LEWISTON — As Christopher Schario retires from The Public Theatre, a seamless transition is in order with Janet Mitchko moving from co-artistic director to sole artistic director and Ray Dumont named as the new executive director.

“I am overjoyed to be coming back to my hometown as executive director of The Public Theatre. I grew up in Lewiston and was educated in Lewiston schools. It’s a tremendous privilege to come back and to be able to give back to this wonderful community,” Dumont said in a statement when the change was announced.

Dumont has been working in professional theater for 30 years. He is a graduate of Boston University School of Management and holds degrees in finance and marketing.

Throughout his decades in theater, he has been a performer, educator, director, choreographer and administrator. He spent more than 20 seasons at Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick, including four as managing director.

Dumont has worked in theater all over the country including The Ogunquit Playhouse, The Huntington Theatre Co. in Boston, and The Children’s Theatre of Maine and Mad Horse Theatre in Portland. He is a well-known member of Maine’s theater community and a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

According to the Public Theatre, in his role as executive director Dumont will provide vision and leadership to the theater’s full-time staff of five, managing finances and fundraising, marketing, audience development, and supporting the artistic vision and standards.

Dumont’s arrival marks a restructuring of the theater’s leadership roles, which Mitchko says will allow her to shift her focus. “I’m doing everything that I’ve been doing for 30 years,” she told the Sun Journal. “There’ll be some things that now I’ll be able to let go of for Ray to handle on a full-time basis, which will, I think, be really beneficial for the theater.”

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