North Carolina Theatre Welcomes New President and CEO

The board of North Carolina Theatre, Raleigh's premiere, non-profit professional regional theatre announces the selection of Elizabeth Doran as the organization's new president and chief executive officer.

Doran, who will be the fourth CEO in the theatre's over 30-year history, will succeed longtime President and CEO Lisa Grele Barrie who left the organization at the end of 2016.

Board chair, Dan Bryson explained, "The selection of Elizabeth Doran as our next leader culminated a five- month national search process. We are very excited Elizabeth will join us."

With over 15 years of experience as an arts leader and theatre producer, Doran has successfully led complex arts organizations serving as the CEO of San Diego Theatres, a regional performing arts center serving over 400,000 annually, executive director of The Pasadena Playhouse, the State Theater of California, and as managing director of The Actors' Gang in partnership with Oscar-winner Tim Robbins. Along with producing theatre internationally in Europe and South America, Doran has worked on the development side of major Broadway-bound shows such as Jersey Boys and One Night with Janis Joplin, and has presented many Broadway touring shows including Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King.

"Elizabeth has the right combination of experience, artistic vision, and business acumen to take North Carolina Theatre to new levels of success," said Bryson.

Beyond her depth of experience in producing and presenting the arts, Doran's focus on education, audience development, and diversity and inclusion has attracted millions of dollars of funding to support programs which break down barriers by merging the arts into schools, universities, prisons, underserved and new- immigrant neighborhoods, and businesses.

"There is such great energy in Raleigh - and the whole Triangle area - spurred by growth and a flourishing community of artists, arts organizations, educators, and audiences who have built a vital cultural ecosystem. Coming to the Raleigh area at this exciting time and lending my strengths to help lead North Carolina Theatre in this next phase of its development is inspiring," said Doran.

Doran will assume her new position at the helm of North Carolina Theatre in March, joining a strong artistic and administrative team with Casey Hushion as Artistic Director, CaroLee Baxter as Producer, Bill Yates as Technical Director, Ray Walker as Conservatory Artistic Director, and Melanie Doerner as Development Director. A longstanding and devoted board of directors are active in governance, fundraising, and community development.

Established in 1984, North Carolina Theatre is Raleigh's premier, non-profit professional regional theatre. With its successful formula of producing top quality musicals with top national performers and local talent, North Carolina Theatre has been instrumental in the revitalization of downtown Raleigh over the years. Through its conservatory, it has provided exceptional arts training to hundreds of local youth. By offering broad access to live theatre, while strengthening economic growth the organization continues to fortify the cultural vitality of the region.

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