Skip to main content
Shop Merch Add a Show Listing
My Shows
News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

Katharine Laidlaw Named Marketing Director for George Mason's CVPA

Laidlaw joins Mason Arts after holding senior communications and marketing leadership positions at nationally recognized cultural and arts education institutions.

By:
Katharine Laidlaw Named Marketing Director for George Mason's CVPA

 

George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts has announced Katharine Laidlaw as its new director of marketing and communications. An Emmy Award-winning producer and accomplished arts marketing executive, Laidlaw joins Mason Arts after holding senior communications and marketing leadership positions at nationally recognized cultural and arts education institutions, including Spoleto Festival USA, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. 

“Katharine stood out throughout our extensive national search as an exceptional strategic communicator and collaborative leader," said Rick Davis, dean of George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. “Her experience at some of the country's leading arts and arts education institutions, combined with her deep understanding of the value of the arts as a community asset, makes her an outstanding addition to Mason Arts. I am delighted to welcome her to our leadership team as we continue to strengthen Mason Arts' profile and advance our mission.”

As director of marketing and communications, Laidlaw will oversee and implement integrated marketing, advertising, and communications strategies across Mason Arts, supporting CVPA's seven academic units, the Center for the Arts and Hylton Performing Arts Center, Mason Exhibitions, and a wide range of performances, academic programs, community engagement initiatives, and special events. She will provide strategic leadership for institutional branding, public relations, audience development, digital communications, and media relations while helping advance the visibility and impact of Mason Arts throughout the Northern Virginia region and beyond.

“I am honored to join George Mason and champion the essential role of the arts at one of our nation's most innovative public research universities,” said Laidlaw, “I look forward to partnering with Dean Davis and the talented Mason Arts team to amplify creative impact across our community and elevate George Mason as a national leader in arts education and cultural engagement.”

About Katharine Laidlaw

An Emmy Award-winning producer, Katharine Laidlaw joins Mason Arts after serving in executive marketing and communications roles at some of the nation's preeminent multidisciplinary cultural institutions, including Spoleto Festival USA, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Her experience encompasses strategic communications, brand development, enrollment marketing, audience engagement, and institutional advancement. Laidlaw is the founder of the consultancy Culture Electric, where she advises mission-driven organizations on strategy and messaging. She holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor's degree from Davidson College.

Katharine Laidlaw Named Marketing Director for George Mason's CVPA Image


Photo Credit: Peter Frank Edwards.
More on Hylton Performing Arts Center
Upcoming Shows
Hairspray
Hairspray
9/18 - 9/27/2026
American Landscapes with Yevgeny Dokshansky, Clarinetist
American Landscapes with Yevgeny Dokshansky, Clarinetist
10/17 - 10/17/2026
Recent Articles
Bernadette Peters, COMPLEXIONS Ballet and More to Headline Hylton Center's Fall Season
Bernadette Peters, COMPLEXIONS Ballet and More to Headline Hylton Center's Fall Season
8/14/2026


BroadwayWorld TV


Brian Henson's Puppet Up! in Washington, DC Brian Henson's Puppet Up!
Lincoln Theatre (9/30-9/30)
GARBO: EL ACTOR QUE SAVÓ AL MUNDO (Garbo: The Actor Who Saved The World) in Washington, DC GARBO: EL ACTOR QUE SAVÓ AL MUNDO (Garbo: The Actor Who Saved The World)
GALA Hispanic Theatre (9/03-9/27)
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play in Washington, DC Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (10/09-10/18)
Special Event: ARTS By George!: Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra in Washington, DC Special Event: ARTS By George!: Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra
Center for the Arts (10/03-10/03)
The Second-Best School Shooting in Washington, DC The Second-Best School Shooting
NextStop Theatre (9/17-10/11)
Coming to America: An Immigrant Cabaret in Washington, DC Coming to America: An Immigrant Cabaret
ExPats Theatre (9/30-10/18)
Monsters of the Villa Diodati in Washington, DC Monsters of the Villa Diodati
Creative Cauldron (10/08-11/01)
Some Like It Hot in Washington, DC Some Like It Hot
Bernard Family Theatre, Olney Theatre Center (9/18-11/08) VIDEOS
Stonewall's Bust in Washington, DC Stonewall's Bust
The Writers Center (10/09-10/25)
The Fruits of Our Labor in Washington, DC The Fruits of Our Labor
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater (9/10-11/01)