Marin Theatre Company Appoints Lance Gardner as Artistic Director
Tom O’Connor Consulting Group (TOCG) is pleased to announce that Lance Gardner (he/him) has been appointed Artistic Director by Marin Theatre Company (Meredith Suttles, Managing Director) in Mill Valley, California, following our extensive national search.
“The Board is enthusiastic about Mr. Gardner's vision for innovative programming and forging community partnerships,” said MTC Board President Matthew Purdon in a release from the company, “We eagerly anticipate this exciting next chapter in Marin Theatre Company's history.”
As shared in the release, Lance Gardner is an actor and producer born and raised in the Bay Area. He has earned dozens of theatre credits over the last 20 years, including six mainstage shows and a school tour at Marin Theatre Company. He has also performed in multiple shows at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, Magic Theatre, TheatreWorks, and more recently served as the President of the Board of Aurora Theatre. He comes to Marin from KQED, where, as a live event producer, he helped launch KQED Live, a year-round, in-person and virtual events program where he crafted unique experiences marrying journalism, arts, and entertainment. Harnessing the power of public media, he created bespoke concerts, game shows, performances, food and dining events, interviews and more. His work has been featured on KQED TV and on the radio at KQED and KALW.
“Marin Theatre Company has already played such an important part in my career as an artist, and I’m excited to lead the future of the organization with Meredith,” said Gardner in the statement. “I’m honored to have been chosen and eager to build trust and community in Mill Valley, Marin County, and around the San Francisco Bay Area.”
Adds MTC Managing Director Meredith Suttles: "I am thrilled to extend a warm welcome to Lance at Marin Theatre Company and look forward to collaborating with him as we together guide this much-loved institution into its next phase."
“After an extensive national search, it’s thrilling to have Lance Gardner join the team at Marin Theatre Company,” says Sarah Williams, Consultant who co-led the search with President Tom O’Connor. “He brings decades of artistry, a keen sense of leadership, and deep Bay Area roots to the role of Artistic Director. It was an honor to work with Meredith and the search committee and we look forward to remaining an enthusiastic supporter of MTC as it embarks on this exciting new chapter.”
About Marin Theatre Company
Marin Theatre Company is the Bay Area’s premier mid-sized theatre and the leading professional theatre in the North Bay committed to the development and production of new plays, by the nation’s diverse emerging and established playwrights. MTC’s numerous education programs serve more than 4,500 students from over 40 Bay Area schools each year. MTC envisions theatre as a vital space for sharing diverse stories to build a more just and equitable world by inspiring conversation, learning, and action toward more inclusive communities. We do this by providing a sustainable home for developing the work of diverse American playwrights and producing innovative theatrical experiences. MTC was founded in 1966 and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
About Tom O’Connor Consulting Group
Tom O’Connor Consulting Group (TOCG) is a NYC-based consultancy that supports arts institutions and leaders with two integrated services: organizational strategy and executive search. Consulting specialties including marketing, strategy, assessment, and organizational development. Founded in 2015, TOCG is a fully remote company with team members spanning the country and the globe.
Select clients have included Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Carnegie Hall, Cincinnati Opera, Huntington Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, Next Chapter Podcasts, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and more.
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