Studio Announces New Associate Artistic Director

By Micha Green
D.C. Editor
[email protected]

Studio Theatre and Artistic Director David Muse announced a new Associate Artistic Director is joining the team, adding a dose of Blackness to their group of celebrated artists and arts administrators.  Reginald “Reg” L. Douglas will serve as Studio’s new associate artistic director. With an expansive and noteworthy resume, such as serving as Artistic Producer of City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh since 2015, Douglas’ arrival to Studio is creating excitement among the D.C. arts crowd, Studio’s team and theatre scene as a whole.

“Reg has distinguished himself as a director, a producer and an institutional-builder in equal measure,” said Muse according to a statement sent to the AFRO from Studio Theatre.

As a director and producer, Douglas has been drawn towards creating emerging work and fostering and nurturing art by new voices.  For instance he developed and directed new work by the likes of artists such as Dominique Morisseau, Cori Thomas, Angelica Chéri, Nikkole Salter, Amy Evans, Zakiyyah Alexander and Imani Uzuri, Matt Schatz, Brian Quijada, Chisa Hutchinson, Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm and Josh Wilder, among several others. 

His pulse on new theatre, the expansion of the theatrical art form and passion for community engagement, equity and inclusion, led him to serve on the Board of Directors of the National New Play Network and as a guest lecturer at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Theatre Institute.

“His thoughtfulness about the state of our art form, advocacy for emerging talent and commitment to community engagement make me feel lucky to have him around as we head into Studio’s fifth decade with ambitious plans for the future.  I’m excited to apply his palpable enthusiasm to the madness we’re cooking up,” Muse said.

The NYC Black Theatre Group on Facebook championed Douglas’ appointment by posting a Broadway World article on the announcement to their page, which garnered over 200 reactions in excitement for his new gig.

As happy as the theatre community is about Douglas’ appointment, Studio’s new Associate Artistic Director himself weighed in on accepting the position.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to join David and the dynamic team at Studio, a theatre that I’ve long admired, led by a visionary artistic leader,” said Douglas.

As a graduate of Georgetown University, where he received his Bachelor’s of Arts in Theatre and Performance Studies and English, with a concentration in African American studies, Douglas is happy to be back in the nation’s capital in a professional capacity.

“D.C. has always been a favorite city of mine and I am so excited to be joining this inspiring artistic community. I cannot wait to get to work directing and producing theatre that reflects, engages and empowers the many diverse people that call this city home.”

Douglas succeeds Matt Torney in this position as associate artistic director at Studio. Torney will be leaving Studio this spring to serve as artistic director of Theatrical Outlet in Atlanta.