Producing Artistic Director at theREP stepping down

Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill leaves lasting impact in Albany

ALBANY—After 30 years as the Producing Artistic Director of Capital Repertory Theatre, Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill has announced she is stepping down from her role at the end of 2025. During her three decades at the helm, Maggie has brought to theREP incredible artistic achievement, unprecedented collaboration, a state-of-the-art new facility and helped launch scores of careers in the arts. All the while, she remained the loving (and lovable!) face of the only professional theatre company in 14 counties.

Maggie already had a storied career prior to her arriving in Albany. She spent four years as the Producing Director of Urban Stages in New York City, was the founder and Artistic Director of Theatre Under Glass in Denver, CO and founded Summerplay, a new works festival in Denver-not to mention directing and serving as dramaturg on countless production around the country.

In her time at theREP, Maggie directed more than 125 productions, with 14 being named a Top Ten Production by the Albany Times Union. But the awards don’t stop there! Maggie has also been named to the 100 Women of Excellence list and received the Norman E. Rice Award for Excellence in Arts, Culture and Education from the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Distinguished Leadership Award from the National Chamber of Commerce!

“Maggie is, in many ways, the personification of Capital Repertory Theatre. She has built the organization into an incredible asset for our community and deserves so much credit for its success over the years,” says Philip Morris, CEO of Proctors Collaborative. “We will all miss working with her every day, but I know that she will always be around to help ensure that the success that she has fostered will continue for years to come.”

Perhaps most remarkable about Maggie are the relationships she has fostered within the professional theatre community. Collaborative School of the Arts Director of Theatrical Programming Kevin McGuire says, “What Maggie has done at theREP has been truly remarkable. Not just in terms of artistic development but building a new BEAUTIFUL theatre, growing the subscription base and developing new works. She is a force of nature and has made it look easy. She has created a community of artists and audience that has a huge impact on Albany.”

Broadway director and playwright Gordon Greenberg reflected on more than two decades of collaboration. “I feel so fortunate to have collaborated with Maggie on 14 productions over 20 years. Her profound generosity of spirit, sharp insights, warmth and wit made theREP feel like a creative home; a place where I could take big swings, which paid off in developing multiple new and revised works that made their way to New York and around the world. I have an enduring love and respect for Maggie, Philip and theREP itself!”

Maggie’s impact on theREP is beyond measure, as is the value of what she has brought to the lives of countless audience members in the Capital Region. Words could never express the gratitude we all feel for her generosity of spirit, her artistry, her friendship and her love. While she will be missed by everyone who had the pleasure being in her theatrical orbit, Maggie’s future is as limitless as her imagination and talent.

“My time at Capital Repertory Theatre has been amazingly gratifying. As our organization has grown into a stable and creative force in our community, now is the appropriate time for me to take a step away and give others the opportunity to leverage our success to even greater heights. I’m looking forward to these next stages in my personal and professional lives, though my heart will always be here at theREP,” says Maggie. “Now, let me be clear: I AM NOT retiring! My last show directing will be “Once” later this summer, and there will be plenty of time to connect with one another between now and then.

“Theatre will always be an important part of my life, just as theREP’s friends, supporters and audiences will remain in my heart wherever the future takes me. I’ve been blessed beyond words to live the life of an artist; you have made that possible and I will be forever grateful.”