CTC's Executive Director Bruce LaRowe Announces Resignation

Bruce LaRowe, Executive Director of Children's Theatre of Charlotte, has announced he will step down at the end of December.

"I believe the time is right for me to explore other career opportunities. I feel the Theatre is well-positioned for a future of continued service with a wonderful staff, an engaged and committed board of directors, and a dynamic volunteer corps. Children's Theatre has a strong reputation, both locally and nationally, and our partnership with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in ImaginOn is the envy of many other theatres and libraries across the country and beyond," said LaRowe.

"I am equally proud to have influenced a generation of young people and families through the work of Children's Theatre at ImaginOn, in schools and community centers, and across the Southeast."

His tenure as the Theatre's leader spans 20 years. Prior to joining CTC, he served two years as Director of Development with Belmont Abbey College and eight years as Associate Director of the Arts & Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. He holds a B.A. in History from Millikin University and a M.A. in Community Arts Management from the University of Illinois - Springfield.

With an annual budget of $4.1 million, Children's Theatre employs a full-time staff of 36 and part-time staff of 43. The Theatre produces 12 plays each season and provides a comprehensive theatre education program. In addition to garnering wide acclaim for artistry and contributions to the field of theatre for young audiences, the Theatre is noted for fiscal stewardship, recording 32 consecutive years without an operating deficit.

In October 2005, the Theatre opened its new home in ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center. This groundbreaking collaboration with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is heralded as a nationally unique partnership, bringing the best in children's theatre and children's literature together under one roof. "I am very proud of the Theatre's work with the Library in creating ImaginOn," said LaRowe. "It is a huge community resource, having drawn more than 2.5 million visitors from around the globe since its opening."

Jami Farris, Children's Theatre's Board Chair who is a partner at Parker Poe, will coordinate a transition and search process with the Theatre's Board of Directors.

Children's Theatre of Charlotte is a national leader among theatres for young audiences, serving nearly 300,000 young people and families annually with professional productions and innovative education initiatives.

Children's Theatre of Charlotte is supported, in part, with an Operating Grant from the Arts & Science Council, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc. and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

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