The Studio Theatre: An Analysis of Succession Plan Theory v. Practice

Succession Planning is a concept that is becoming more necessary within organizations, especially non-profit arts organizations that have had a leader in their position for more than 25 years. The Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C., recently underwent a leadership transition of the Artistic Director position; a position that was, up until the transition, filled by a Founder who had been in the position for over 35 years. Founder-driven non-profit arts organizations tend to follow a certain pattern that sometimes described as "Founder's Syndrome," where the Founder tries to maintain all control of the organization and its departments. This project researches succession plan theories and analyzes these against the real-life case study of The Studio Theatre's succession plan and its execution.