07/12/07 — The luck of the Irish is sure to be with Kelly Colleen McMahon as the new managing director of the Academy Theatre works to bring the story of the historic arts venue to the public’s attention.

“They have good programming,” the Crawford County native and former resident of Ireland said of the Chestnut Street entertainment landmark. “I think they are coming back from having a lower profile and are poised to be more of a community destination. I’d like to see them be something that everyone goes to see.”

The 1994 graduate of Maplewood High School and a daughter of John and Elaine McMahon of Meadville, she has only been on the job for about a month but she’s already immersed in everything from the mundane — addressing the air conditioning and telephone system, for example — to the lofty — getting the theater’s name out there.

So what’s her job description? “To make sure everything runs smoothly,” she said with a laugh.

“I just am here basically to run the business side of things,” she added, explaining that various board members have been doing the bulk of the duties, everything from the bills to the upkeep, since the Academy last had a managing director, which has been a few years. “Now I’m going to be doing all of them.”

While Ted Watts Jr. and his Empty Jug Productions handle the stage’s season (the musical “Godspell” is currently playing and the 2007-08 schedule will start with “Jekyll & Hyde” in late October), McMahon’s emphasis is “more right now of building back the foundation.”

McMahon has the blessing of the board.

“Basically what they did tell me was they would like a list of the top 10 things I think they should do as a kind of first look, then to pick the ones that are the best and go from there. ... I have some ideas, but I’m just six weeks into it and I’m still trying to get a sense of what the theater is and what it wants to be and move it into the future. The first step is to strengthen what they have,” she said, referencing the popular theater camp for kids, “and build connections with other theater groups. I’m trying to just solidify the progress they’ve made.”

And McMahon is blessed to have the board.

“I think that it’s got a very good support network; the people on the board really care about it,” she said. In fact, when making the announcement of her hiring, Academy Theatre Foundation President Dan Crandall said, “Kelly has the right combination of theater experience, education, business acumen and enthusiasm to take the Academy to the next level.”

McMahon, who studied psychology at Westminster College, has master’s degrees in theater arts from the University of Pittsburgh and drama and theater studies from the National University of Ireland. In January of last year, she founded Ninth Wave Theatre in Galway, and also served as its producer and director. She remains the company’s artistic director and, although she moved back to Meadville around Thanksgiving, “I did want to continue to do shows in Galway but not live there full time.”

To enjoy (and appreciate) the best of both worlds, she remains connected there while living here and operates a sort of “exchange student” program to bring Irish talent to the States and vice versa. She even envisions taking some Academy talent (one performer or two at a time) to the Emerald Isle for a production or training.

After adjusting to her new position and formulating her yet-to-be-shared slate of suggestions, she plans to present her ideas to the board later this month or in August. “They would like to be a venue for more events and would like to see more community groups use the space as a performing or meeting venue,” she said.

To that end, she will reach out to various groups — the Kiwanis Club, for instance — and pursue the possibility of hooking up with them for special programs or events at the Academy.

“To bring the story of the theater to the public is what (the board) told me to do.”



Did you know?

An architectural gem in the heart of downtown Meadville, the Academy Theatre is now devoted mainly to stage productions.

First known as the Academy of Music, it was built in 1886 and operated as an opera house, hosting live shows up into the 1920s, when it began to share the stage with silent films.

In the late 1920s it was converted to a movie theater, surviving as such until the 1980s when a fire and general disrepair forced it to close.

Since the early 1990s, local nonprofit efforts have been key to its renewal as a respected stage, work that has included extensive renovations. From main floor to the top of its balcony, the theater can seat 460 patrons.



The Academy Theatre's 2007-08 season

The Academy Theatre’s 2007-08 season is scheduled to include these shows:

–– “Jekyll & Hyde,” Oct. 26 to 28, Nov. 2 to 4 and 9 to 11.

–– “Beauty and the Beast,” Dec. 13 to 16 and 20 to 23.

–– “A Streetcar Named Desire,” March 28 to 30, April 4, 5, 11 and 12.

–– “Tommy,” May 2 to 4, 9 to 11 and 16 to 18.

–– “Singin’ in the Rain,” June 13 to 15, 20 to 22 and 27 to 29.

–– “Big River,” July 18 to 20, 25 to 27, and Aug. 1 to 3.

–– More information: Call 337-8000 or visit www.meadvilleacademytheatre.com.