WOONSOCKET – After 20 years of leading the Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Centre & Conservatory, Cathy Levesque will call it a career early next year.
The local nonprofit theater announced Wednesday that Levesque will retire in the first quarter of 2025 as the Stadium Theatre’s CEO and executive director. Levesque is stepping away after overseeing the theater’s operations, including renovations to the historic facility and navigating it through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stadium Theatre officials did not immediately respond Thursday to questions from Providence Business News as to what led to Levesque deciding to retire. In a statement, Levesque said she is “grateful beyond words” of having the opportunity to lead the Stadium Theatre, which she feels it is “the best job in the world.”
“In this business, there is something new every day, and often, creativity is at the forefront of our solutions,” Levesque said. “I deeply care about the Stadium, and I know that even after my retirement, I will continue to be the Stadium’s lifelong friend and greatest advocate.”
The Stadium Theatre says Levesque’s efforts led to a substantial increase in programming, with the Theatre now hosting multiple events weekly and attracting around 130,000 guests annually. In 2023, the theater welcomed 128,000 attendees, according to PBN research.
Levesque’s vision, the theater says, also extended to enhancing educational opportunities and expanding the venue, including the purchase and restoration of the adjacent Conservatory building, which now houses the marquee room, a more intimate performance space.
Levesque’s forward thinking was also evident during the pandemic, the Stadium Theatre says, when she spearheaded a project to construct an underground corridor linking the Theatre to the conservatory, providing artists with direct access to upgraded dressing rooms. Other upgrades made to the theater include new seats, a new sound system and a new parking lot.
Moving forward, Stadium Theatre board President Armand Desmarais said in a statement that a search for Levesque’s successor will begin, with a preference of promoting from within.
“Cathy will be a hard act to follow,” Desmarais said.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.
