Douglas Love-Ramos, who led Orlando Shakes through the COVID-19 pandemic, will depart the organization July 5, the theater announced Tuesday.
While a search takes place for a new business leader for the nonprofit, Elizabeth “Betsy” Gwinn will take the job on an interim basis. Gwinn is highly knowledgeable of the Central Florida arts scene: She previously led the Bach Festival Society of Central Florida for 15 years until stepping down in 2021.
Love-Ramos will be relocating to Los Angeles, California, where he has lived previously, to become managing director of A Noise Within, a classical theater company with a 324-seat performance space in Pasadena. Like Orlando Shakes, the organization also runs multiple theater-education programs.
“They have a beautiful space; they are expanding,” Love-Ramos said. “I’m excited about their next chapter; it will be a fun time to be there.”
In a joint statement, A Noise Within co-artistic directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodrigues-Elliott said they were “thrilled” to have Love-Ramos join their team.
“His background and skill set jumped out at us from the very beginning, they wrote. “Then, when we met with him, our shared passion for classic theater and vision for running an arts organization became clear. At every turn, we became more convinced that he would be the perfect partner for us.”
Love-Ramos’s career includes playwriting, producing and creating children’s TV series “Out of the Box” for Disney and “Jammin’ Animals” for HBO.
At Orlando Shakes, a professional theater with a $3.8 million budget, he teamed with longtime artistic director Jim Helsinger to guide the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic. The theater offered online performances, memorably staged plays at the Walt Disney Amphitheater in Lake Eola Park and added a tented outdoor cabaret space to its Loch Haven Park complex, which proved so popular it remains in use.
“We thank Douglas for his hard work these past four years with Orlando Shakes,” said Rick Schell, president of the Orlando Shakes board, in a statement. “We wish him continued success.”
Love-Ramos said the pandemic, as with many people, led to some soul-searching.
“We all became aware of how important it is to have a real support system,” he said. “The majority of people related to me live in Los Angeles. I have a ton of friends there. That community of support became more important to me during the pandemic.”
Love-Ramos said he would miss his Orlando Shakes colleagues.
“We’ve been through a lot,” he said. “I think getting through COVID together and getting to the other side, we’re all kind of war buddies.”
He singled out his special relationship with Helsinger as his artistic counterpart, saying the two shared a mental “shorthand.”
“We were always on the same page,” he said. “Together, we were better leaders than separate.”
Gwinn will lead the 34-year-old theater while a nationwide search for a permanent replacement begins.
“Betsy will be a strong leader while we search for a new managing director,” Schell said. “With her arts-management experience and her knowledge of the Central Florida community, we know that Shakes will remain the premier professional theater in our region.”
She will take up the job July 6, with the theater’s “The Sounds of Soul: Motown and Beyond,” part of its Cypress Bank & Trust Cabaret Series, taking place just days later, July 8-9.
“I’m not here to upset the apple cart; I’m here to ensure things proceed professionally within expected time and budget parameters,” she said. “I’m passionate about the arts, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Gwinn will work 20 hours each week, mostly on-site, until September and said at the moment, she does not plan to apply for the permanent position. Since resigning from the Bach Festival Society, she has been consulting with arts groups, including Orlando Family Stage and the Garden Theatre of Winter Garden.
In addition, through coaching work with the Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership, she has been advising non-arts nonprofits such as Come Out With Pride and Orlando Center for Justice, an agency that works with immigrants.
Her breadth of knowledge should help Orlando Shakes, where she sees serving as a liaison between the board of directors and staff members as a key component of her role.
“I have such history and connections in the community. I think that will benefit a smooth transition,” she said. “I really hope it will be helpful.”
The official job listing notes the managing director “cultivates community support, and inspires staff, board members, donors and audiences.” Applicants must “demonstrate strong business acumen; effective leadership; and solid interpersonal, financial and organizational skills.”
For more information on the job, go to orlandoshakes.org/about-us/careers-and-internships.
Love-Ramos said after the success of the theater’s season-ending musical, he is leaving on a high note.
“I am very proud of ‘Kinky Boots’ and how well it did in such a controversial time,” he said of the show about an unlikely friendship between a button-down factory owner and a drag queen.
He said, unusually, he watched the production multiple times — partly to watch the audience’s reaction.
“They were along for the ride, cheering and standing. They were so supportive of that cast,” he said. “That was magical.”
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