PlayMakers Rep Names Tina CoyneSmith Director Of External Relations

PlayMakers Repertory Company has revealed a major addition to its leadership team. Tina CoyneSmith has joined the company as its new Director of External Relations after a nationwide search.

As Director of External Relations, CoyneSmith will serve as the lead external-facing administrator for PlayMakers, working in close partnership with Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch. In this new role, she will oversee all aspects of external affairs including revenue, marketing, communications, and audience development strategies to advance a unified strategic vision for the organization.

CoyneSmith brings with her close to three decades of development experience at UNC-Chapel Hill, a majority of that with the Arts & Sciences Foundation and before that as the Director of Development for the Ackland Art Museum, among other positions. She has also held fundraising positions at Duke University Nasher Museum of Art.

"I am excited to join the team at PlayMakers Repertory Company, a true local treasure that I have loved since I was a graduate student at Carolina. I look forward to connecting with patrons, alumni, and our broader community to share a passion for theatre and to build support that will sustain PlayMakers as a vibrant hub for creativity and world-class performance. Together we can tell powerful stories to the widest possible audiences while nurturing a space where PlayMakers inspires, transforms, unites, and ultimately thrives."

"I am thrilled to welcome Tina to PlayMakers' leadership team. She brings with her deep connections to the community and University, astute and creative strategic thinking, and a contagious passion for the Arts," said PlayMakers Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch. "As we approach PlayMakers' 50th Anniversary season, Tina will be a fabulous partner in laying the groundwork to secure the future of this unique and essential professional theatre, proudly embedded in the country's first public university."

PlayMakers is gearing up for this 50-year milestone with an exciting 49th season beginning in August 2025. The dynamic lineup of six mainstage productions brings together bold voices and unforgettable stories: from the explosive ambition of Marco Ramirez's The Royale to the fierce camaraderie of Sarah DeLappe's The Wolves, the screwball warmth of Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman's You Can't Take It With You to the tender introspection of Eboni Booth's Primary Trust, the psychological depths of Shakespeare's Macbeth to the enduring strength at the heart of Robert Harling's Steel Magnolias. It's a season that celebrates resilience, connection, and the many ways we find ourselves-and each other-on and off the stage. All performances will be presented in the 550-seat Paul Green Theatre inside the Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill.