Important News From Our Board President

After 6 years of leading The Theater Offensive (TTO) through a period of transformational growth,  Executive Director and Cultural Strategist Harold Steward (they/he) will end their tenure on June 30th and assume the position of executive director of New England Foundation for the Arts.

Harold’s many accomplishments since 2017 include spearheading a strategic planning process that led to the adoption of a new mission for TTO:  to present liberating art by, for, and about queer and trans people of color that transcends artistic boundaries, celebrates cultural abundance, and dismantles oppression.  

Today, TTO is recognized as a field-wide leader for QTPOC artists and allies, and its programs are thriving – from the longest-running, award-winning True Colors:  Out Youth Theater; to new initiatives including Queer (re)Public residencies and commissioning, and the TTO Queer Family Series.

In February 2023, TTO announced the public phase of its first-ever Capital Campaign for the Boylston Black Box Theater, having raised $11.5M of an overall $20M goal.  Campaign funds will support the creation and operation of the largest theater space in the world owned and operated by queer and trans people of color.  Under Harold’s leadership, TTO was the recipient of two of the largest gifts in its 34-year history – $5M from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and $3M from MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett.

Following Harold's departure in June, we are excited to welcome Adrian Budhu back to TTO as interim executive director.  Adrian was TTO’s managing director from 2011 to 2016 and most recently served as deputy director and chief operating officer for Theatre Communications Group. The TTO Board of Directors will soon launch a national search for the next permanent leader of the organization.

Harold’s passionate and forward-thinking leadership will have a significant and lasting effect on the people and programs of TTO. Their collaborative and generative vision has guided us all during moments of significant challenges – in our cultural community and in our world.  

We wish Harold the very best and much success in their new endeavors.

Sincerely,

Stetson Pierre Marshall, Chair 

Board of Directors
The Theater Offensive