Page 11 - Setting the Stage - Strategic Plan through 2024
P. 11
10 STAGES - STRATEGIC PLAN THROUGH 2024 ST AGES - STRA TEGIC PLAN THROUGH 2024 1111
STAGES - STRATEGIC PLAN THROUGH 2024
Organizational Leadership
KENN MCLAUGHLIN MARK FOLKES
Artistic Director Managing Director
Kenn has served as Stages’ artistic leader since Mark joined Stages as Managing Director in 2015
2006, following five successful years as the theater’s during an important time of growth for the company.
Managing Director. Under Kenn’s leadership, In the role of Managing Director, Mark leads Stages’
Stages has strengthened its commitment to administrative functions,with a focus on financial
sustainable innovation and has grown to become management, fundraising, marketing and strategic
Houston’s largest performing arts organization planning. In recent years, Stages’ annual operating
outside the downtown theater district. budget has more than doubled from $2.1 million
to over $5 million today, driven by transformational
Prior to his arrival at Stages, Kenn spent eleven growth in ticket sales and philanthropic support.
years at Great Lakes Theatre Festival in Cleveland,
where he directed the company’s award-winning In January 2020, Stages celebrated the grand opening
School Residency Program and commissioned of a three-theater new venue, The Gordy, funded by a
several new theater works. capital campaign that has raised more than $35.8
million including one of the largest individual gifts to
Kenn is a two-time winner of Northern Ohio Live’s support the performing arts in Houston’s history.
Award for community outreach; winner of the Ohio
Historical Society’s award for excellence in history Prior to joining Stages, Mark served as Senior Director,
education and an arts educator of the year for Young Development for the Houston Symphony, and has
Audiences of Greater Cleveland. worked for a variety of arts organizations including
Canada’s National Arts Centre, the Toronto Symphony
Kenn has taught workshops for the Center for Orchestra, the College-Conservatory of Music at the
Literature and Medicine and has twice presented University of Cincinnati, and Houston Grand Opera.
workshops at the National Council of Teachers of
English. In Houston, Kenn has taught classes in Mark is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and holds
creativity at Rice University and in directing at Master of Arts (Arts Administration) and Master of
Sam Houston State University, as well as teaching Business Administration degrees from the University
diversity awareness for the Houston Police of Cincinnati. He studied theatre as an undergraduate
Academy and has served as a guest lecturer for at the University of Waterloo and the Canadian College
Harris County’s Department for Education CASE of Performing Arts. In 2018, Mark was recognized as a
program. Kenn completed the Executive Non-Profit Houston Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree.
Leaders program through the Graduate School of
Business at Stanford University and holds a BFA in
acting from The Theatre School, DePaul University.
