Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor
Hudson Falls native Emily Murphy, 24, will become the new executive director of the Charles R. Wood Theater on Monday, March 6, The Chronicle has learned.
Ms. Murphy was most recently box office manager for Terry Rabine’s Lake Theatre at the Holiday Inn Resort in Lake George (formerly Lake George Dinner Theatre).
She has a degree in Communications from the State University at Albany, and is completing her Masters in Arts Administration at Castleton University in Vermont.
Ms. Murphy, reached this week by The Chronicle while she was on vacation, replied via text message, “I think the biggest appeal is the presence the theatre has in the community, and the support it gets from not only the board and those involved directly with the theatre but their patrons who return for a variety of programming.”
She said, “It is a big part of downtown Glens Falls and I’d love to be able to continue that and even solidify it a little more.”
At Castleton, she said, “I’ve learned some great development tools, so I’m excited to use them in practice at an organization that sees such high volumes of audiences and programming for our area.”
Kathi Mulvey, vice president of the Wood Theater Board of Directors, said, they reached out to Ms. Murphy after Dan Slavin notified the board he was leaving.
Dan Slavin leaves to pursue acting
Mr. Slavin told The Chronicle, “I told the board I was lacking fulfillment in my life and really wanted to do try and be an actor. They were very supportive.”
He says he will stay connected with the Wood as a member of the Programming and other committees, and offered “to go in as needed,” in other roles.
Ms. Murphy had applied to run the Wood Theater box office at the same time that Mr. Slavin applied for that job, which led to his then taking the director position.
“We didn’t do a national search,” Ms. Mulvey said, when Dan left. “We talked to Emily and a couple of other people who came out through word of mouth.
“When all this happened, Emily was on our mind right away, with where she was with her studies and experience.”
Ms. Mulvey said, “She’s a young local girl with some experience, education and a good outlook. She has a passion for theater, but knows it’s not to be on the stage.”
Ms. Murphy also interned with the Lake Theatre, doing development and fund-raising, administering social media and establishing an electronic ticketing system, and interned as well with the Adirondack Theatre Festival, Ms. Mulvey notes.
The Wood had split the director’s position into two jobs, for an administrator and a development director. Ms. Murphy will take on both roles, Ms. Mulvey said.
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