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Arts Playlist: Bud Martin takes his final bow at the Delaware Theatre Company

Kyle McKinnon / Delaware Public Media
Bud Martin stands on-stage inside the Delaware Theatre Company

After leading the Delaware Theatre Company for a decade, Artistic and Executive Director Bud Martin is retiring.

During his tenure, Martin led the Company to historic success. He increased revenue threefold and doubled subscriptions, while bringing a broad spectrum of high-quality productions to DTC’s Wilmington Riverfront stage.

In this week’s edition of Arts Playlist, Delaware Public Media's Tom Byrne sits down with Bud Martin to talk about his time at the Delaware Theatre Company and the legacy he leaves behind.

Bud Martin discusses his time at the Delaware Theatre Company with Delaware Public Media's Tom Byrne

Bud Martin took the lead in the Delaware Theatre Company as Artistic and Executive Director as the institution faced low turnout and financial trouble.

10 years later he’s retiring after doubling subscriptions and increasing revenue threefold.

“I think we have a really great team. We’re okay financially finally. The audiences have really been coming back and it’s sort of a good time to step back and say ‘take it to the next level,” said Martin.

Martin’s legacy lies in his success over the past decade, which he says has a lot to do with programming.

When he took the position in 2012, the box office results from the previous 12 months was $330,000. He says a 2015-2016 production of “Diner” alone saw $400,000 in the box office, with $1 million in ticket sales.

“I think people like seeing something that they couldn’t see anywhere else. Something that might be on Broadway in a number of years later and they can say ‘I saw that at Delaware Theatre Company,’” Martin explained.

The longtime Artistic and Executive Director’s leadership comes to an end with the production of “One Man, Two Guvners,” which he’s directing.

Like many of the Martin’s productions brought to the Theatre Company, this one is set to be big.

“I could go out with a bang, a smash, a punch, a crash, you know all of that kind of stuff by doing that show,” said Martin. “You know it’s a big show, it’s a large cast for a non-musical. Large physical production, we have a lot of set changes.”

Martin says he chose this large production because of how much it made him laugh when he saw it on Broadway.

The Tony award-winning comedy “One Man, Two Guvners” will run from February 1st to the 19th at the DTC’s Wilmington Riverfront stage.

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Tom Byrne has been a fixture covering news in Delaware for three decades. He joined Delaware Public Media in 2010 as our first news director and has guided the news team ever since. When he's not covering the news, he can be found reading history or pursuing his love of all things athletic.