The Muny has announced the appointment of Kwofe Coleman as Managing Director. Coleman, who previously served as The Muny’s Marketing and Communications Director, will work with the President and CEO, Artistic Director, department heads, staff and community to support the larger vision of The Muny, maintaining a dynamic environment in keeping with The Muny’s mission while ensuring financial stability and growth.
“Kwofe is an incredibly talented individual who understands both the culture inside the institution and how The Muny interacts with the St. Louis community,” said Muny President and CEO Denny Reagan. “As we embark on our second century, it’s important to honor the past and just as important to ensure the future is sustainable and exciting. I am eager to see Kwofe step into this new role and continue the growth of The Muny’s mission.”
“I am both honored and thrilled by this opportunity to evolve my contribution to this incredible staff and institution as managing director,” said Coleman. “Having had the great fortune of working in various parts of this organization for its past 20 seasons, I have seen and participated in the remarkable spirit of collaboration and community that makes The Muny such a special place, on both sides of the footlights. I look forward to helping continue grow this great tradition well into our second century.”
Among his duties as the Managing Director, Coleman will take an active role in overseeing the organizational, financial and business affairs of The Muny, while embracing and articulating the artistic and institutional vision. This will include the development of annual budgets, determining income and expense assumptions, and overseeing those revenue and expenditures. In this position, he will also take a leadership role in developing new and expanded income streams and creating strategic initiatives to expand and deepen The Muny’s community engagement, educational and outreach efforts.
Coleman began his Muny career in 1998 as an usher and has served as the Director of
Marketing and Communications since 2013. Coleman has held several other positions at The
Muny including staff accountant, house manager and digital communications manager. In the
Director of Marketing and Communications position, Coleman directed the teams responsible
for all external communications, marketing campaigns and the development of strategies to
meet The Muny’s annual revenue budget.
He is currently part of The Muny’s Second Century
Committee, a combination of key staff and board members who together, drafted, confirmed
and are now implementing The Muny’s Second Century Strategic Plan.
He was a 2018 Fellowship Advisor for The DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland and is an active member of the Board of Directors for the National Alliance of Musical Theatres.
He has also remained an active contributor to the St. Louis community, with local activities
including the advisory board for Common Circles and as a mentor for The Urban League’s Save
our Sons program among others. He is the recipient of the St. Louis American’s Salute to Young
Leaders Award.
The 2019 season schedule is: Guys and Dolls (June 10 – 16), Kinky Boots (June 19 – 25), 1776 (June 27 – July 3), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (July 8 – 16), Footloose (July 18 – 24), Lerner and Loewe’s Paint Your Wagon (July 27 – August 2) and Matilda (August 5 – 11).
World Wide Technology (WWT) and The Steward Family Foundation became the first overall season sponsor in the history of The Muny in 2014. They are committed to continuing in this role with their leadership gift as The Muny’s 2019 Season Presenting Sponsor.
Muny gift cards for the 101st season are now available online and at The Muny Box Office. For more information, visit muny.org or call (314) 361-1900.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.