On the brink of its 50th season Theatreworks has a new artistic director.
Max Shulman, a longtime professor in the University of Colorado Colorado Springs theater and dance department, will become the professional regional theater company’s third artistic director in its five decades-long history. He takes over for Caitlin Lowans, who left in February for a role as artistic director of Ten Thousand Things Theater in Minneapolis.
Murray Ross founded Theatreworks in 1975 and served as its artistic director for more than four decades until his death in 2017.
Longtime Colorado Springs theater company announces departure of artistic director
“They (Theatreworks) are living their mission statement and producing excellent, challenging work,” Shulman said. “They’re caring for artists and the community and that’s what most excited me to be part of an organization so effectively following its mission and having such integrity in the work. Colorado Springs deserves a unique and excellent theater producing work that speaks to it.”
Shulman currently serves as director of the Heller Center for the Arts and Humanities at UCCS and director of the HomeFront Theatre Project, which creates events around the issues facing veterans and the local military community. He’s also directed multiple productions over his eight years at the university, including “An Iliad,” “Pericles” and “Henry IV/V.”
He’ll take over the new role in July and also continue to teach, though he’ll step down from the Heller Center.
10 weekend things to do around Colorado Springs and beyond: Bike Swap, Ukrainian Easter, Pink Pony Club and more
Theatreworks will reveal its 2025-2026 season during the free 50th Birthday Season Sharing Party. It’s at 7 p.m. Monday at Ent Center for the Arts.
In addition to Shulman, Theatreworks also announced a new position: general director. While the artistic director guides the creative vision and supports the artists and technicians working on productions, the general director will oversee the strategic and operational direction of the company. Shulman will help in the candidate selection process.
“Theatreworks will now be led by two senior positions,” wrote Ent Center for the Arts Executive Director David Siegel in a press release. “This new structure reflects what we’ve heard from our community — the need for increased capacity, clearer focus and sustainable support for the people who make the work happen. It’s a model that will allow us to grow with intention and imagination.”
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center releases new theater season, upcoming exhibits
Though the new season was put together by the departed Lowans, and includes a show Shulman was already set to direct, he’ll be responsible for next year’s lineup.
“Colorado Springs seems to have an ever-changing identity that draws so many kinds of people,” he said. “I want every play to speak to that identity and diversity and strangeness and wonderfulness. With all that’s happening in the world I’m especially interested in thinking about what it means to be an American and some of our play choices will reflect that. That could mean going back to the classics in the way they speak to the notions of citizenry or early contemporary work that speaks about what it means to be in this nation in this moment.”
Contact the writer: 636-0270
link