When you run the 100-year-old organization that created the Tony Awards, you know you’ve got a big job.

But what I so admire about Heather Hitchens, is that as important of a responsibility as the Tony Awards are, she remains just as focused if not more so on the countless, less-sexy, educational programs that the American Theatre Wing administers.

As the CEO of The Wing, she helps inspire, educate, and endow students, audiences, and theater companies all over the country . . . helping to insure that the theater will not only survive the next 100 years but thrive over the next 100 years.

Tune into this week’s episode with this super-power of an Arts Administrator (wait until you hear all the companies she worked for prior to The Wing), and hear us chat about . . .

• How she transitioned from behind a drum set to behind the American Theatre Wing.
• What keeps her going to the office every day, regardless of how tough it gets.
• The brand new program at The Wing that she’s most excited about.
• The three things she looks for when deciding whether or not to give an organization money.
• Why commercial and non-profit theaters are more similar than you think.

It’s easy for all of us to pay attention to the stuff that happens on the stages.  But Heather is a great reminder that the theater’s future is also dependent on the people that are in offices on the 11th floor of a midtown office building.

And I for one am thankful Heather Hitchens is in that office working on all of our behalf’s.

Click here to listen.

Listen to it on iTunes here.  (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review, while you’re there!)

Download it here.

Sorry about the sound issues in this podcast. We found the bug and fixed it in later episodes. It gets better, I promise 🙂

(Got a comment? I love ‘em, so comment below! Email Subscribers, click here  then scroll down to say what’s on your mind!)