Friday, July 12, 2013

Spokane Civic Theatre terminates artistic director

Posted By on Fri, Jul 12, 2013 at 12:58 PM

Word just came down this afternoon that the Spokane Civic Theatre has parted ways with artistic director Yvonne A.K. Johnson.

Here's what the press release said:

The Board of Directors of Spokane Civic Theatre and Executive Artistic Director Yvonne A.K. Johnson have today terminated their association following 8 ½ years of the director's remarkable service to the community.

The announcement comes just one day after Johnson released a statement welcoming aboard new "artistic associate" Robby French, a graduate of the New York Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts. 

Johnson, who also directed plays at the community theater during her tenure, had come under fire from some in the community for the 2010 firing of then-music director James Ryan after an anonymous source informed the theater that Ryan and his wife had an open marriage.

Ryan, who has maintained a blog called "Civic Doody" that has detailed his legal struggles with Johnson and the theater since his firing, had this to say about today's news.

Johnson's tenure wasn't without its merits, though. She was instrumental in a successful financial turnaround for the Civic and was heading up major improvements to their facilities.

Check out next week's issue of The Inlander for more on this story.


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Mike Bookey

Mike Bookey was the Inlander's culture editor from 2012-2016.