The Utah Shakespeare Festival has announced that Frank Mack will join the organization as its new executive producer on September 1. Mack, a veteran of various theatre companies across the United States, succeeds the recently retired R. Scott Phillips.
Based in Cedar City, Utah, the Tony Award-winning Festival is located at Southern Utah University. Mack arrives from Connecticut, where he currently holds a leadership role at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre and teaches arts administration at the University of Connecticut.
Mack brings experience from several prominent roles, having served as managing director at the California Shakespeare Festival, Geva Theatre Center, the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, and Connecticut Repertory Theatre. He has also worked as a management consultant for various organizations, including Center Stage in Baltimore and the African Continuum Theatre Company in Washington, DC.
Utah Shakespeare Festival Board Chair Jeffery R. Nelson led the search committee for the position. Nelson stated that Mack is a smart, capable, and decisive leader who is a passionate advocate for the arts. Nelson expressed confidence that Mack will help build upon the foundation established by Fred Adams and Scott Phillips.
Southern Utah University President Scott L. Wyatt noted that Mack was selected after an exhaustive national search involving more than 150 artistic professionals. Wyatt stated that Mack brings a wealth of experience and sincerity that will help the Festival grow.
The leadership transition follows the departure of David Ivers, who left the Festival to become the artistic director at the Arizona Theatre Company. As part of a reorganization, Brian Vaughn has been named the sole artistic director for the Festival.
Mack plans to attend the Festival's opening celebrations and fundraising gala during the first weeks of July before officially beginning his duties in September.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at Southern Utah University. The Festival's 56th season is scheduled to run from June 29 to October 21 and includes productions such as Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
