After tumultuous months under interim leadership, the Garden Theatre announced two major appointments Thursday — both men with Walt Disney World experience who also have a history of involvement with the theater.
Keith Davenport, who has worked for Disney in event management and produced extravaganzas, including the Olympics, Special Olympics and Invictus Games ceremonies and Super Bowl halftime shows, has taken on the new role of chief organizational leader.
In addition, the Winter Garden theater — which saw much of its staff depart the organization last summer — has revealed new leadership for its board of directors.
Rich Taylor is the new board chair; he previously served as vice president of Disney Creative Entertainment and Costuming, overseeing nearly 5,000 performers in parades and shows. Under his watch, Disney created notable spectacles like the “Wishes” fireworks at Magic Kingdom and the “Festival of the Lion King” stage show.
For months, as public acrimony with former employees, performers and others played out on social media, the theater had removed the names of staff and board members from its website. But gardentheatre.org has been updated to list more than a dozen employees and a board of 14.
Taylor had been associated with the theater in a non-leadership capacity, spokeswoman Sara Brady said, and joined the board within the past year before being elected chairman. Other new board officers include vice chair David Baldree, treasurer Todd Wheeler and secretary David Romano.
Davenport’s role was created after an eight-month organizational assessment by various consultants. In it, he will provide “the strategic direction that enables Garden Theatre to achieve its annual and long-term goals for artistic excellence, financial sustainability and community engagement,” according to Thursday’s announcement.
The theater has worked with organizations such as the Edyth Bush Institute of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership in Winter Park in strengthening its governance and implementing a strategy for diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Garden also has been receiving guidance from Boston-based Arts Consulting Group, whose Tom Carto has been the theater’s interim managing director since March 2022. Davenport’s new role means Carto will depart his position shortly, Brady said.
The theater had been without a permanent person in an executive director-type role since December 2021, when Elisa Spencer-Kaplan departed the organization. Artistic director Joseph C. Walsh blamed the strain of working without a colleague in that managerial role when he resigned six months later, in June 2022.
Walsh’s departure prompted an outcry and charges that the board of directors was out of touch with staff, particularly with people of color. Eventually, numerous staff members resigned, followed by layoffs as the theater paused operations to regroup.
Theatrical performances restarted in January with a successful production of the musical “Rock of Ages” through a new partnership with Victory Productions. That partnership is continuing, Brady said, with Victory’s “Dreamgirls” set to open later this month.
Davenport has been involved with the Garden for 11 years as a patron and donor, according to the theater’s announcement, and more recently as a board member, serving as chair of the programming and partnerships committee. Davenport, 53, resigned from his board seat to lead the staff.
“When a unique creative opportunity such as this comes along, it’s just hard not to pursue it,” Davenport said in a statement. “That’s how I feel about Garden Theatre, which is an important local institution that I have loved and supported for years. The theater has come such a long way in recent months and I’m looking forward to playing an active role in continuing to ensure that Central Florida has a theater where performers and audiences want to be.”
“We are extremely fortunate that Keith has taken this role with the theater,” Taylor said in the announcement. “He brings a remarkable and extensive level of global experience and expertise in entertainment and production, with the added bonus that he is a well-known member of the community and understands the Garden Theatre. The value the theater gains from his knowledge, experience and professionalism is unprecedented.”
After retiring from Disney, Taylor became dean of the College of the Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma, where he served as executive producer for 350 productions each year. He now runs a consulting business, Rich Imagination.
“We couldn’t be more enthusiastic about Garden Theatre’s future,” he said in his statement. “It’s certainly not been an easy year, but we have worked to grow in a smart way that helps heal but also brings some joy and happiness to our community.”
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