Flatwater Shakespeare Company Announces Departure of Executive Artistic Director Marshall Carby
Flatwater Shakespeare Company announces the departure of its Executive Artistic Director, Marshall Carby. Carby will be leaving the organization at the end of July to assume the role of Executive Director at the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Marshall Carby has been an integral part of FSC, bringing a wealth of creativity, passion, and vision to the organization. Through his leadership, Flatwater Shakespeare Company has maintained stability as the arts world recovered from the pandemic and, furthermore, has continued to grow, even bringing our summer tour to Omaha. His direction and artistry have left a permanent mark on the company.
The Board of Directors at FSC expressed their gratitude for Carby’s contributions and wished him well in his new endeavor. Speaking on behalf of the board, Chair Kelly Stage said: “We are extremely sad to see Mr. Carby leave, but we understand what this new opportunity in Baton Rouge means to him. When we hired Marshall, we needed someone who could respect our history but also move the company forward and explore new opportunities, which is exactly what Marshall has done. Marshall worked hard to make quality theater that was accessible and to bring our education mission to as many young people as possible. We have enjoyed his artistic vision and his ability to foster new talent in the company as well. We wish him the best.”
In the meantime, FSC's Operations Manager, Jimmy Lewis, will step into the role of Interim Executive Director.
Flatwater Shakespeare Company remains committed to its mission of bringing high-quality theatrical productions and educational programs to the Lincoln community. The organization will announce the search process for Carby’s successor in the coming weeks.
FSC continues its 2024 season with Hamlet, directed by Ann Marie Pollard, running August 22nd - September 1st at Wyuka Stables, and finishing with The Turn of the Screw, directed by Emily Funkey, running October 17th - 27th at Wyuka Stables. Tickets are available at flatwatershakespearecompany.org
For inquiries, please contact: Jimmy Lewis, Flatwater Shakespeare Company, (402) 413-1861, flatwatershakespearecompany@gmail.com
Jimmy Lewis, Interim Executive Director
Jimmy Lewis is thrilled to be a part of the Flatwater Shakespeare Company team and continue the legacy of exceptional theatre in Lincoln, NE. Jimmy is an accomplished theatre performer and arts administrator. His previous experience "behind the table" has been working with Highlands Playhouse. There he served as the Outreach Coordinator/Acting Managing Director and then Assistant Artistic Director. He currently works for the Omaha Symphony as their Operations and Production Manager and is working towards his M.A. in Arts Management from The University of Oklahoma.
As a performer, Jimmy performed regionally as well as internationally. Some of his favorite regional credits include Rooster in Annie, Will Parker in Oklahoma!, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family, The Big Bopper in Buddy, and Amos in Chicago. He also toured the East Coast, Mid-West, and Virgin Islands with TheaterWorksUSA. In addition to regional theaters across the country, Jimmy has also been lucky enough to work with Disney on several occasions. In 2018 Jimmy went sailing through Europe working on Disney Cruise Line performing on the Disney Magic in Rapunzel’s Royal Table as Hookhand from the movie Tangled. In 2016 and 2019, Jimmy performed with Disney On Classic, a Disney concert tour in Japan. As 1 of 8 American Singers, Jimmy toured the country with a live 60-piece Japanese orchestra as Olaf in Frozen in 2016 and singing “True to Your Heart” from Mulan in 2019.
Stephen (Steve) Buhler, Co-Founder and Resident Scholar
Stephen served as Education Director of the Flatwater Shakespeare Company for our first two decades and is now our Resident Scholar. He is also the Aaron Douglas Professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has served as dramaturg for nearly all of Flatwater Shakespeare's productions and as humanities adviser for Flatwater Shakespeare's youth programs. He is the author of Shakespeare in the Cinema: Ocular Proof and was the 2015 recipient of the City of Lincoln Mayor's Arts Award for Artistic Achievement – Literary Arts.
