freeFall Executive Director Craig Badinger. Photo courtesy freeFall.
ST. PETERSBURG | Craig Badinger has been named the new executive director of freeFall Theatre Company.
The Tampa Bay staple has utilized the arts to build and uplift audiences since 2008, presenting a celebrated variety of new and classic works. Badinger, who will manage the company’s daily operations and more, follows former freeFall Board President Cheryl Forchilli in the role.
“We are thrilled to welcome Craig as our new executive director,” current President Robert O’Brion said in a statement April 10. “He will bring experience, enthusiasm, great communication skills and a fresh perspective to our organization.”
“We are confident that Craig will continue to help freeFall grow and are assured of his commitment to excellence, one of the hallmarks of our organization,” added freeFall Founding Artistic Director Eric Davis.
Badinger joins freeFall with more than a decade of fundraising experience. He previously worked with the Miami City Ballet and the Martha Graham Dance Company in New York before relocating to Florida in 2016.
In 2019, Badinger worked with the Punta Gorda Symphony. He also worked with the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg and The Florida Orchestra.
“freeFall embodies the character and personality that we admire so much about St. Petersburg,” Badinger also shared in the release. “As I’ve attended performances here over the last few years, there’s been a real welcoming to my experience on this campus.
“Arts organizations make up the fabric of our community,” he continued. “You have to recognize that what we do informs the identity of this city. The offerings at nonprofits like freeFall are a big part of the reason people want to live here. I look forward to enabling Eric’s creative process and innovation.”
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Audiences can see Davis’ creative process and innovation on freeFall’s stage now. The game is currently afoot with “Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville, a Sherlock Holmes Adventure” playing through April 23, where he’s joined by fellow fan favorite Matthew McGee.
“Oz,” an original musical featuring a book from Davis and exploring “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” author L. Frank Baum, follows this June. The production closes freeFall’s 2022-23 season.
For more information about freeFall Theatre, visit freeFallTheatre.com.
