Kansas City Actors Theatre Announces Election Of New Board President, Gary Heisserer

Kansas City Actors Theatre's governing Board of Directors is excited to announce the election of Gary Heisserer as the next Board President of Kansas City Actors Theatre.

Gary will be the sixth Board President in the company's 16-year history, succeeding Darren Sextro, who served as President for the last four years.

Gary earned his Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has spent his career working in educational theatre as a professor and administrator. He has directed theatrical productions at the college, community, and professional level, and ran a successful theatre program at Graceland University for 15 years. Most recently he directed KCAT's 2019 production of Athol Fugard's "'Master Harold'... and the Boys," featuring Walter Coppage, Khalif Gillett, and Arthur Clifford, a production that was described as "riveting theatre" by KC Studio.

As a senior administrator at several universities - including Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Graceland University, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Park University, and Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning at Missouri Valley College - Heisserer has had considerable experience in organizational leadership. He also previously served as Board President for Kansas City's Unicorn Theatre.

"Gary cares so deeply about KCAT and the broader regional theatre arts community," said Darren Sextro, KCAT's outgoing Board President. "He's a wise director, producer, and educator. Because of all of that, our Board's unanimous selection of him was no surprise to me. Gary will be a thoughtful caretaker of what KCAT's original founders created, and he's particularly sensitive to the need to shepherd that legacy into new places. I'm already proud to have him as KCAT's new leader."

John Rensenhouse, Chair of KCAT's guiding Artistic Committee, sees a continuation of the organization's growing esteem with Heisserer at the head. "It's great to have Gary stepping up as our new President," said Rensenhouse. "He's experienced, organized and brings a new passion to our organization. We are ready to step into the future with confidence and shape our post-pandemic identity."

"I'm deeply honored to serve as the new President of Kansas City Actors Theatre," said Heisserer. "I will strive to help maintain the artistic excellence that signifies our work. KCAT will continue its efforts to reopen our theatre safety and with an intensified commitment to diversity and inclusion. I look forward to being part of this collaborative process."

For media contacts, interview requests, photo requests, and general questions, contact Matt Sameck, Director of Marketing and Development at matt@kcactors.org or at (816) 361-5228.

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