Rob Goodman, the founding executive of First Stage Children's Theater, is beginning a transition process that will see him leave the company's managing director position for an emeritus role with the group. Although no exact timeline has been set, a search has begun for his successor.
Goodman was a stage manager and director at the Milwaukee Rep in 1987 when the Marcus Center hired him to put together a children's theater company the center was starting. First Stage eventually became an independent organization.
He was First Stage's first artistic director before moving into the managing director role. Under Goodman's leadership, First Stage became one of the largest family-oriented theater companies in the country. In his emeritus position he will work on an arts education capitalization campaign with the goal of making theater accessible to all children in the community.
First Stage is the second major Milwaukee theater company seeking to fill a top management job. The Skylight Opera Theatre is interviewing candidates for its artistic directorship. Bill Theisen is leaving the position after next season.
Damien has been around so long, he was at Summerfest the night George Carlin was arrested for speaking the seven dirty words you can't say on TV. He was also at the Uptown Theatre the night Bruce Springsteen's first Milwaukee concert was interrupted for three hours by a bomb scare. Damien was reviewing the concert for the Milwaukee Journal. He wrote for the Journal and Journal Sentinel for 37 years, the last 29 as theater critic.
During those years, Damien served two terms on the board of the American Theatre Critics Association, a term on the board of the association's foundation, and he studied the Latinization of American culture in a University of Southern California fellowship program. Damien also hosted his own arts radio program, "Milwaukee Presents with Damien Jaques," on WHAD for eight years.
Travel, books and, not surprisingly, theater top the list of Damien's interests. A news junkie, he is particularly plugged into politics and international affairs, but he also closely follows the Brewers, Packers and Marquette baskeball. Damien lives downtown, within easy walking distance of most of the theaters he attends.
