Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center has named Carmen Khan its first-ever Artistic Director. With Khan at the artistic helm, Uptown! will make institutional history by debuting its first fully-produced theatre season and expanding its music, dance, comedy, and film programming.
Khan comes to Uptown! at an exciting time of transformation and growth as the organization builds to realize its mission of becoming one of the region’s premier performing arts centers. Khan is a West Chester local, well known on the regional theatre scene, and she brings deep knowledge and vision as the founder and former Artistic/Executive Director of Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre.
“Uptown! wants to present the best in entertainment,” said Board Chair Molly Morrison. “The core of our mission has been to provide a variety of entertainment that appeals broadly to our community. In looking at our mix of programming, theatre was the missing piece and one we knew would be welcomed by our patrons. We decided that in order to do so, we needed an experienced professional on staff to not only allow us to produce our own theatre shows, but to curate and expand our music, dance, comedy, and other genres. We are thrilled to find someone like Carmen Khan who brought decades of experience in theatre and who is so well connected to the theatre community locally and elsewhere.”
In addition to being a director, Khan is an actor and voice-over artist and has appeared in more than 40 theatrical productions. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of London and a master’s degree in Acting from the Catholic University of America. Khan is the co-author of Macbeth: Moment By Moment.
“We aspire to expand,” said Khan. “We want our audience to leave every performance feeling the world is a little bigger place than when they came in; to expand the theatre’s reach and relevance and influence in the community; to expand West Chester’s sense of what is possible, what kind of a town we can be. I see Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center as a vibrant arts institution and a hub of community and culture for the region.”
Khan plans to unveil the three-show season later this summer. In the meantime, she’s working with the current artists at Uptown! on expanding and evolving its music, comedy, dance, and film program.
Visit Uptown! for a list of coming shows and special events. The 2022-2023 season will be announced later this summer, with the first show hitting the stage this fall.
