Chenango River Theatre Reveals Leadership Transition

Chenango River Theatre has announced that for the 2025 season, they are expanding the leadership team, splitting the role of Producing Artistic Director into an Executive Director and an Artistic Director.  Beginning in November of 2024, CRT will welcome long time alumni Paige Tripp (Executive Director) and Drew Kahl (Artistic Director) to take the reins from outgoing Producing AD Zach Curtis.  Zach will work in overlap with Paige and Drew in a carefully planned transition to ensure that the greater Binghamton area’s only fully professional non-profit theatre company is best positioned for continued growth in the coming years.

Paige Tripp has worked on 28 shows with Chenango River Theatre since 2009, starting as a backstage intern and working her way up to being the equity stage manager for majority of productions since 2010.  In addition to her work at CRT, Paige's background includes bachelors degrees in Physics, Mathematics, and Theatre, as well as a Masters of Arts in Teaching.  After years of coaching and teaching, Paige became the Business Manager of Empire Toyota in Oneonta, NY, in 2015.  

Drew Kahl is a professional director, actor and professor at SUNY Oneonta in the theatre department.  He has been a part of CRT since day one, appearing in their first production, The Foreigner, in 2007. Since then he has appeared in 18 productions and directed eight. He has also directed productions and readings across the country for Franklin Stage Company, The Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Project, and Theatre L’Homme Dieu.

In announcing the transition, Laura Knochen-Davis, Board President, stated, “The CRT community truly appreciates Zach's many talents and contributions both on and off the stage. We are thrilled that Paige and Drew will be leading CRT through many successful seasons to come.” 

CRT’s current Producing Artistic Director, Zach Curtis, informed the Board in June of his plan to leave his position. Curtis saw the organization through the three seasons immediately following the pandemic (2022-24), and succeeded in bringing attendance figures nearly back to 2019 levels.

Kahl and Tripp are already in the planning stages of the 2025 season, which will be announced in the spring.  In a joint statement, they said:

"We are excited to collaborate together to continue the mission of Chenango River Theatre, bringing professional work to the region.  We'd like to express our gratitude for all Zach has done these past few years leading the theatre in a positive direction - it has been a pleasure working with him on multiple shows and we look forward to learning from him in this transitional time.  We'd also like to thank all of the affiliated artists, designers, actors, directors, technical staff, volunteers, supporters, and audience members, who have become like family to us and helped build this theatre over the last 17 years.  We were both brought to the theatre early on by the founding artistic director, Bill Lelbach, and we couldn't be more proud to have the opportunity to continue his legacy of what he started for the community of Greene.  We value our potential as an arts organization and look forward to seeing how that work can continue in the years to come."

  

Before the transition happens, they will both be a part of CRT’s third show of the 2024 season, Picasso at the Lapin Agile.  Tripp will stage manage and Kahl will play the role of Freddy, under the direction of Curtis.  Curtis will then close out the season appearing as the title role in Macbeth.

For more information about the transition, contact Producing Artistic Director Zach Curtis at info@chenangorivertheatre.org or 607-656-8778.  Chenango River Theatre’s intimate, air-conditioned 99 seat theatre is just 15 minutes north of Binghamton at 991 State Highway 12, Greene, NY.  CRT operates under annual contract with Actors’ Equity Association, the national association for professional actors and stage managers in the United States. 

CRT’s productions are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

 

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