Company OnStage Welcomes New Artistic Director

In the spring of 1993 I answered an ad in the Houston Chronicle (Yes! A real, live classified ad in a printed newspaper!) for weekend beginning adult acting classes being offered at a community theater in Westbury Square in Southwest Houston. The rest, they say, is history. At the time, I had been out of college for two years and was looking to gain more practical experience and instruction in acting, performance, and stage, something I had been doing my entire life from "producing" neighborhood talent shows in my parents' garage, to being cast as the lead in school plays, to performing in symphonic and marching bands, and studying visual and performance art at the University of Texas. That weekend acting class was offered by the artistic director and founder of The Company OnStage Theatre, Joyce Randall-McNally and I grabbed it by the horns and have not looked back.

A few short weeks ago I was afforded the honor of being appointed The Company OnStage's newest Artistic Director. I have some enormous and venerable shoes to fill with this new position. Patti Lindloff, our outgoing Artistic Director, has been at the creative helm since Joyce's passing in 2002 and what a run she has had. I have personally learned much under her artistic directorship and have been witness to some extraordinary creative work in the past fourteen years. Her hard work and dedication to keeping the vision set forth by Joyce and Hank McNally is to be commended by all who love this theater and have dedicated themselves to ensuring its longevity and perpetuity. Thank you Patti, for your guidance, leadership, vision, dedication, and love of theater and the arts. The Company OnStage and Houston theatrical community owe you a debt of gratitude for continuing to bring quality theater to any and all who love the art. I owe her a personal debt of gratitude as well, for believing in me and trusting that I would work enthusiastically and with integrity to continue the tradition set out in 1977 by Joyce and Hank to keep this theater alive, accessible, meaningful, educational, and enjoyable.

It is a dream come true to be here and I am excited and already working hard to craft a season of productions that any theater in Houston would be proud to call their own, that will provide actors, directors, productions crews and all else involved artistic fulfillment, as well as bring enjoyment to our patrons. Here's to 2014-2015 and many years more!

Stacy Bakri