AMERICAN STAGE GETS
NEW LEADERSHIP
a powerful story about the
struggle between taking the
path society has chosen or
staying true to oneself. Then,
in November, American Stage
will present The 39 Steps, a
comedic blend of Hitchcock
masterpiece and spy novel,
delivered with fast-paced
hilarity. In January, American
Stage will continue its August
Wilson's Century Cycle with
Jitney, followed by the funny
and heartwarming 4000 Miles by Amy
Herzog in March. In April, American
Stage in the Park will continue its
tradition at Demens Landing Park with
Monty Python’s Tony Award-winning
musical Spamalot. A Tale of Two Cities, a
one-man comedic tour-de-force will be
presented in May; and The Pitmen Painters
by Lee Hall, the Tony Award-winning
writer of Billy Elliot, will close the season
in August.
While Gularte looks forward to selecting
the 2016-17 lineup of plays, she is thrilled
with Heimstead’s 2015-16 selections and
is eager to put the season’s creative teams
together, directing two of the plays, as she
oversees the execution of each production.
9
EDITOR’S NOTE: American Stage is located
at 163 3rd Street North in St. Petersburg.
For tickets, call (727) 823-PLAY (7529).
THERE IS A NEW FACE
in the Tampa Bay arts
community, Stephanie
Gularte, the new leader of
American Stage, which is the
area’s longest-running professional
theater company. Last
August, the company initiated
a nationwide search when its
former artistic director, Todd
Olson, announced plans to
leave after eleven years at the
helm. After an intensive search
process, American Stage announced in
January that California-based arts leader
Stephanie Gularte would take over the
artistic and business leadership as
producing artistic director.
Gularte brings an impressive range
of experience, including 14 years as a
producing artistic director, presenting
over 80 professional plays, including
several regional and world premieres,
and consistently receiving acclaim for her
work as a theatre director. For ten years,
Gularte was the founding artistic director
of Capital Stage, where she pursued bold,
high-quality programming, ranging from
new plays to adaptations of classic works.
Her leadership secured their reputation
for artistic excellence, while maintaining
a stable and forward-thinking business
model. In 2014, Gularte received a
special proclamation from the City of
Sacramento in honor of her contribution
to the arts in the region.
American Stage has been producing
quality professional theatre and extensive
theatre education programs since 1977.
Gularte’s bold plans are to build on
T H E AT E R
Stephanie Gularte
that legacy by infusing the not-forprofit
company with new energy and
ideas to capture the imagination of its
artists and audiences. She also hopes
to develop a strong base of support
from subscribers and supporters
who are eager to experience a bolder
style of programming that embraces
thought-provoking new plays and
powerful adaptations of classics. She is
in the process of updating American
Stage’s look with the unveiling of a
new logo and website and wants to
elevate the company’s reputation
nationally in order to provide Tampa
Bay audiences with greater access to
the most innovative and exciting
theatre trends across the country.
Before Gularte’s arrival this spring,
Meg Heimstead served as American
Stage’s interim artistic director. For the
past six years, Heimstead has been the
company’s director of education. During
her time as interim director, s h e
selected the company’s “2015-16 Season
of Awakenings.” It will open this fall
with Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage,
116 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 2015