Old Globe managing director to retire after nearly five decades in theater

Old Globe Theatre Managing Director Timothy J. Shields will retire next year, after a 47-year career in nonprofit regional theater.

A national search for his successor will be launched, led by the Old Globe’s board, the Balboa Park theater said in a news release.

Shields has served as managing director since 2017. In the eight years since, the Old Globe has mounted 100 productions, including three that transferred to Broadway, joining a legacy of 27 local-originated shows that have made the leap from San Diego to New York.

Artistic Director Barry Edelstein called Shields “one of the greats in this business” and someone who “has earned … the respect of the entire American theater field.

“My partnership with Tim Shields has been one of the joys of my time at the Globe,” Edelstein said “and his retirement is bittersweet. His impact on this theater has been extraordinary. He’s made productive and smart improvements to our financial model, organizational structure and work practices, and his unparalleled instincts as a theater producer have yielded countless evenings of entertainment for San Diego and beyond.”

Shields has held leadership roles at three other prominent arts institutions: Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, New York, Milwaukee Repertory Theater in Wisconsin and McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey.

Shields also praised Edelstein, saying his “warmth, vision and partnership have made this journey so meaningful.

“My time at The Old Globe is the absolute highlight of my professional life and a fitting capstone to a career built on the belief that communities thrive when world-class theater is accessible to all,” he said. “I am deeply grateful to the incredible team at the Globe—so many of whom work tirelessly behind the scenes—and for the many kindnesses I’ve experienced throughout my time here.”

He holds a degree in theater production from Carnegie Mellon University and launched his career following an internship at Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, with early career positions at the Denver Center Theatre Company, the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis and McCarter Theatre.

Throughout his career, Shields has been an advocate for the theater field and his communities. In San Diego, he has served on the boards of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, LEAD San Diego and as an associate board member of the Downtown San Diego Partnership.

Shields also served as president and board member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and vice president and board member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), along with founding or acting as a leader in arts groups in Wisconsin and New Jersey.

Theater officials said that Shields will be celebrated as the Globe prepares for its next chapter. Board Chair George C. Guerra called his tenure “an important chapter in our institution’s history,” adding that “though his shoes will be difficult to fill, we know that other prominent figures in the field will want to build on his legacy.”