Virginia Stage Company Welcomes New Managing Director

Virginia Stage Company is excited to announce they have hired David Byrd as the new Managing Director after a national search. Byrd comes to the company from the Clarence Brown Theatre at the University of Tennessee and will serve as the principal financial management and development director reporting to Producing Artistic Director, Tom Quaintance.

Prior to joining the Clarence Brown Theatre as Managing Director in 2013, David held management positions at Westport Country Playhouse, American Dance Festival, Triad Stage (General Manager), Yale Repertory Theater (Associate Managing Director), the Dwight/Edgewood Project (Managing Director), and the Guthrie Theater. He also assisted the producing team at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS in New York, NY. David received an MFA degree in Theater Management from Yale School of Drama and a BA degree in Drama from UNC-Greensboro in his native North Carolina.

"I am thrilled that David is joining us in Hampton Roads," said Quaintance. "David is an outstanding leader with exceptional financial acumen, and has a commitment to meaningful community engagement that makes him the perfect fit for Virginia Stage Company."

During his tenure at the Clarence Brown Theatre, David was appointed to the Chancellor's Commission for LGBT People and the College of Arts & Sciences' Diversity Committee, in addition to serving on the McClung Museum Academic Programs Advisory Board and the Great Schools Partnership Advisory Council. David has been a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, Tennessee Arts Commission and United Way of Greater Knoxville. He has served on the union negotiating team and annual meeting planning committees for the League of Resident Theatres (LORT). David is a 2015 graduate of Introduction Knoxville, a 2016 Knoxville Business Journal 40 Under Forty Honoree and received the 2017 Environmental Leadership Award from the University of Tennessee.

David will join the staff of Virginia Stage full time in July 2017.

Virginia Stage Company is southeastern Virginia's leading theatre destination, serving an audience of over 70,000 annually both at the Wells Theatre and throughout the community.

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Revival of a Play - Top 3

1. Death of a Salesman

29.3% of votes

2. Every Brilliant Thing

27.2% of votes

3. Oedipus

8.9% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats