Charles Payment, outgoing producing inventive director of Idaho Shakespeare Competition, Nice Lakes Theater, and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Competition.
BOISE, IDAHO: Idaho Shakespeare Competition has introduced the official retirement of Charles Payment, who was serving as producing inventive director for 3 organizations—Idaho Shakespeare Competition, Nice Lakes Theater in Cleveland, and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Competition in Incline Village, Nev. Earlier this yr, it was introduced that Payment would retire on the finish of the 2025-26 season and be succeeded by Sara Bruner at the moment. Nonetheless, in keeping with an announcement from the theatre, plans modified, transferring up Payment’s retirement. Since Payment and Bruner have labored collectively for many years, the theatre stated Payment felt Bruner was already able to take the helm absolutely and he was concurrently able to be retired after a profession on the three organizations that spanned three many years.
“This was a life’s work,” Payment added in an announcement, “on daily basis was heart-stoppingly thrilling, endlessly difficult, filled with breath-taking magnificence and completely joyful. I shall be ceaselessly grateful to the Trustees who supported us, the employees and artists I had the privilege to collaborate with, and the limitless generosity of the communities we proceed to serve. Thanks all.”
Earlier than his work with the three-city strategic alliance, Payment served as inventive director at Sierra Repertory Theatre in Calif. from 1988 to 1992. His profession has additionally seen him work with establishments corresponding to The Previous Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Missouri Repertory Theater, Actor’s Theatre of Phoenix, and the Los Angeles Shakespeare Competition. He started with Idaho Shakespeare Competition in 1991, the place he supported a surge in group engagement: Attendance grew from 28,000 to a peak of 76,000 in 2019. In 2002 he joined Nice Lakes Theater and added Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Competition to his portfolio in 2010.
His work establishing the three-city partnership enriched cultural choices of every area. For his management, Payment was honored awarded the Cleveland Arts Prize as a recipient of the Martha Joseph Award, the Boise Mayor’s Award for Excellence within the Arts, and the Idaho Governor’s Award for Excellence within the Arts.
“Charles Payment is just an enormous in Idaho theatre and humanities,” stated J. Kevin West, president of the board of trustees at Idaho Shakespeare Competition, in an announcement. “By his a few years of stellar service, he has been pivotal to the success of the Idaho Shakespeare Competition we all know right this moment. From the preliminary capital marketing campaign to fund our present amphitheater to the current, his visionary management has not solely produced magnificent theatrical productions, but in addition deeply related us with our group. Actually, Charlie will depart an enduring legacy right here in Idaho. As he steps into retirement, we honor his extraordinary contributions and look ahead to constructing on the robust basis he has created.”
Idaho Shakespeare Competition’s mission is to supply nice theatre, entertain, and educate by growing an inventive house for theatre artists, offering a spread of programming, selling cultural understanding, and illuminating human nature by way of a repertory of performs, together with these of Shakespeare. As of 2022, the theatre had a finances of roughly $4.9 million.
