Today we’d like to introduce you to Max Quinlan.
Hi Max, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I did my very first theatre production when I was just 4 years old. I was fortunate enough to be born into a family who loved and appreciated the arts. Theatre was something my entire family did together and the theatrical community truly raised me into the person and artist I am today. I went on to make my professional debut at the age of 12 in the Chicago sit-down production of Ragtime. After that, I went on to earn my BFA in Musical Theatre, perform in Chicago as an actor for 2 years, winning a Jeff Award for performance, and perform on the National Tours of Les Miserables and Evita. I went on to make my Broadway debut in Les Miserables before becoming the Resident Director for that show on Broadway. My wife and I fell in love with each other as actors on the tour of Les Miz in 2012. Not only did we fall in love with each other onstage and off-stage, we also fell in love with Greenville, South Carolina. Fast forward, I took over as the Producing Artistic Director for Greenville Theatre in 2021 after touring as the Resident Director of The Phantom of the Opera for 3 years. My dream has always been to lead a theater space where I can impact the environment and culture for the patrons and artists alike. I have been leading Greenville Theatre now for the past 5 years and our incredible organization is now celebrating its 100th anniversary as the Upstate’s oldest and largest locally producing non-profit theatre company.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have been very fortunate in my career. Choosing the life of an artist means you are signing up for peaks and valleys in your career. I know that some of the harder moments I have faced have become my greatest lessons of strength and figuring out my “why” for why I do theater. Answering my “why” has been my greatest lesson and continued source of determination and focus in my career. It is what lead me to Greenville in discovering that I do what I do for the people I can impact my art with. I want to genuinely know my audience and for them to authentically know me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a producer, director, manager, and artist. In my job, I oversee my staff at the theatre, create the budget for our company, choose the shows to perform for our community, and direct many of the productions. I want people to experience joy when they come to Greenville Theatre. I want to inspire them with necessary art and storytelling that connects them with one another. Theatre has the ability to connect us in ways that no other medium has. It connects us to ourselves, our neighbors, friends, strangers, and loved ones in a more empathetic and compassionate way. I love creating a space that is truly for everyone to feel safe, seen, and respected in. That is my job is to create an environment for all people to thrive in and find joy in to take back with them into their communities.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Stay curious and become a good listener. I love people and find them all to be fascinating. I feel very lucky that part of my job is to understand and appreciate the human experience from many different perspectives in storytelling. I take that same curiosity with me in my networking opportunities. The people who have mentored and guided me have all believed in me, at times, more than I believed in myself. Finding people who will build you up and talk about you in rooms you have not yet been in is what I look for in a mentor.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.greenvilletheatre.org
- Instagram: greenville_theatre
- Facebook: Greenville Theatre
- Youtube: @greenvilletheatre
