Angela Scully, Executive Director of the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, will retire from the theater at the end of this year.

“Angela has been a driving force in the creation and launch of the theater since joining our team five years ago,” said Uptown! President Gary Green.

When she started, the organization owned an abandoned Armory and had little else than a bold idea and determined volunteers. Scully found their energy and enthusiasm was infectious.

“I was hooked!” she said after seeing the empty building for the first time. “I knew for certain that a theater could come to West Chester, and I wanted to be part of the process. My job would be to make their vision a reality.”

The team began converting the Armory into a theater while fundraising efforts continued and the community responded. The result is the beautiful and award-winning Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, which opened Dec. 31, 2016.

Scully seamlessly transitioned from her role as Development Director of the capital campaign to the Executive Director of the live theater. She organized a family of residential companies that bring Broadway-quality theater, jazz, opera, and contemporary music, Latin programs, improv comedy, a speaker series, movies, and even a theater school to Uptown!

To keep the theater buzzing with activity throughout the year, Scully hired a technical production company to run its state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, built a vibrant staff, and set the standard for a welcoming experience for patrons from across the region.

Together, with the Board of Directors, staff, and a committed core of volunteers, Scully has built the foundation for a successful nonprofit that she believes will take the theater well into the future.

Uptown! is conducting a nationwide search for the next Executive Director, and Scully has generously agreed to help facilitate a smooth transition.

“I consider this project a capstone of my professional life,” she said. “Being part of this startup called on everything I knew and then some. This journey has taught me so much.”

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