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Elizabeth Kensek joins Amphibian Stage: 'This is not the time to make mediocre theater'

Elizabeth Kensek.
Elizabeth Kensek will become managing director of Amphibian Stage in the new year.

Next year, Elizabeth Kensek will step into a new role as managing director at Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth.

The director comes to the theater after Addison’s WaterTower Theatre cut her position as associate producer earlier this year due to budget shortfalls. The move led to frustration across the North Texas theater community and an outpouring of support for Kensek.

Kensek will be leading business operations at Amphibian. The new year will mark another transition as founding artistic director Kathleen Culebro steps down after 25 years. Jay Duffer, who is currently Amphibian’s co-artistic director, will succeed Culebro as the theater’s artistic director.

Arts Access spoke with Kensek about what she plans to do in her new role and what this new era for Amphibian Stage will mean.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. 

First off, I have to say congratulations on the new gig as Amphibian’s managing director. What do you hope to do in the role?

I'm thrilled to be joining Amphibian Stage. I've been a huge fan of the organization and what they do. I'm hoping to continue the legacy that Kathleen Culebro has built there. The work and the focus on developing new works and underproduced plays by diverse writers is really right up my alley.

Kathleen [Culebro] is heading out after 25 years in leadership as founding artistic director and will step down at the end of the year. I know that Jay Duffer will then become artistic director. So can you talk about how this transition will kind of shape Amphibian moving forward? 

Kathleen has been working with Jay with the intent for him to take over that position from her. So Jay has been prepping to do that for a long time. When I became available, they started a meeting with me. It's kind of a turnkey solution because I did a lot of what Jay's duties were at WaterTower Theater, and so I can step in pretty seamlessly and help with that transition.

How has it been transitioning into your new role with the run of “The Amazing, Fabulous and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia”? 

It's been a really nice way to kind of step into the Amphibian world, get to know some of the patrons and the community. The theatergoing community in Fort Worth is so warm and welcoming.

One of the biggest challenges for local theater leaders, unfortunately, is how funding and audiences have declined, particularly after the pandemic. I'm curious what you think about the future of North Texas’ theater scene and how we make that more sustainable? 

You have to give people a reason to get off their couch and come to the theater. I think that this is not the time to make mediocre theater, because every time that somebody sees a show they have to say, “This is spectacular and I will come back.” One of my mottos is theater is not a competition.

More theater is more theater, because I really do feel that if a new theatergoer has a great experience at one theater, they're more likely to buy a ticket to return to that theater or to go to another as well, and expand that experience as a theatergoer and a theater lover.

In the past, Amphibian has championed voices and art that reflect many different communities. I'd love to hear how you're thinking about maintaining that legacy and also even expanding it.  

It's one of the things that makes me most excited about Amphibian. My theater company that I left in New York City also kind of had a similar mission to produce plays that are written by underproduced groups, underproduced writers. I am drawn to more diverse stories. I am drawn to more interesting casting choices. That's always what I've enjoyed as a producer and as a theater maker.

Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.

This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, The University of Texas at Dallas, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.

Elizabeth Myong is KERA’s Arts Collaborative Reporter. She came to KERA from New York, where she worked as a CNBC fellow covering breaking news and politics. Before that, she freelanced as a features reporter for the Houston Chronicle and a modern arts reporter for Houstonia Magazine.