Following a nation-wide search, the Sudbury Theatre Centre has named Scott Florence as its new general manager, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization in support of its artistic vision.
Florence joins STC after having served as managing artistic director of the Ottawa-based independent theatre company a Company of Fools, a position he has held since 1999.
"I am honoured and excited to be joining the team at the Sudbury Theatre Centre, an institution with a remarkable history and track record of artistic success,” said Florence.
“Caleb Marshall has big dreams and big plans to make STC an even more vibrant part of the community, and I look forward to helping him achieve that vision. Having had the pleasure of attending the first ever event in the Vale Cabaret in September, I know that joining the STC team means I'm joining a family that lives, loves and creates a great night out. I look forward to bringing my own family to Sudbury to explore everything this vibrant community has to offer."
In a career as an artist and arts administrator spanning over 20 years, Florence has served as General Manager of the Canadian Improv Games, a national youth organization teaching theatre improvisation, held positions at the National Arts Centre, managed several festivals in the nation’s capital, and has been an Associate Professor in the theatre department of Algonquin College since 2001.
“I am thrilled to welcome Scott Florence to the STC team,” said artistic executive director Caleb Marshall.
“He posses the right combination of leadership experience, management expertise, and artistic cunning, coupled with a keen attention to detail, a compassionate and sensitive demeanor, and a very good sense of humour. He’ll fit right in with our family as we continue to usher in the new era of our organization.”
Florence brings with him a diverse skill set, particularly in the area of resource management. He sees discovering untapped resources as the key to exploiting an arts organization’s true potential.
“If you run an arts organization by the numbers, you get art by the numbers,” said Florence.
“I am not interested in art by the numbers. I am interested in artistic excellence, and that means making numbers that support the artistic vision, that are flexible
enough and realistic enough to survive some risk taking.”
He also has a deep passion for both arts education and fostering the artists and work of the region, both primary tenets of STC’s new artistic vision.
Though hailing from the nation’s capital, Florence is no stranger to Sudbury.
“I made several trips to Sudbury working with the Canadian Improv Games and I found the people to be warm, generous, and gregarious,” said Florence.
“It seems to me that Sudbury is quintessentially Canadian — resource-driven on the surface, but with an incredible undercurrent of science and technology, a passion for education, and a burgeoning arts scene.”
“And of course, the Big Nickel,” he said.
Florence will make his first official appearance at the opening night of Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. and will take on his full-time duties beginning Oct. 26.
