Executive producer Lou Spisto to leave Old Globe in San Diego

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Lou Spisto, the head of the Old Globe in San Diego, will be stepping down from his post in December after nine years with the theater company. Spisto said he is leaving to become an independent stage producer.

‘It was my decision. I’ve been talking to the board about it for a couple of months,’ Spisto said in a phone interview. ‘I’ve had over the past several years some projects that I’ve worked on outside the Globe. There was one that I gave up a year and a half ago, an independent project that I had rights to. And I’ve had mixed emotions about it since then.’

Spisto was appointed executive director of the Old Globe in October 2002 and assumed the position of executive producer in January 2008. During his tenure, he oversaw a number of high-profile productions as well as the annual summer Shakespeare Festival.

The announcement of his resignation coincides with the company’s tumultuous revival of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ that saw the abrupt departures of its lead actor and director before opening night. But Spisto said his decision to leave has nothing to do with ‘Rocky Horror.’

For further developments, check back with Culture Monster.

-- David Ng