{"id":1033463,"date":"2026-08-30T18:45:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T18:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1033463\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T18:45:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T18:45:22","slug":"lambs-players-theatres-new-leaders-lay-out-their-first-year-plans-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1033463\/","title":{"rendered":"Lamb\u2019s Players Theatre\u2019s new leaders lay out their first-year plans \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

As incoming artistic director at Lamb\u2019s Players Theatre<\/a>, Colleen Kollar Smith has been \u201cthinking a lot about what role theater might play in this quickly evolving world and landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her takeaway: \u201cTheater is the original shared reality. It\u2019s a shared experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

This truth, she said, invites exploration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does it mean to be in a community?\u201d she asks. \u201cHow can we extend the work externally? Are we artistically connecting to a community or a conversation that\u2019s happening in a way that can build an audience that might be new to theater?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kollar Smith, whose long history with Lamb\u2019s includes acting in, directing and choreographing productions there, heads a new leadership team that officially begins its duties on Jan. 1. It also includes Mike Bradford as incoming chief business officer and Jennifer Bradford as incoming chief philanthropy officer.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re succeeding five do-everything theater artists (Robert Smyth, Deborah Gilmour Smyth, Kerry Meads, Nathan Peirson and Christian Turner) who over the course of more than 40 years grew Lamb\u2019s from a company housed in a converted church building in National City to a producing institution in Coronado.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe longtime artistic leadership team at Lamb\u2019s Players Theatre in Coronado are preparing to retire at the end of 2026. They are, front row from left, Associate Artistic Director Deborah Gilmour Smyth, Producing Artistic Director Robert Smyth, Associate Artistic Director Kerry Meads. Back row from left, Art Director Christian Turner and Production Team Director Nathan Peirson. (Dave Rumley)<\/p>\n

The outgoing leadership\u2019s final production will be the musical \u201cGodspell,\u201d playing Jan. 6\u00a0 through Feb. 21. Robert Smyth will direct.<\/p>\n

A fresh start<\/p>\n

Lamb\u2019s Season 56, the first under Kollar Smith\u2019s artistic direction, launches in March with the regional premiere of the swing-music tribute to veterans \u201cBandstand the Musical.\u201d That will be followed by a stage adaptation of the film \u201cClue,\u201d the world-premiere \u201cCome Sail Away: A Yacht Rock Experience,\u201d Josh Logan\u2019s Tony Award-winning drama \u201cRed\u201d about abstract painter Mark Rothko, and, for the holidays, the musical \u201cMillion Dollar Quartet Christmas.\u201d Tickets for the new season will go on sale in October.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to build seasons that have a little bit of taste for everyone,\u201d said Kollar Smith. \u201cSeasons that have diversity of genre and storytelling but are all rooted in the Lamb\u2019s mission statement \u2018To Tell Good Stories Well.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe new leadership team for Lamb\u2019s Players Theatre beginning Jan. 1, 2027, are, left to right, Chief Financial and Operations Officer Mike Bradford, Chief Philanthropy and Administration Officer Jennifer Bradford and Artistic Director Colleen Kollar Smith. (Michael Pearce)<\/p>\n

Those stories will remain in line with that mission statement\u2019s emphasis, too, on \u201cthe spiritual dimension of the human experience\u201d and championing the \u201cmoral imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are stories that ask questions like \u2018What\u2019s a person worth and what does grace look like and what do we owe each other?\u2019\u201d said Kollar Smith. \u201cYou can find the values that have always been at the core of Lamb\u2019s which have been to take care of each other, to forgive each other, to look at what we have in common more than what sets us apart. Those are deeply core values to any faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe programming will continue to reflect things that ask those questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the business side, \u201cThe company is being handed forward with intention,\u201d said Mike Bradford, most recently executive director of programming and operations at Moonlight Stage Productions in Vista. \u201cRobert (Smyth) has been planning this transition thoughtfully. It\u2019s very rare for us to have this long period of time to learn from each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that we have incredible partners both in the arts community in Coronado and in the greater San Diego area,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re having conversations with them on how we can work together in new ways to be able to help each other. Maybe shared infrastructure. Part of my background is in analytics, so I\u2019m looking at how the data is shaping attendance, how we\u2019re going to pivot in terms of marketing and maybe effect ticket sale in different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jennifer Bradford, formerly executive director of the Moonlight Cultural Foundation in Vista, agreed that the previous leadership has given this one \u201ca gift of time. Relationships don\u2019t transfer with a press release. Having the opportunity to meet people in person who\u2019ve had those relationships with Lamb\u2019s over an expanse of time helps start us out on the right foot. Ideally in January people who are connected to the theater or care for it are not looking at strangers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAligning with other organizations that are doing great work in the community is a goal. We make ourselves and others stronger when we\u2019re collaborating. We plan to build in one specific community partner per show and support the work that they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The incoming leadership team also recognizes the priority of attracting younger audiences to theater.<\/p>\n

\"AA cast photo from Lamb\u2019s Players Theatre\u2019s 2011 production of the jukebox musical revue \u201cMixtape.\u201d Pictured front and center in the red blouse is then-Lamb\u2019s ensemble member Colleen Kollar Smith, who will take over as Lamb\u2019s artistic director on Jan. 1, 2027. (Lamb\u2019s Players Theatre)<\/p>\n

That begins, Kollar Smith said, \u201cwith programming, marketing and education.\u201d Remaining as she is executive artistic director of the Campus Performance and Events Office at UCSD, Kollar Smith emphasized that \u201cThere is a very excited group of young theater-makers and -goers and artisans\u201d out there. \u201cWe\u2019re going to see what they\u2019re interested in and what they\u2019re connecting with, using the tools of the day (such as social media). Part of it is bringing those folks into the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mike and Jennifer Bradford, who have three sons and a daughter-in-law working regularly on San Diego theater stages, also were at the forefront of Moonlight Stage Productions\u2019 thriving Moonlight Youth Theatre.<\/p>\n

