St. Petersburg – After 11 years as the Artistic Director for American Stage, Todd Olson is leaving the theater company and moving north. He has accepted the job of executive director at the Columbia Festival of the Arts in Maryland.
“After 11 years, and with the 2014-2015 season in place, this is the perfect time for my family to move on,” Olson said in a press release.
He is the second longest-serving leader of American Stage since the organization began in the late 1970s.
During his tenure at the theater company, American Stage has been voted “Best Theatre Company” by Tampa Bay Magazine and Creative Loafing.
“This is an opportunity I cannot pass up,” Olson said. “I feel immense gratitude for my time at American Stage, especially relative to the artists, donors, staff and audiences.
In Maryland, Olson will lead a growing organization in a dynamic city between Baltimore and Washington D.C., curating Columbia’s annual summer festival and taking an active part in realizing the city’s new master plan for its downtown park, including a $30 million arts park with four new theatres.
CFA is a 27 year-old arts organization that produces one of the region’s highest-attended arts festivals, with past acts that include Itzhak Perlman, Aretha Franklin, Philip Glass, Garrison Keillor, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Branford Marsalis, Emmylou Harris, Marcel Marceau, Manhattan Transfer, and Twyla Tharp Dance.
His influence in St. Petersburg will be missed.
“American Stage is one of St. Petersburg’s brightest gems, and our success is the result of Todd’s brilliant and engaging vision,” explained Matt Conigliaro, chair of the theatre’s Board of Trustees. “Todd has brought theatre to life in ways that have enriched the lives of tens of thousands in the Tampa Bay area and beyond.”
In the past 13 seasons at American Stage, Olson has directed more than 30 plays and produced nearly 40 more, many regional premieres. He was this year’s recipient of the Florida Professional Theatre Association’s Richard G. Fallon Award for Excellence in Professional Theatre.
“I will forever be grateful to the small group of angels and friends of the theatre who brought me here in 2003,” Olson said. “Words cannot express how much I appreciate and will miss this dedicated and indefatigable staff.”
Olson, who is straight, worked with many LGBT directors, actors and LGBT-themed shows. He is also a staple at every opening night performance and his presence at American Stage in the Park each spring always brought rousing applause.
“I am proud of what we have accomplished artistically, and the consistently high level of professional theatre we have been able to provide this community,” said Olson. “American Stage has helped me grow as a theatre worker and not-for-profit leader.”
“We are excited for Todd and wish him every success with this new opportunity,” Conigliaro added.
Olson will leave American Stage at the end of June and will begin his new position later this summer.
