Arts Playlist: Meet the Delaware Theatre Company's new leadership

By Martin Matheny

Published August 29, 2025 at 10:38 AM EDT

Delaware Theatre Company’s Managing Director Candice Buchanan and Producing Artistic Director Mimi Warnick

For more than four decades, the Delaware Theatre Company has been entertaining audiences in and around Wilmington.

Recently, the organization underwent a reinvention of sorts, announcing that it was moving to a leadership model with two people at the top - an Artistic Director and a Managing Director.

Earlier this year, the company announced Broadway veteran Mimi Warnick as its Producing Artistic Director, and this month, they named her colleague, Managing Director Candice Buchanan.

On this edition of Arts Playlist, Delaware Public Media's Martin Matheny chats with Buchanan and Warnick about their vision and the future for Delaware Theatre Company.

DPM's Martin Matheny interviews Delaware Theatre Company Managing Director Candice Buchanan and Producing Artistic Director Mimi Warnick

The Delaware Theatre Company has a new managing director and an ambitious vision for its future.

Candice Buchanan comes to the company after stints with the Delaware Department of Education and non-profits focused on youth development. In her new role, she says one of her priorities is to bring in new audiences.

“We have a lot of opportunities to expand our access and our partnerships and really just invite more people into the theaters so that they can experience in some cases, what can be a life changing, transformative experience.," she says.

Buchanan will work with Producing Artistic Director Mimi Warnick, who joined the company earlier this year. Warnick echoes Buchanan’s hopes when it comes to bringing in new - and returning - theatregoers.

“Ultimately, my hope is you know getting all different types of audiences," Warnick says. "I think each show really caters to a specific group that might not have been in the theater for a while.”

Buchanan says she also wants to make the Delaware Theatre Company a more welcoming place for people from all corners of the community.

“We want to make sure that everyone in Wilmington feels welcome. This is a space where everyone can see themselves reflected on stage," Buchanan says. "They can come into a safe space. It kind of feels like home - just watching TV in your living room - but it's live theater.”

Delaware Theatre Company’s new season opens on September 17 with Ray Didinger’s Spinner. You can learn more about that show and other upcoming productions at DTC's website.

Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.