\u201cEducation was our gateway into the theater,\u201d Jennifer Bradford said. \u201cOur kids got involved in youth theater. That\u2019s what brought us to where we are now. When you have students involved it\u2019s easier to get their parents to come. Lamb\u2019s has had an education program and we want to reignite that. Mike and I both have a lot of experience with youth theater and we\u2019re excited to bring that to Lamb\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

There could be younger theater artists coming to Lamb\u2019s productions, as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe benefit of me being tied to UCSD and having relationships with SDSU is that we have some of the most exceptional students creating art, design and more,\u201d said Kollar Smith. \u201cPart of what we\u2019re looking to do is formalizing some of those relationships with master\u2019s students. To do that is certainly a priority for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Season 56<\/p>\n

Season 56 will feature \u201ca balance\u201d of artists well-known to Lamb\u2019s audiences as well as new faces.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of opportunities across the entire season to get new artists into the fold,\u201d Kollar Smith said. \u201cIt\u2019 the way to keep building that associate artists pool. There certainly will be familiar faces, which is true of a lot of theaters in the region because we have such a beautiful theater ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kollar Smith\u2019s insights into her first season of productions as Lamb\u2019s\u2019 artistic director:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cBandstand the Musical\u201d:<\/strong> \u201cThis was the first certifi.d show through the (veterans service organization) Got Your 6 Network for its depiction of veterans. Being in Coronado and San Diego as a region I wanted to do something to connect with the military community in a way that honors them. It\u2019s a story that is hopeful and healing and speaks to Lamb\u2019s\u2019 tradition of having actor-musicians onstage,\u201d said Kollar Smith, who will direct and choreograph the show. March 10-April 25.<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cClue\u201d:<\/strong> \u201cI come from a generation that loves the (1985) film. This adaptation is tied to the film. It\u2019s been touring but hasn\u2019t had a professional production in San Diego. Geno Carr will direct the non-musical play. He\u2019s such a brilliant comedian himself and won\u2019t let any comedy go unmined.\u201d May 12-June 27.<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cCome Sail Away: A Yacht Rock Experience\u201d:<\/strong> \u201cJon Lorenz (co-creator with Kollar Smith and Taylor Peckham) and I have a history of creating work together, including \u2018Mixtape,\u2019 our homage to Kerry Meads\u2019 and Vanda Eggington\u2019s \u2018Boomers.\u2019 This comes from a place of us really experiencing the phenomenon of yacht rock. Patrons will feel like they\u2019re boarding a cruise line. It\u2019ll be a fun night out with some of the best smooth sounds of the \u201870s and \u201880s.\u201dKollar Smith will direct. July 14-Sept. 12.<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cRed\u201d:<\/strong> \u201cSan Diego has such a remarkable visual arts community. Part of my thinking has been about art, about the legacy of art and because we\u2019re in this transition of our own and a time where a legacy is being passed, looking at this piece and examining it from a different lens. I felt like it resonated for this moment for us in a way that made it right for this season.\u201d Delicia Turner Sonnenberg will direct. Sept. 29-Nov. 7.<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cMillion Dollar Quartet Christmas\u201d:<\/strong> \u201cWe\u2019re doing so many new things that I wanted something familiar to folks who\u2019ve been such loyal patrons. They can look and say \u2018Lamb\u2019s is going to carry the past with them into the future.\u2019 It\u2019s a fun show that has all different songs (from \u2018Million Dollar Quartet,\u2019 which enjoyed a lengthy run at the theater in 2022) and a different feel. It\u2019s a festive experience.\u201d Kerry Meads will direct. Nov. 24-Dec. 26.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s premature of course for the new leadership team at Lamb\u2019s Players Theatre to be thinking about leaving a legacy there as their predecessors have left before them, but the Bradfords and Kollar Smith are embracing the future as well as the present.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have big shoes to fill,\u201d said Jennifer Bradford. \u201cIt\u2019s a blend of showing how we honor those who came before and trying to build on what they\u2019ve created while pushing forward into the future, bringing our own experience and what is unique about us. We\u2019re like a spoke in a wheel, a continuation of what these amazing five people started with and what we bring to Lamb\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Mike Bradford: \u201cHopefully however long we are at Lamb\u2019s we\u2019ll be able to stand on that during our tenure here. Most of all we want to continue and maintain a part of that legacy, which is taking care of the people who are employed at Lamb\u2019s Players and that come here. I would like the stories that we tell to change with what\u2019s happening in the world at the time, and then sometimes just give people a great time to come together at the theater.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given the precarious survival circumstances around the arts, including theater, Kollar Smith desires to \u201clead the way to what it looks like to be an adaptive organization. I\u2019m excited to work with people and to explore and experiment in a way that could have a lasting impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to explore new ways to find sustainability that we might not have thought of yet. The (theater) industry as a whole is ready to have that conversation. We have an obligation as an industry to figure that out together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As incoming artistic director at Lamb\u2019s Players Theatre, Colleen Kollar Smith has been \u201cthinking a lot about what…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1033464,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,17535,171,1370,3549,3550,7264,1148,1072,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-1033463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-america","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-coronado","tag-entertainment","tag-latest-headlines","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-county","tag-sandiego","tag-theater","tag-things-to-do","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117185947406432877","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1033463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1033463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1033463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1033464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1033463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1033463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1033463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}