HowlRound Theatre Commons To Move To Independent Operations And Leadership Transition

HowlRound Theatre Commons and Emerson College have revealed that, beginning in January 2026, HowlRound will operate independently. HowlRound co-founder and director Jamie Gahlon will be stepping down from her leadership role, and will be replaced by co-directors, Ramona Rose King and Julia Schachnik. Moving forward, HowlRound will be fiscally sponsored by Producer Hub, a New York-based non-profit organization. This transition is an evolution that coincides with HowlRound's fifteenth anniversary.

Gahlon shared, “When HowlRound launched, we set out to create a third space where diverse theatre practitioners could ideate and share knowledge in pursuit of a more equitable and just theatre field. Now, almost fifteen years later, the experiment of HowlRound has grown into essential, shared field infrastructure as a global digital knowledge commons connecting tens of thousands of theatremakers and culture workers monthly across seventy countries. It has been an honor to steward this work, and I will be forever grateful for this experience and for Emerson College's long commitment to nurturing this possibility into being.. Looking ahead, I am excited to support HowlRound and Emerson from a different seat as we each evolve to meet the moment.”

Emerson College President Jay Bernhardt commented, “We are proud of our thirteen-year partnership with HowlRound, and we wish the team all the best in their new phase. We remain a committed champion of the power of the arts and communication to enrich lives, build connections, strengthen relationships, influence culture, and advance society. ”

Schachnik, who is currently HowlRound's Creative Producer and joined the team in 2023 from the American Repertory Theater, said, “Ramona and I are so excited to guide HowlRound into the next phase of operations, building on the work we've accomplished under Jamie's leadership. As we look to the future, we'll continue to curate progressive and disruptive content, to model commoning, and to provide the free and open access that has defined our work while also creating new digital content streams and pathways for connection, co-learning, and collaborative resourcing.”

King, who currently serves as HowlRound's Digital Content and Communications Manager and who has held multiple positions in the organization since 2015, added, “HowlRound is stewarded by a small group of administrators who are also working theatremakers. This work is personal to us—we are building the field that we need. This transition strengthens what has always made HowlRound distinct: our belief that theatre can model the systems of equity and care we hope to see in the world, and that cultural infrastructure can be co-created out of abundance rather than scarcity, collaboration rather than competition.”

HowlRound continues to welcome content contributions from anyone in the global theatre community at www.howlround.com/contribute-content.