Gamm Elects David M. Wax as Board President

The board of The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre (The Gamm) elected David M. Wax to the position of president at is monthly meeting on April 26. He succeeds Coline S. Covington, who has served in that post since 2004.

Wax, who recently moved to Pawtucket, has had a distinguished career of over 35 years in nonprofit performing arts management. From 2001 to 2008, he served as Executive Director of the RI Philharmonic Orchestra and Music School, overseeing the integration of the orchestra and school, and the acquisition of and move into the organization's new facility, the Carter Center for Music Education and Performance. Nationally recognized for developing partnerships that deliver both artistic growth and financial stability, Wax brings skills particularly useful in the execution of The Gamm's new strategic plan, which calls for continuing growth in the current difficult economic environment.

While formally retired, Wax remains active in nonprofit management as a consultant specializing in guiding arts organizations through transition periods as they seek new executive leadership. He also serves as a member of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, chairing its finance committee. Wax is an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin, and holds a doctorate in political science from Harvard University.

"I am deeply honored that my fellow board members have asked me to lead The Gamm in the next phase of its development, building upon the extraordinary work of my predecessors," Wax says. "During the presidencies of Sam Babbitt and Coline Covington and the theater's move to Pawtucket eight years ago, The Gamm achieved unprecedented growth. With singular vision and commitment, Artistic Director Tony Estrella and Executive Director Yvonne Seggerman have created stimulating theater and acclaimed education programs. Major increases in attendance and income from ticket sales and contributions confirm the broad support for our provocative, engaging theater company. I look forward to working with the board, and with Tony and Yvonne, to further The Gamm's essential, unique contribution to theater in New England."

"I feel that I couldn't be leaving our treasured theater company in better hands." says Coline Covington, who will continue to serve on the Gamm board as a vice president.

The executive committee also includes Samuel F. Babbitt, former President of Kirkland College and Vice President for Institutional Advancement of Brown University, and Luz Bravo-Gleicher, management consultant, as vice presidents; Eliza Green Chace Collins, writer and editor, as board secretary; and Robert Andrade, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Pawtucket Credit Union as treasurer; as well as Tony Estrella and Yvonne Seggerman.

About The Gamm Theatre
Founded in 1984 as Alias Stage, the non-profit Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre creates the finest of live theater, engaging the audience intensely in current and recurrent issues of consequence. The Gamm further serves the public with educational outreach programming designed to support the theatrical experience, and help sustain and enhance the intellectual and cultural life of its community. The Gamm is a member of New England Area Theatre (NEAT), a bargaining unit of the Actors Equity Association.

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