Managing Director Gregory Patterson to Depart WaterTower Theatre

WaterTower Theatre Board President Paul Shultz announced today that Managing Director Gregory Patterson will be leaving WaterTower Theatre at the conclusion of his current contract on September 30, 2017.

WaterTower Theatre's Board of Directors has established a transition team comprised of the Executive Committee and Artistic Director Joanie Schultz to manage the theater's operations until a new Managing Director is named.

"I've so enjoyed my nearly 10 years here at WaterTower Theatre," said Patterson. "My tenure at WaterTower Theatre has been the happiest time for me professionally. Over a year ago, when WTT was embarking on the search for a new Artistic Director, I committed myself to ensuring the transition from Terry Martin to Joanie Schultz would be as smooth and easy as possible, and to play a role in setting the Company on the right path going forward. I always knew that after that transition was completed, it would be time for me to look for new and exciting life adventures, and that time is now. I love WaterTower Theatre and all the donors, board, and staff who have made this Company so successful during my 9+ years of service. WTT has an exciting, bright future with Joanie at the helm and I couldn't feel more pride and confidence in this great Company than I do at this point."

"The Board of Directors is incredibly grateful to the tremendous effort put forth by Greg in his time as Managing Director of WaterTower Theatre." Board President Paul Shultz added. "His passion for this company is evident. We'll certainly miss Greg, but we've also understood from the beginning that his desire was to manage WaterTower Theatre through the transition so that he could leave the company in a strong place when it was time to move on. He has succeeded in that goal, and we appreciate that WaterTower Theatre is primed to take the next step in its evolution to becoming one of this nation's preeminent regional theater companies."

Artistic Director Joanie Schultz said "Greg has been instrumental in the transition that brought me to WaterTower Theatre, and in laying a foundation for our future successes as a vital artistic institution to our community. I am eternally grateful for his partnership and navigation in my first months here at the theatre. We are excited for his next chapter and our own, as WaterTower is about to launch my first season as Artistic Director, and moving towards an exciting artistic future."

Gregory Patterson joined WaterTower Theatre in 2008 as the Company's Director of Development. In 2010, he was promoted to Director of Development and Marketing, overseeing a combined development, marketing and communications department. In May, 2016, the Board of Directors of WaterTower Theatre named him Managing Director. During his long and distinguished career in non-profit arts management, Greg has held a variety of senior development, marketing and communications positions with The National Ballet of Canada (Director of Marketing), American Ballet Theatre (Director of Marketing and Communications), English National Ballet (Director of Development, Marketing and Education), Los Angeles Opera (Director of Marketing and Communications), The Atlanta Opera (Senior Director, Development and Public Affairs), San Jose Repertory Theater (Director of External Affairs), The Laguna Playhouse (Director of Development and Marketing), the Orange County Performing Arts Center (Vice President, Marketing and Communications), and the Dallas Theater Center (Director of Marketing).

Founded in 1996, WaterTower Theatre (WTT) is one of Texas' leading professional theatre companies and one of the flagship arts institutions in North Texas, having played an important role as a leader in developing new talent and encouraging the growth of the DFW artistic community through its commitment to hiring local artists. Led by Artistic Director Joanie Schultz and Managing Director Gregory Patterson, it is consistently recognized for its artistic excellence by the Dallas Theatre League, DFW Theatre Critics Forum, The Dallas Morning News, The Dallas Observer, D Magazine, and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, among others. WaterTower Theatre has a subscription base of more than 2,000 subscribers and serves an audience of over 24,000 patrons annually.

WTT Alumni currently working on Broadway/Internationally include Akron Watson (The Color Purple), Brian Gonzales (One Man, Two Guvnors and Disney's Aladdin), Major Attaway (the new Genie in Disney's Aladdin), Cedric Neal (West End, Motown), Anthony Fortino (First National Tour, Fun Home), John Campione (First National Tour, The Bridges of Madison County), Traci Lee (First National Tour, Beautiful), Clinton Greenspan and Jeremy Davis (First National Tour, Disney's Aladdin), and in many regional theatres across the country. Respected local actors such as Denise Lee, Liz Mikel, Gary Lynn Floyd, Zak Reynolds, Kyle Igneczi, Diana Sheehan, Pam Dougherty, and Emily Scott Banks credit WTT for nurturing their professional careers.

WaterTower Theatre is 501(c)(3) non-profit organization as designate by the IRS. Like all arts organizations, WaterTower Theatre relies on both ticket income and donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, organization and government to produce world-class live professional theatre and offer community outreach and arts education programs. WaterTower Theatre gratefully acknowledges the support of The Town of Addison, TACA, Texas Commission on the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, and the Shubert Foundation. WaterTower Theatre is supported, in part, through the generosity of corporate, foundation and individual donors such as Atmos Energy, The Canterbury Family, Don and Barbara Daseke, Ben Fischer and Laree Hulshoff, FastSigns Carrollton, Paul and Norma Shultz, Frost Bank, Liberty Capital Bank, Mary Kay Inc., Janiece and Jimmy Niemann, The Nissan Foundation, Pinnacle, Slalom, Table 13, The Civic League, The President's Circle, the WaterTower Theatre Board of Directors, The Corporate Council, and Women of WaterTower Theatre.

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