Coast premieres. He supported everything from blockbuster musicals like Green Day's "American Idiot" and Stew's "Passing Strange" to celebrated plays such as Mary Zimmerman's "Arabian Nights," David Henry Hwang's "Chinglish" and Sarah Ruhl's "In the Next Room (or the vibrator play)" as well as a beautiful new version of the opera "Brundibar" from Tony Kushner and Maurice Sendak. Six of these shows moved to Broadway, 12 played off Broadway, two traveled to London and one landed in Hong Kong.

At Berkeley Rep, Keane had the honor of collaborating with the leading artists, artisans, educators, administrators and journalists in the field. A graduate of the Boston University School of Theatre and a former Fulbright Teaching Assistant, he has also worked for or volunteered with respected institutions including the American Museum of Natural History, the Big Apple Circus, the National Audubon Society, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, SF Playhouse, Usonia Jazz and the Yolo Basin Foundation.

The Wine Country's beloved professional theater, Cinnabar produces a thrilling mix of plays, musicals, operas and concerts in a remarkable range of genres. Cinnabar's Young Rep offers extensive activities for local youth, and the Cinnabar Chamber Singers welcome anyone who wants to be part of a chorus. All these events take place in the iconic red schoolhouse perched atop a grassy hill on the outskirts of Petaluma.

Audiences have flocked to performances in this intimate setting since 1972, when Marvin and Jan Klebe established an arts center for the community. Along with their four sons, they transformed a charming 1908 schoolhouse into a jewel-box theater that has hosted successful shows for four decades. With Keane and Lichenstein carrying the Klebes' legacy forward, the popular playhouse is preparing a new season of lively performances for its loyal audience.

"With Terence's arrival, I feel the doors of Cinnabar will remain open far into the future - and it can continue to welcome some of the finest performing artists of the area to our stage," said Cinnabar co-founder, Jan Klebe. "I believe Terence understands the original mission of Cinnabar, and I hope he will find joy in being a part of creating theater in all its forms, including opera and lots of music."

Cinnabar Theater is located at 3333 Petaluma Boulevard North, just off Highway 101 and only minutes from historic downtown Petaluma. There's ample parking up on the hill... and a friendly herd of goats grazing in the neighboring field.

Cinnabar's acclaimed revival of "The Price," by Arthur Miller just closed, the Young Rep's musical journey "Into the Woods" begins on April 26, and a sensuous production of "Carmen," (performed in English, like all operas at Cinnabar) takes the stage on May 31.

For more information on Cinnabar Theater, to purchase tickets or subscriptions for upcoming shows, or to make a tax-deductible donation in support of Cinnabar's mission, call (707) 763-8920 or visit www.cinnabartheater.org