The Live Arts Board of Directors has named Lisa Capraro as the new Executive Director of Live Arts. Capraro’s background as an executive director, with over 15 years of nonprofit experience combined with a deep passion for promoting community-based arts programs, will help to further advance the mission of the organization as it celebrates its 34th anniversary this year. “We are excited to announce Lisa Capraro as our new Executive Director,” says Miller Susen, Live Arts Board President. “Lisa’s excellent work ethic along with her creative and engaged approach to problem-solving, and genuine enthusiasm for the exciting and fulfilling work of community theater, make her a wonderful match for this role at Live Arts. The Board is thrilled to partner with her in ensuring that Live Arts continues to survive and thrive in Charlottesville.”
Lisa assumes the role from her previous position as the Development Director at Live Arts, joining the organization last January. She will manage all day-to-day operations for Live Arts, known for its robust and thought-provoking productions along with its education and community programs. Capraro will also continue to lead fundraising initiatives. Of the position, she says “I am honored to assume this role and work alongside Artistic Director Susan E. Evans and the entire Live Arts team including over 1,000 volunteers. Live Arts has been an important contributor to the artistic fabric of this community for over 30 years and I am thrilled to be able to work with the community to ensure its future.”
“As a UVA graduate with a degree in English and Anthropology, I have a long history with Charlottesville and consider it an ideal place for the arts to flourish,” Capraro continued. “I’m thrilled to lead one of Charlottesville’s treasured arts organizations and help to share the unique experiences of theater to a broader audience.”
Capraro was Executive Director of the IX Art Park for one year. Before that, she supported the Windy Hill Foundation in Middleburg, Virginia, as the Associate Director. She has worked with artists and arts organizations for many years and led revitalization efforts with the Economic Development Office at the Town of Leesburg. She is committed to making communities better for everyone through the arts. Capraro succeeds former Executive Director Anne Hunter who fiercely led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic and kept Live Arts alive while many theaters across the country were forced to shut their doors. Hunter retired in June of 2024. The board is grateful to Hunter for her leadership and optimistic about the future of Live Arts.
About Live Arts
Powered by more than 1,000 production volunteers and hundreds of non-production volunteers, Live Arts is a national model for engaged community theater. For more than three decades, we’ve dedicated ourselves to the mission of “forging theater and community” in Charlottesville, Virginia. Our engagement in local communities runs deep, and we happily attract participants and audiences from across Central Virginia. We’re known for exceptionally high-caliber productions that reflect the remarkable talent of our volunteer actors, designers, and production teams. Live Arts Theater is also known for our provocative programming that makes us unique among community theaters. We celebrate these distinctions.
