Posted February 28, 2025
HUDSON VALLEY SHAKESPEARE WELCOMES
MARTHA PEARSON AS DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
and
KIRSTY GAUKEL AS DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Hudson Valley Shakespeare (Davis McCallum, Artistic Director; Kendra Ekelund, Managing Director) announced today that they have welcomed two new senior staff members to their team following searches led by Tom O’Connor Consulting Group. Martha Pearson joins the company as the Director of Development and Kirsty Gaukel as the Director Of Marketing & Communications.
With over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit arts and culture sector, Martha Pearson has successfully built and executed comprehensive development strategies that have raised millions for various organizations. Most recently she held the position of Director of Development at Boscobel House and Gardens since 2022. Prior to that, she spent a few years as a fundraising consultant, and she had several chapters at theatre organizations in New York City before that time. She spent six years as Director of Development at Irish Repertory Theatre and two years as Director of Development at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. Earlier, she worked within the Institutional Funding department at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) for eight years.
“I am absolutely delighted to join the HVS team,” said Martha Pearson. “Davis and Kendra’s shared commitment to our thriving cultural community here in Phillipstown and the Hudson Valley resonates deeply with me both as an audience member and a local resident. I have always believed in the power of live performance, and I am eager to contribute to the creative work and capital investments that the team, board, and generous supporters are making possible.“Martha’s passion for advocating for the arts and deepening community engagement, plus her dedication to sustainability in all fundraising efforts are perfect compliments to HVS,” said Artistic Director Davis McCallum. “Martha’s knowledge of our community, combined with her vast experience in the non-profit theater world, will be instrumental as we move forward with our recently launched public phase of our capital campaign. I am thrilled to have her join our team at this moment, as we ramp up to the opening of the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center in 2026.”
Kirsty Gaukel is a marketing and public relations professional with more than 20 years of professional experience in the performing arts. Most recently, Kirsty worked with the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, NY, and served as the Executive and Programming Director at the Denizen Theatre in New Paltz. Kirsty has extensive experience in the theatre space, working as the Director of Marketing for 59E59 Theaters in NYC for six years, and as the Associate Director of Communications for Actors Theatre of Louisville in Kentucky for five years in America. She began her career at the Edinburgh Fringe and International Festivals and other venues in her native Scotland.
“Hudson Valley Shakespeare is a cultural gem in the Hudson Valley and I could not be more elated to join the team at such an exciting moment in the company’s growth. Davis and Kendra have put forth an ambitious and inspiring vision and I am energized to engage audiences in this spectacular new venture,” said Kirsty Gaukel.
“Kirsty will be a wonderful addition to Hudson Valley Shakespeare and I am looking forward to working alongside her to help bring our new home to life, and to share that with both returning and new audiences,” said Managing Director Kendra Ekelund. “Kirsty brings an impressive range of experience in arts marketing, communications, and press relations, and I am excited for her to lead us in telling the story of our transition from a seasonal festival to a cultural anchor and arts destination, both regionally and nationally.”
HVS’s 2025 Season will include William Shakespeare’s uproarious comedy The Comedy of Errors, directed by longtime company member Ryan Quinn (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd); “One of the sweetest and smartest romantic farces ever written,” (Terry Teachout, WSJ), Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker, directed by Davis McCallum (Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play) and featuring Kurt Rhoads and Nance Williamson; and Octet, a chamber choir musical by Tony Award nominee Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812) and directed by Amanda Dehnert (Love’s Labor’s Lost), produced by special arrangement with Plate Spinner Productions.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Press Contacts
Print Shop PR
Matt Ross / Liz Lombardi / Josie Miller
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