Sak Theater Co. hires artistic director, settles question about moving
Here’s a double dose of news from Sak Theater Company. Usually the folks who run the downtown Orlando improvisation venue are going for laughs, but they announced some serious business this week.
For one, the troupe is staying put at its home on Orange Avenue, says executive director Chris Dinger.
The building, at 29 S. Orange Ave., had been leased by the city and was home to the Downtown Arts District’s CityArts Factory. The city’s lease is up in November and will not be renewed. The Downtown Arts Factory will move to the nearby Rogers Kiene building, which formerly housed the Gallery at Avalon Island.
However, Sak has negotiated a new deal with the building’s owner and will remain in its space on the second and fourth floors, Dinger said. The deal is good for five years, keeping Sak in the location until 2023.
The company this week also announced a new artistic director.
Emily Fontano, called a “musical improv dynamo and creative force of nature” by Dinger, will take on the role.
She replaces Mike Carr, who is relocating to his home state of Massachusetts to run the improvuniversity program at Improv Boston.
Fontano began performing at the age of 7, singing at her church in Framingham, Mass. She relocated to Orlando to attend the Dr. Phillips High performing-arts program and after high school attended The Boston Conservatory. She’s a longtime performer on the Sak stage.
Dinger says he and Fontano will work “to build on Sak’s current success while introducing a fresh artistic perspective.”