SARANAC LAKE – Pendragon’s Executive Artistic Director Karen Lordi-Kirkham has been named to a two-year directorship of Dickinson College’s Humanities Program in Norwich, England, beginning in July 2019.

This follows her award of the Charles A. Dana endowed chair for her work at Dickinson College. During Lordi-Kirham’s absence, Kim Bouchard, Professor of Theater at Potsdam and long-time friend, board member, and director for Pendragon, will take over as the interim artistic director.

Since taking over from founders Bob Pettee and Susan Neal, Lordi-Kirkham has grown their legacy. Under her direction, Pendragon has been able to increase ticket sales yearly, seeing the highest numbers in the theater’s history. She expanded Pendragon’s programming to include the Young Playwright’s Festival, a highly successful summer high school camp, a “Ghost Tales” halloween show, Winter Carnival show, music series, Patron’s Pick reading series, initiative with St Joe’s Rehabilitation Center, and collaboration on productions with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta and Dewey Mountain. She has expanded their staffing, internship programming, and relationship with local universities and Dickinson College. Under her watch, the theater also moved ahead with plans for a new facility and received several prestigious grants. Pendragon was also named as the lead project in the recent $10 million Downtown Revitalization Grant, reflecting current and future economic impact and participation in the rich artistic community in Saranac Lake.

Lordi-Kirkham also took Pendragon international this year with a puppet piece first workshopped at Pendragon with artist Sherry Harper-McCombs and then toured to the Paper Moon International Puppet Festival in Indonesia with the Pendragon intern Josh Bennett as performer.

Pendragon Theatre is an ensemble of artists, based in the Adirondacks, dedicated to preserving the vitality and enhancing the quality of professional theatre through year-round performance and educational programs.