Baltimore Center Stage Welcomes Randi Benesch as Director of Advancement

Baltimore Center Stage has announced Randi Benesch will join its leadership team as the theater's new Director of Advancement.

In her new role, Benesch will be responsible for oversight of all contributed income, including annual fund initiatives; corporate, foundation and individual giving; and special campaigns. She will also serve as one of the theater's key representatives in the broader corporate, arts and nonprofit philanthropic communities.

Benesch spent the last five years as The Managing Director of the Gordon Center for Performing Arts at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore in Owings Mills, Md. In addition to overseeing 100 presentations annually, Benesch managed the launch of a robust arts education program including a performing and visual arts camp, a Children's Theater Production Company, and dance classes in partnership with Towson University Community Dance. Benesch was previously with Baltimore Center Stage for eight years as Individual Giving and Events Manager.

"We're excited to welcome Randi back to the Baltimore Center Stage family," said Managing Director Michael Ross. "She has a passion for development work, proven leadership skills and an unwavering commitment to the arts. We're delighted for her to rejoin the team as we work to advance the theater's mission."

"I am thrilled to be returning to the Baltimore Center Stage community at such an exciting time for the organization," said Benesch. "The energy surrounding the beautiful transformation of the theater is inspiring. I look forward to helping continue to sustain and grow such an important cultural pillar of our great city of Baltimore."

In addition to her roles at the Gordon Center and Baltimore Center Stage, Benesch has been a consultant to local non-profit arts organizations including Young Audiences of Maryland and Maryland Film Festival. She has extensive arts management experience from her time at the Columbia Festival of the Arts, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center Festival in New York City, as well as Edison Theater on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis where she earned her B.A. in Theater. Randi lives in Ellicott City with her husband Adam and two children, Jacob and Mollie.

Baltimore Center Stage is a professional, nonprofit institution committed to entertaining, engaging and enriching audiences through bold, innovative and thought-provoking classical and contemporary theater.

Named the State Theater of Maryland in 1978, Baltimore Center Stage has steadily grown as a leader in the national regional theater scene. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE and Managing Director Michael Ross, Baltimore Center Stage is committed to creating and presenting a diverse array of world premieres and exhilarating interpretations of established works.

Baltimore Center Stage believes in access for all-creating a welcoming environment for everyone who enters its theater doors and, at the same time, striving to meet audiences where they are. In addition to its Mainstage, Off Center and Family Series productions in the historic Mount Vernon neighborhood, Baltimore Center Stage ignites conversations among a global audience through digital initiatives, which explore how technology and the arts intersect. The theater also nurtures the next generation of artists and theater-goers through the Young Playwrights Festival, Student Matinee Series and many other educational programs for students, families and professionals.

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