International Theatre Festival Loses Its Leader
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Sahlins’s abrupt resignation raised a question among many observers: Did the board of directors force her departure, or did she choose to abandon a sinking ship? Neither Sahlins nor Marsden returned phone calls, but Gray said they made their respective decisions “completely on their own.” Sahlins claims she could no longer handle the job’s fast pace or management responsibilities. One of her chief duties, aside from helping raise money, was scouring the globe for new and interesting productions that might be suitable for mounting at the festival.
The board’s search for a new executive director certainly won’t be made easier by the organization’s financial troubles or the ticket-buying public’s apparent apathy. And the kind of leader the festival needs–someone with considerable managerial skills and a savvy sense of theater that is both artistically and commercially viable–is not the kind of arts executive widely available these days. Nor will it be easy to find someone who has traveled as extensively as Sahlins or nurtured her extensive theater contacts.
