Rutstein leaves Everyman
The exodus of managing directors from local theater companies continues.
Sara Rutstein, the second-in-command of Everyman Theatre, announced her resignation earlier today. Her last day will be July 31, departing shortly after Michael Ross leaves a similar post at Center Stage. Signature Stage in Arlington, VA., also lost Sam Sweet, its longtime managing director, earlier this fall.
Like Ross, Rutstein doesn't have another job lined up, though she has told friends she'd like to find a position better utilizing her recent MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
"I will always cherish my time at Everyman and I have high hopes for its future," she says in a news release. "The staff is exceptional, and the work the company produces is first-rate. It is simply time for me to explore different career possibilities and move on to new challenges."
The managing director job can be a burn-out position, requiring near constant networking and fund-raising. Rutstein has worked in non-profit theater for 20 years, including at the Woolly Mammoth and Shakespeare Theatre Companies in Washington.
Vincent Lancisi, Everyman's artistic director, says that Rutstein has been a big factor in the company's success in the nearly three years that she has been with the troupe.
"Sara has been a great partner and resource to me over the years," he says in the release. "I've thoroughly enjoyed working with her. She's been hugely supportive of the artistry at Everyman, and she will be missed."
Everyman's board has hired a consultant to spearhead the search for Rutstein's successor.
(Photo courtesy of Everyman Theatre)
