In a season when Middle Tennessee’s cultural identity feels increasingly in motion, Studio Tenn is making a statement about where it intends to go next. The Franklin-based theatre company has named Mark Fleischer as its new Executive Director, a leadership move that signals not only growth, but a sharper, more expansive vision for what a regional arts institution can become.

The newly created role reflects what Studio Tenn’s board sees as a pivotal moment. “Studio Tenn has reached a moment where expanded executive leadership is essential,” said Board Chair Tony McAlister, who described Fleischer as a seasoned cultural leader with the experience to help shape the company’s next chapter alongside Artistic Director Patrick Cassidy. In other words, this is less a routine appointment than a deliberate recalibration.

Fleischer arrives from Pittsburgh CLO, one of the country’s most prominent regional musical theatre institutions, where he has served as Executive Producer. Over more than two decades in arts leadership, he has built a reputation for pairing creative vision with institutional fluency — the rare executive equally comfortable talking about the stage picture and the balance sheet. His résumé also includes senior roles at Adirondack Theatre Festival in New York and Plano Repertory Theatre in Texas, where artistic ambition and civic-minded growth moved in tandem.

His move comes at a carefully choreographed moment. Fleischer will close out a 12-year run at Pittsburgh CLO following its 80th anniversary season, remaining involved there through the summer while beginning strategic engagement in Franklin ahead of Studio Tenn’s 2026–27 season. That season, set to open at the Turner Theater in October, now carries an added sense of anticipation.

Studio Tenn’s evolving leadership structure places Fleischer and Cassidy as collaborative equals, both reporting directly to the board while steering different dimensions of the company’s future. Cassidy remains focused on artistic vision and programming; Fleischer will oversee strategy, fundraising, financial stewardship, and community engagement. “Studio Tenn’s artistic ambitions continue to expand,” Cassidy said. “What excites me about partnering with Mark is that he understands both the artistic process and the operational framework required to sustain it.” For a company with increasing regional visibility, that balance may prove essential.

Franklin audiences will get an early glimpse of that new era when Fleischer visits the city the week of March 16, meeting with board members, staff, artists, and community stakeholders, and attending the opening night performance of Boeing Boeing on March 19. In the months that follow, he and his wife, Holly, will make the move from Pittsburgh to Williamson County full-time — a personal relocation that underscores the seriousness of the commitment, and the intimacy of the community he is being asked to help shape.

For Fleischer, the tone of the transition is clear: listen first, then build. He describes his immediate priority as understanding the values, aspirations, and identity of both the company and the region around it. His philosophy is rooted in the belief that theatre is strongest when artistic excellence, operational rigor, and civic connection rise together — a framework that feels particularly resonant in a place where cultural growth is increasingly part of the broader story of development.

What emerges from Studio Tenn’s announcement is a portrait of a company thinking beyond the next production cycle. With Fleischer joining the organization at this inflection point, the theatre is positioning itself not just as a local institution, but as a cultural force with the infrastructure — and the imagination — to endure.