On Wednesday, Durango Arts Center announced that Artist Director Jason Lythgoe has been tapped to replace outgoing Executive Director Brenda Macon. He officially starts Wednesday.
Macon, who served as the DAC head, left the position after six years to move home to Michigan, the DAC said in a news release.
“I am honored to accept the role of executive director,” Lythgoe said in the release. “I remain committed to building on the many successes of the DAC, including our youth programming, which teaches over 2,000 students each year. I am passionate about the transformative power of community-based arts and look forward to continuing to enrich the lives of our community through our diverse range of programs and initiatives.”
He said in an interview Wednesday that DAC board treasurer Tom Donnelly has been working as the interim director, helping to ease the transition and learning curve between Macon’s exit and Lythgoe taking the reins.
“The Board is thrilled to have Jason assume the role of Executive Director,” Jeff Graves, DAC board vice president, said in the release. “His passion for the arts, coupled with his proven track record of leadership, made him the best candidate to lead the DAC into its next chapter with continuity and vision.”
Lythgoe’s name is not new to the Durango arts and theater scene: According to the release, “he has been involved in theater since he was 7 years old, performing with the Fullerton Children Repertory Theater in Southern California. He studied theater at California State University, Fullerton. After college, Lythgoe was a founding member of three storefront theater companies in Long Beach and Orange County, California, before moving to Colorado in 2009. Lythgoe worked and taught at several Front Range institutions, including the Colorado Springs Conservatory, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, and the Denver Center Theater Academy. In 2015, he moved to Durango to perform at a summer production at the Henry Strater Theatre, where he also served as its theater manager until the venue closed in 2020.” He’s also been in numerous productions with Merely Players.
And while his title has changed, Lythgoe said he is still drawn to being an instructor, something he hopes to incorporate into his new position.
“I think I’m going to try to still teach one of the youth classes or one of the camps,” he said. “I want to show that the executive director isn’t just behind the desk, it’s actually contributing to the art that we create. And look what I can share and be a part of, not only on the admin side and the fundraising – be that face, but be that face still on stage; be that face still at those gallery events; and be this champion for the Art Center that has been my home for almost a decade. ... So that’s going to be fun.”
katie@durangoherald.com
