Arts & Culture

Great Lakes Theater's Bob Taylor to retire after 23 years

By Kabir Bhatia

Published October 11, 2022 at 9:43 PM EDT

Bob Taylor is retiring in 2023 after more than two decades with Great Lakes Theater. [Great Lakes Theater] — Bob Taylor is retiring in 2023 after more than two decades with Great Lakes Theater.

Bob Taylor, executive director of Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, announced today that he will retire next summer. Taylor joined the theater in 2000 as development manager and was promoted to the top post within three years.

In a release, Great Lakes Theater Board Chair Sam Hartwell cited Taylor's "shrewd business insight and passion for theater" as having a profound impact over the past two decades. Staff commented on his "warmth and interpersonal skills" which created an atmosphere of "camaraderie, mutual respect, and fun."

During his tenure, Taylor established a capital fund which enabled the expansion of GLT's season from five shows to six. He also oversaw the renovation of the Hanna Theatre in Playhouse Square and established partnerships with the Lake Tahoe and Idaho Shakespeare Festivals. The three organizations work collectively to present plays in their respective cities, sharing costs and creative work. Taylor will also step down from his executive posts with the Lake Tahoe and Idaho Shakespeare festivals next year.

"A wise person once advised, 'find the job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.' I have truly been blessed in that regard,” said Taylor, via the news release.

Management Consultants for the Arts will lead the search for Taylor's successor. The New York-based firm is also currently leading the search for two leadership positions at Cleveland Play House.

Great Lakes Theater opened its current season with “Little Shop of Horrors.” Next Friday, October 21, is opening night for “Romeo & Juliet,” followed by “A Christmas Carol” on November 25. Next year, “Sense and Sensibility,” “As You Like It” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” round out the company’s 61 ^st season.

Great Lakes Theater was founded in 1962. It's first director, Arthur Lithgow (father of actor John Lithgow), directed Shakespeare Under the Stars productions in the 1950s throughout Northeast Ohio. Visiting venues ranging from Stan Hywet Hall in Akron to the Toledo Zoo, the troupe was seeking a permanent space in the early 1960s. At the same time, a group of citizens led by Lakewood Board of Education President Dorothy Teare was seeking summer activities for the Lakewood Civic Auditorium. The two factions combined to create what was then called Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, premiering with "As You Like It" on July 11, 1962. It moved to the Ohio Theater in 1982 and the Hanna Theater in 2008. Notable alumni include Tom Hanks, Ruby Dee, Olympia Dukakis, Cloris Leachman and Larry Linville.