Theatre Albany brings new general manager onboard

ALBANY — For the previous five years of its 89-year history Theatre Albany has been without a general manager. But that is set to change next month with the addition of Justin Neal in that role.

Neal, an Atlanta native who graduated with a degree in performing arts from Georgia Southwestern State University, has been involved with the theater in Albany since 2017 as an actor and director.

“Since moving to Albany with my wife, Theatre Albany has been a second home to me,” said Neal, whose first day on the job will be Aug. 2. “Just getting to be a part of administration and building it up is really exciting. I know there will be a learning curve, but I’ve got people to back me up.”

The theater’s board of directors has kept the ship on course since the retirement of Mark Costello, who was director for 32 years. With board members having jobs outside the theater, Neal will bring full-time management as well as youth and a fresh perspective to the group, said Board President Randy Henry.

“It’s probably one of the biggest decisions since Mark left,” Henry said. “We’ve been blessed to be able to pull together and hire a young general manager with lots of enthusiasm. The board is really lucky for him to step in and fill that void we’ve had for the last five years.”

Board members have kept operations and productions going, but having a full-time person in charge will allow growth and new features for the theater, located at 514 Pine Ave. The theater was closed for the 2020-2021 season due to COVID-19, but fundraising drives and generous contributions from community members allowed it to pay the bills and even add a projection system and sound equipment.

“We want to continue to have bigger and better shows,” Henry said. “He’s going to lead us in that direction. One of our goals is what we call the upstairs (theater), the black box. We want to get that going so we can turn it into a mystery theater, mystery dinners. We want to get back to the glory days.”

Other plans for the future include theater camps and a free Christmas production that will be a family night at the theater with popcorn and hot chocolate for the season.

The 2022-2023 season bill is completed and will start in September with “Matilda.” Season subscriptions, which include eight tickets for shows, are on sale for $100, a cost of $15 per ticket and reduction from the previous cost of $25.

The change in ticket prices doubled attendance from about 100 to 200 per performance, Henry said.

“Our deal is not to make lots and lots of money,” he said. “The community rallied around us during COVID. We just want to bring people to the arts in Albany.”

Neal said he is on board with the board’s goals and is looking forward to a future lineup that will include something for everyone, from adults to children, who feature prominently in “Matilda,” a production in which he plays the title character’s father.

“The black box is a smaller theater,” he said. “That’s one of the things I’d like to see, the mystery theater. It’s a more intimate experience. We’re trying to turn that into not just a place where you come to see plays but a venue to do different things.

“I’ve got lots of plans coming along. I’m very honored to have this position now and very excited for the future of Theatre Albany.”

Special Photo: Theatre Albany