The Board of Directors of the Victoria Playhouse is excited to announce that Emily Smith has been hired as the Executive Director and Susan Williams Bulman will assume the role of General Manager. Founding General Manager Pat Stunden Smith retired at the end of January but will continue to work on special project initiatives on an ad hoc basis. “I am confident the new management team has the skills and vision to carry on the valuable work of Prince Edward Island’s longest Running Little Theatre. Emily and Susan understand and value our place within the Island community and will bring a fresh energy moving forward,” commented Smith.

Emily Smith brings both experience and a diverse background to the newly formed role of Executive Director. The daughter of Founding Artistic Director Erskine Smith and Pat Stunden Smith, Emily spent many of her formative years onstage as part of the Victoria Playhouse Drama Club. After graduating from UPEI with a BA she moved to Montreal where she obtained her MA in Literature from Concordia University. While in Montreal, she worked with McGill University in the Department of Development and Alumni Relations.  After returning to the Island in 2009, she joined the team in the Holland College Advancement Office.  She has been in a mentorship role preparing for this transition for the past three years. “The Playhouse has been a part of my life since I was a child. It’s a place that I, like many others, have a deep connection with and it’s both exciting and a little scary to be at the helm.”

Susan Williams Bulman has worked with the Playhouse for the past 27 years as the Assistant Administrator and bookkeeper. She earned a Business Administration degree from UPEI and also runs her own bookkeeping business. Susan is the volunteer treasurer for South Shore Health & Wellness Inc. and has worked as the CAO for the Municipalities of Crapaud and Victoria. Susan reflected on her role at the Playhouse “I am very lucky. I love my job and the people I work with.”

PEI Professional Theatre Network