Greenville Theatre prepares to reopen doors with new director

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After a three-year national hunt for a successor to artistic directors Allen and Suzanne McCalla, the Greenville Theatre has selected Max Quinlan for the role.

The spotlight of the Greenville Theatre’s search committee discovered Quinlan in his most recent role as the associate director for the world premiere of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Unmasked at the Paper Mill Playhouse and put him in the running with 75 applicants and four finalists for the position.

"I look forward to finding new ways to expand this theater, both within the Greenville community and beyond,” Quinlan said in a news release. There is no doubt that Greenville Theatre, like the famous Falls Park on the Reedy, will soon be synonymous with our city itself.”

Quinlan previously served as the resident director for the 2014 Broadway revival of Les Misérables and the U.S. National Tour of The Phantom of the Opera, and was a Jeff Award-winning performer on Broadway, national tours and regional theaters across the country.

“Ever since my wife and I fell in love in this city while performing on the National Tour of Les Misérables, we knew we could make Greenville our home,” he said in the release. “Now, nine years later, our young family is putting its roots down here. Finding this opportunity at this incredible theater company feels like fate.”

He added that he looks forward to reopening the theater’s doors and welcoming back both new and veteran patrons to live shows in the months to come. Last week’s announcement dovetails with Broadway’s first show in a year, Playbills, performed for an audience of frontline workers April 3.

“It has been a great honor to have led this storied and significant institution for the past 28 years,” the McCallas said in the release. “Getting to know the patrons, as well as working with the board, volunteers, our incredible staff, and especially the many talented actors who have created magical performances, has been the highlight of our careers. We will still be involved with Greenville Theatre, but we are thrilled to hand the reins over to Max. We have the utmost confidence in his ability to produce great productions that will touch the hearts of our audience and inspire the wonderful performers of this community.”