Press Release
LA STAGE Alliance (LASA) has announced the appointment of Marco Gomez to the position of Interim Executive Director. Gomez has committed to shepherding the upcoming 29th Annual Ovation Awards ceremony and maintaining the continuity of LASA’s major programs during a transition initiated by the departure of Steven Leigh Morris in November. The board’s formal search for permanent leadership is slated to begin in the coming weeks. LASA is the primary service organization for the performing arts in Southern California.
Gomez, award-winning director of DOMA Theatre Company and producer of several Tony Award-winning Broadway productions said, “I became involved with LASA after Steven Leigh Morris reached out and shared his vision for the theatre and arts community. We have agreed on LASA’s programming which the Board of Directors, staff, and advisory Ovations Rules Committee are dedicated to sustaining. LASA’s ongoing commitment to its community never wavers. We will continue to move forward.”
In his three years at the helm, Steven Leigh Morris developed a vision for services to the arts community that will have a lasting impact. He championed higher visibility for the work of local performing artists and produced a group of public service announcements promoting the excitement and engagement of the unique Los Angeles theatre scene. The spots currently air on KCET. Morris also presided over one of the most successful Ovations Award events in the organization’s history in January 2018.
Marco Gomez, a businessman and philanthropist as well as producer and director, brings a fresh set of skills and ideas to the leadership of LASA, which will be engaged in some strategic reorganization moving forward. The Board is appreciative of the strong support it receives from the arts community, notable especially in times of change.
The organization looks forward to the upcoming 29th Annual Ovation Awards ceremony on Monday, January 28, 2019 at The Theatre at The Ace Hotel in downtown LA.
