photo by: Contributed

Jamie Ulmer

Theatre Lawrence on Wednesday announced that a successor has been chosen to replace longtime executive director and founder Mary Doveton.

Jamie Ulmer, who currently serves as the managing artistic director of Community Players in Beatrice, Nebraska, will assume the executive director role for the arts nonprofit on March 1, 2023. According to a press release from Theatre Lawrence, Ulmer will manage not just the organization’s day-to-day operations but also its artistic endeavors.

“I am thrilled to be joining the team at Theatre Lawrence,” Ulmer said in the release. “I look forward to getting to know the community and continuing the legacy of impactful, quality programming that the theatre is known for.”

In the release, Theatre Lawrence board president Amy Kelly said Ulmer’s background as an executive director in community theater, coupled with his passion for promoting and expanding community-based arts programs, would help to further advance Theatre Lawrence’s mission as it recognizes its 45th anniversary this year.

Doveton announced her pending retirement in May. She founded the organization, originally named Lawrence Community Theatre, in 1977 and since then has served as its only executive director. Doveton will continue in her position through the transition in March.