Leadership Changes Announced at Santa Cruz Actors' Theatre

Actors' Theatre announces three changes to its leadership. A convergence of events prompts these decisions after the famed 8 Tens @8 Short Play Festival was canceled earlier this year due to the Omicron variant.

"We were so excited to finally be reopening, but we just couldn't put our staff, actors, and patrons at risk," recalls Executive/Artistic Director Andrew Ceglio. Fortunately, he had a vision for the theatre company post-pandemic and had the Festival professionally filmed - which is currently streaming for free on Youtube as a thank you to the community through April 20.

But, after two very difficult years - losing longtime producer Bonnie Ronzio to cancer in 2020, restructuring the company, securing and overseeing the Center Stage Theater at the Arts Center, developing a new board and a new vision for a 2022 season, looming AB tax laws affecting the hiring abilities of all art organizations - the company was halted by the pandemic, more than once.

"The core team is exhausted," states Board President Wilma Chandler of the decision to step down. This follows her retirement as Artistic Director in early 2021 after 26 years at the helm. "This company has been my pleasure and devotion for three decades and I have watched it grow and become a hallmark of excellence in our area and around the country, with a stellar reputation for championing contemporary playwrights. I feel it is the proper time to resign from the Board."

Current Executive/Artistic Director, Andrew Ceglio, has also decided to step down from his position. "Since taking the position of Executive/Artistic Director, I have attempted to restructure and reinvigorate the organization to fit the current times of the theatre industry due to the pandemic," says Ceglio. But, he found his vision hard to realize due to a lack of volunteers and paid support staff.

"It has been a privilege to lead the theatre company and it was an honor to follow in Wilma's footsteps to present the 2022 Festival," stated Ceglio. "Her legacy will be in the generations of actors, directors, and artists she has championed over the years, at both Cabrillo College and the 8 Tens @ 8 Festival which she founded in 1995 and is now the longest-running short play festival in America."

Jana Marcus, who has served as the Marketing & Creative Director since 2015, rounds out the third departure. Past Producer Bonnie Ronzio brought Marcus on seven years ago to expand the company into a full season, which brought great success both at the box office and with patron engagement. But since the pandemic, Marcus has chosen to return her focus full-time to her photography business. "Wilma and Andrew's impact on this art form and Actors' Theatre is immeasurable," Marcus reflects. "It's hard to picture Actors' Theatre without them, but we hope the new Board of Directors will move forward holding fast to their commitment to the people of the company and the community."

Chandler plans to continue her creative work as a playwright and poet, while Ceglio and Marcus will move on to pursue personal artistic and business ventures.

"In the years altered by the pandemic, we have continued to move forward," states Chandler. "I have every confidence that the new Board will continue as a leading player in the Santa Cruz arts scene and remain committed to professional and innovative initiatives."

Chandler will be succeeded as Board President by Suzanne Schrag, who was elected into the role of Chair at a special meeting of the Board on March 27. A newly formed board of directors will include Andrew Stewart, Karin Babbitt, and Marcus Cato.

Actors' Theatre looks forward to continuing the traditions of artistic excellence and accomplishment the company is known for, while embracing an exciting future.

To post a comment, you must register and login.