The Englert Theatre announced Thursday, Oct. 16 that Keegan Colletta Huckfeldt has been named interim executive director, following the recent resignation of John Schickedanz.
Mr. Huckfeldt has served as the Englert’s events director for the past three and a half years. He is also co-founder and producer for Footliters Imagination Studio, which presents shows for young audiences, and serves as an adjunct professor for the Event Management Certificate program at the University of Iowa.
His previous work includes contributions to programs at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts and Riverside Theatre, as well as eight seasons at the Old Creamery Theatre in the Amana Colonies.
“The Englert is a gem in our community,” Mr. Huckfeldt said. “It creates unique events that spark conversation and collaboration, it creates space for local, national, and international artists alike, and it continues, as it has done for over a hundred years, to bring people together.”
He cited the Iowa City Songwriters Festival, performances such as the Indigo Girls and The Nutcracker as examples of the theater’s community impact.
“The Englert team’s passion, expertise, and desire to make our community the best it can be continually inspires me,” Mr. Huckfeldt said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with them and lead the Englert forward in its mission.”
The theater will host an open house and historic building tour Nov. 2 at noon and 2 p.m. The hour-long tours will include refreshments and an opportunity to meet Mr. Huckfeldt and other Englert staff members.
Mr. Schickedanz has decided “to pursue other opportunities,” Englert officials said in a news release. He had served as the Englert’s executive director since June 2022.
