The 2025-26 season will be Rhys Lovell’s last as artistic director of Normal’s Heartland Theatre Company.
The 39-year-old theater announced Thursday they’ll begin the search for a new artistic leader this fall. Lovell has been involved with Heartland Theatre since 1989, first joining as an actor and director. He took the reins as artistic director in 2015, working alongside managing director Gail Dobbins for the last decade.
“I’ve had the honor and privilege of shepherding the theater through more than 50 different productions,” Lovell said in a statement. “I’m proud of every single one of them.”
Lovell has continued directing and occasionally acting with the company. His well-rehearsed and much loved curtain speech at the top of every show includes an invitation to enjoy the theater's artisanal tap water (and sometimes a cookie) during intermission.
Heartland Theatre has earned a reputation for its wide-ranging repertoire and intimate setting, producing four mainstage performances regularly featuring contemporary works by living playwrights. The troupe’s annual 10-Minute Play Festival, The Play's the Thing One-Act Play Festival and New Plays from the Heartland provide a platform for new and never-seen works.
The new artistic director will begin with the 2026-27 season, aligned with Heartland Theatre Company’s 40th anniversary.
