For about 10 days this fall, it seemed as if every phone call brought more bad news to Theatre Arlington Executive Producer Todd Hart.
First, his father called to report that he had late-stage lung cancer. "He had wanted to make sure he knew exactly what was going on before he told us," Hart said last week. "But your parents never tell you the whole story."So Hart traveled to Las Vegas, where his family lives, to get the information firsthand from doctors.At around the same time, his mother started having medical problems, too. Hart also learned that his brother-in-law had been diagnosed with cancer and would be undergoing a stem cell replacement in Los Angeles. The 10-week treatment would leave his sister alone to care for the couple’s two children and to help manage the care of the siblings’ parents.It quickly became clear to Hart what he needed to do. Last week, he announced his resignation from the theater he has led since 2009 and been involved with since 1999.He’ll stay on through April to help with the transition and then move to the Las Vegas area to help his family through the crises.He has no job lined up, but his sister does the same type of work. "We are the same person," he said. "We aren’t twins, but we should be."Coupled with the previously announced departure of longtime staffer Emmy Klein, who served as volunteer coordinator and handled communications and marketing, the theater could be in for a period of adjustment. Board President Beau Browne said last week that Hart’s position could be split into executive director and artistic director roles.By lining up next season’s shows and producers before he steps down, Hart will give his eventual replacement some breathing room. The hope is that the new leader can focus more on a $500,000 fundraising campaign announced at the theater’s 40th-anniversary gala in August.The group wants to remodel its venue at 305 W. Main St., a former hardware and lumber store that it has occupied since 1991Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
