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A new stage: Peggy McKowen named CATF’s permanent Producing Artistic Director

By Tabitha Johnston - Chronicle Staff | Nov 26, 2021

McKowen

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Since Ed Herendeen’s retirement in September from his position as Producing Artistic Director of the Contemporary American Theater Festival, former associate producing director Peggy McKowen has been filling in as his replacement, while the CATF Board of Trustees considered how to proceed with establishing the festival’s future leadership structure.

Prior to Herendeen’s retirement, the board had conducted an analysis on its organization, the findings of which are now being implemented.

During the board’s retreat on Nov. 6, a unanimous vote was passed, permanently installing McKowen into the position of Producing Artistic Director. While McKowen will now lead the organization’s summer festival, she will be only one of three people co-leading the organization. The two other co-leaders, who will likely be hired in 2022, will be a managing director and co-artistic leader, according to Board of Trustees President Marellen Aherne.

“Naming Peggy as the Producing Artistic Director is just the first phase in CATF’s new three-person leadership model,” Aherne said. “A nation-wide search for a Managing Director, which will be conducted by Management Consultants for the Arts with support from equity consultant Sarah Bellamy, will begin in the new year. The final phase of the transition is adding a co-artistic leader, who will work in collaboration with Peggy. The board is ecstatic Peggy is taking on this new role, and is energized to add new voices to the leadership team, as we all forge the future together.”

For McKowen, having two co-leaders to work with will help her to ensure the maintenance and expansion of the festival’s impact on regional, national and international levels.

“If CATF wants to expand its work in other ways beyond the summer festival, we need to have other people to do just that,” McKowen said, mentioning the co-artistic leader will focus on regional outreach opportunities, while its managing director will deal with fundraising and working closely with the board.

While trying out a multiple leader structure may seem like a great change for the festival, McKowen said it was actually something that Herendeen had previously adopted. A few years ago, Herendeen operated as the sole artistic leader, in conjunction with a managing director. The two-leader structure ended, when the then-managing director left for another job.

“We’re taking two people and making it three, because we really want to dive into building that relationship with the community in the state and the region,” McKowen said. “I think those three people will be working together quite closely. It’s dependent that they believe that the success of the festival is dependent on their shared leadership.”

According to Aherne, McKowen’s 14 years of experience working with Herendeen, CATF’s founder, will give McKowen the necessary perspective to remain faithful to the heart of the festival, as she interacts with her co-leaders.

“We have a remarkable history to build on,” Aherne said. “Ed has led us to a place where we are a well-regarded, well-respected and really enjoyable festival. We are going to build on that, we are going to add to that, and we are going to make that really exciting!”