Nearly three years after David Byrd arrived in Knoxville as the new Managing Director of Clarence Brown Theatre, Greater Knoxville Business Journal named Byrd one of Knoxville’s rising stars.
Early in January, the publication released a list of Knoxville’s “40 Under Forty,” young local leaders nominated by their community for their efforts. Byrd joined the ranks due to an appointment from Georgiana Vines, immediate past chair of the Clarence Brown Theatre Advisory Board.
Vines spoke highly of Byrd’s expansion of the theatre, from higher tickets sales and numbers of subscribers to community engagement programs. According to Vines, diversity became a “core value of the theatre under David B. Byrd’s leadership,” with many of his initiatives involving both diversity and outreach.
Part of this community interaction included developing relationships with the Knoxville Area Urban League, Knoxville Jewish Alliance and the Knox County Public Library.
“With the Urban League, he has worked to engage more youth in the theatre, arranging for several students to attend a summer camp and for a behind-the-scenes tour of the theatre program,” Vines said.
This combination of business savvy and community leadership is exactly what the Greater Knoxville Business Journal looks for in nominations. According to Shelley Kimel, multimedia journalist at the Greater Knoxville Business Journal, candidates must have a resume of both personal and professional interest in order to be considered for admission to the “40 Under Forty” program.
For Byrd, having this sort of dual interest in mind is integral to working at the Clarence Brown Theatre, due to its position as a professional theatre in a teaching institution.
“There’s a constant tug back and forth between our academic and professional missions, but when theatre is at its very best, it’s a collaborative art form,” Byrd explained. “So I think these two things work out very well, and we’re able to provide a remarkable experience for our graduates.”
The experience Byrd strives to give UT students is similar to one that jump-started his own career as a graduate student at Yale School of Drama. The “Master Teacher,” as students called the Yale Repertory Theatre, was also a professional company within a University, where Byrd pursued his master’s degree while on staff.
Byrd was drawn to Clarence Brown Theatre’s similar mission of education combined with professional, artistic pursuits, but he planned to expand the theatre’s educational potential beyond the university itself.
“Community engagement is a two-way street, and I’ve spent a lot of my time since I’ve been here working with my community to really connect,” Byrd said. “It’s interesting, because you have to do it in a way that doesn’t alienate your instant, mostly local community, which is that of the university.”
An attitude of inclusion led Byrd to adopt access programs, such as becoming the only open-captioning performance theatre in the state. The Clarence Brown also participated in Blue Star Theatre to provide resources for veterans and active duty military families.
For the rest of his time here at UT, Byrd hopes to expand on his current goals and continue integrating the community into his theatre.
“I would love nothing more than for the Clarence Brown Theatre’s name to be synonymous with accessible theatre that actively engages the community,” Byrd said.
