Kelundra Smith Named Managing Editor of American Theatre Magazine

Theatre Communications Group has appointed Kelundra Smith as managing editor of American Theatre magazine. As Managing Editor, Smith will support the relaunch of American Theatre’s print edition as a quarterly magazine, as well as to help oversee the magazine’s daily website and other media efforts. Smith will report to Rob Weinert-Kendt, Editor-in-Chief, and will be part of American Theatre’s national editorial team. 

"I'm so proud and heartened to welcome Kelundra Smith to our team," said Rob Weinert-Kendt, editor-in-chief of American Theatre. "There's a reason she's been such a frequent contributor to our pages over the years, covering not only theatre in her region but also training her focus on trends in the entire U.S. theatre field. Her knowledge, taste, and acuity as a writer and thought leader make her a natural editor, and she'll be an ideal partner in envisioning and executing the magazine's return to print after three years online only."

Said Smith, "I am excited to join TCG as the new managing editor of American Theatre magazine. I have been reading American Theatre since high school, so I know how vital this magazine is to encouraging the next generation of theatre artists and patrons. I can't wait to imagine new ways of storytelling and to widen our coverage as we bring back the print issues."

Founded in 1984, American Theatre is the preeminent magazine for and about professional theatre in the U.S., covering national, regional, and global trends, artists, productions, and companies with a mix of news, features, interviews, critical and personal essays, and investigative reporting. American Theatre has also been the proud publisher of hundreds of complete playscripts by playwrights including Tony Kushner, Lynn Nottage, Qui Nguyen, Annie Baker, Luis Alfaro, Yussef El Guindi, Sam Shepard, John Belluso, Larissa FastHorse, Jeremy O. Harris, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Maria Irene Fornes, and dozens of others. In 2014, with the launch of AmericanTheatre.org, it expanded its coverage and sharpened its timeliness with daily news and features. It has been online-only since May 2020 but will relaunch the print edition in October of 2023 based on widespread demand. 
Kelundra Smith (she/her) is an Atlanta–based journalist, playwright and storyteller. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, Andscape, Food & Wine, Garden & Gun, The Bitter Southerner, Atlanta magazine, and elsewhere. She got into theatre because that’s where teachers put the kids who talk too much in class. As a playwright, she has a passion for southern narratives rooted in the African diaspora. Her long-term goals are to land on The New York Times bestseller list, travel the world, open a late-night dessert restaurant, as well as have her plays adapted for television.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, leads for a just and thriving theatre ecology. Since its founding in 1961, TCG’s constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to over 700 Member Theatres and affiliate organizations and over 7,000 Individual Members. Through its programs and services, TCG reaches over one million students, audience members, and theatre professionals each year. TCG offers networking and knowledge-building opportunities through research, communications, and events, including the annual TCG National Conference, one of the largest nationwide gatherings of theatre people; awards grants and scholarships to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and through the Global Theater Initiative, TCG's partnership with the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, serves as the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute. TCG is North America’s largest independent trade publisher of dramatic literature, with 20 Pulitzer Prizes for Drama on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning American Theatre magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. TCG believes its vision of “a better world for theatre, and a better world because of theatre” can be achieved through individual and collective action, adaptive and responsive leadership, and equitable representation in all areas of practice. TCG is led by executive director and CEO Teresa Eyring. www.tcg.org.

Photo credit: Allen Cooley