Phamaly Artistic Director Steve Wilson to End 14-Year Tenure

In a joint statement, Phamaly Executive Director Christopher Silberman and Phamaly's long-time Artistic Director Steve Wilson announced today that Wilson will be stepping down as Artistic Director of Phamaly Theatre Company, a position that he's held with Phamaly for 14 years. He will remain Artistic Director through December 31 of this year.

They stated, "This was a mutual decision by the Executive Committee of the Phamaly Board of Directors, and each of us based on our collective desire to create a full-time Artistic Director position for the company."

In addition to his role as Artistic Director with Phamaly, Steve also serves as Executive Artistic Director of the Mizel Arts & Culture Center (MACC), a $3 million multidisciplinary arts center on the campus of the Jewish Community Center.

This announcement comes as the demands of both companies have exponentially increased in recent years. Until seven years ago, Phamaly performed just one show annually. The company now produces five to six shows annually, plus a regional touring show, and a robust acting workshop program open to all individuals with disabilities. In June, Phamaly announced that it would be touring to Osaka, Japan with the show The Fantasticks in March 2015.

Wilson said, "It is difficult to express the colossal impact of Phamaly on my life. It has been a warm, nurturing, creative home for me. It has been my artistic identity and a place where I have always felt embraced as a leader and mentor. I gave everything possible in my time with the company and have received much more in return. My sadness at leaving is profound, but I know it will provide the company with an ability to excel in new ways with a refreshed artistic energy."

Silberman said, "Phamaly would not be what it is today without Steve's brilliant artistic mind, passion, and direction. I am grateful for the time I've had to work alongside him, and for the influence he is leaving on Phamaly. While the organization is at a point in which we require someone full time, my hope is that Steve will return in the future as a guest director."

In Wilson's time with Phamaly, he directed or co-directed 18 plays and musicals, most recently the company's 25th anniversary reprisal of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In addition to his many awards Wilson was honored with four Colorado Theatre Guild Henry Awards as Best Director of a Musical for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2005), Urinetown, Man of La Mancha and Beauty and the Beast.

Phamaly will be leading a national search process for Wilson's successor, details of which will be announced later this month.

About the Phamaly Theatre Company
Phamaly Theatre Company (formerly known as the Physically Handicapped Actors & Musical Artists League) is celebrating its 25th anniversary season of professional-scale performances exclusively featuring actors with disabilities (physical, cognitive, and emotional). Their mission is to inspire people to re-envision disability through professional theatre. Phamaly produces plays and musicals throughout the Denver Metro region, in venues such as the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the Arvada Center, the Aurora Fox Arts Center, and the Lone Tree Arts Center. The organization additionally has a regional touring program. This year, Phamaly is serving over 200 performers with disabilities and nearly 20,000 audiences across the state. For more information on Phamaly, visit www.phamaly.org.

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