Mike Schleifer.
ATLANTA: After leading the Alliance Theatre through two major renovation projects, a global pandemic, and more than 100 productions over 11 years, managing director Mike Schleifer will leave the post at the end of the 2025 to become the managing director of Lincoln Center Theater, succeeding Adam Siegel at the New York City theatre. At the Alliance, Schleifer oversees all operational, marketing, financial, fundraising, and shared services activities. In his new role at LCT, Schleifer will oversee the company’s financial and operational health and ensure long-term sustainability and growth.
“While it’s rare to find a managing director who is equally brilliant at the operational and financial part of the job, it’s simply unheard of to find one who excels on those fronts and leads with such unabashed heart, vision, and humor,” said Alliance artistic directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses in a joint statement. “For the past 11 years, we had the unfathomably good fortune to have all that and more in Mike Schleifer. Mike’s willingness to bet on our mission and invest in the extraordinary talent of the Alliance staff allowed us to realize aspirational dreams we never would have dared to dream without his encouragement and faith. We’ll miss him daily but cannot wait to witness the joy he’ll bring to the Lincoln Center Theater.”
In his tenure with the Alliance, in which he began as general manager before a promotion to managing director, Schleifer led the administrative and producing teams on more than 100 productions and moved four shows to Broadway, including last season’s Water for Elephants and this season’s Maybe Happy Ending. He spearheaded the $36-million renovation of the award-winning Coca-Cola Stage and is currently leading the $26-million renovation of the Goizueta Stage for Youth and Families. Under his leadership the Alliance more than doubled its operating budget, tripled its endowment, and continued to lead the country in work developed for young audiences.
“It’s been a true honor and privilege to work, lead, and learn at the Alliance Theatre for the last 11 years,” said Schleifer in a statement. “I’m deeply grateful to the staff, artists, and audiences of the Alliance Theatre and Woodruff Arts Center who have made this journey so rewarding. We’ve achieved remarkable milestones—from moving productions to Broadway to completing transformative capital projects. I’m excited for what’s next, but I won’t be leaving until we cut the ribbon on the new Goizueta Stage for Youth and Families, a project that reflects the Alliance’s deep commitment to the next generation of theatregoers, both with the physical theatre space and with the endowment we’re raising to make the work on that stage financially accessible for all.”
Prior to his work at the Alliance, Schleifer spent 13 years at Baltimore’s Center Stage working in several roles including associate producer, director of production, and resident stage manager. Mike began as a stage manager and has more than 50 professional stage management credits between his time in New York and working regionally, including world premieres by August Wilson, Lynn Nottage, José Rivera, Kwame Kwei-Armah, and many others.
In addition to his work at the Alliance, Schleifer serves on the boards of the League of Resident Theatres and True Colors Theatre Company. In 2018 he co-founded Volute Partners, a theatre consultancy focused on capital projects and the subsequent operational support and budgets needed to sustain them.
The leadership of the Woodruff Arts Center, with support from members of the Alliance Theatre board of directors, will conduct a national search for the Alliance’s next managing director led by executive search firm Corps Team.
Founded in 1968, Alliance Theatre is the leading producing theatre in the Southeast, reaching more than 165,000 patrons annually. The theatre values community, curiosity, collaboration, and excellence, and is dedicated to representing Atlanta’s diverse community. Alliance Theatre has a budget of $25 million, while Lincoln Center Theater, as of 2023, had a budget of around $50.2.
