Curt Columbus, Artistic Director of Trinity Rep, to Step Down Next Fall After 20 Years

Columbus has served as the Providence theater company’s artistic director since 2006

The Trinity Repertory Company is based at the Lederer Theater Center in downtown Providence.
The Trinity Repertory Company is based at the Lederer Theater Center in downtown Providence.
Courtesy Trinity Repertory Company
Share
The Trinity Repertory Company is based at the Lederer Theater Center in downtown Providence.
The Trinity Repertory Company is based at the Lederer Theater Center in downtown Providence.
Courtesy Trinity Repertory Company
Curt Columbus, Artistic Director of Trinity Rep, to Step Down Next Fall After 20 Years
Copy

The longtime artistic director of Providence’s Trinity Repertory theater company plans to step down next fall, the theater company announced Wednesday.

Curt Columbus has led the theater group since 2006, directing more than 25 productions. He is also a playwright.

In a statement, Columbus said it is “time for new adventures, for me and for Trinity Repertory Company.”

“I firmly believe that every artistic endeavor needs renewal and revitalization,” Columbus said. “While I could stay at Trinity Rep forever, the health of the theater and its artistry depends upon this kind of change.”

Trinity Rep says it is conducting a national search for a new artistic director.

Founded in 1963, Trinity Rep’s annual production of A Christmas Carol is a holiday mainstay in Rhode Island’s arts scene. The company produces several plays each season, including new works, and it received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater in 1981.

The 2026 gubernatorial race is heating up. Revolution Wind is sputtering. Is it time to turn up the temperature?
The bipartisan QUAHOGS Act, introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Sen. Tim Scott, would create a task force to study why Rhode Island’s iconic shellfish and other East Coast bivalves are in steep decline
Eight states, including Massachusetts and Rhode Island, formed a partnership to share resources on vaccines, emergency preparedness and public health, amid federal uncertainty
The University of Rhode Island will relocate home games to the new 10,500-seat stadium while Meade Stadium undergoes an 18-month overhaul, aiming to boost the fan experience and expand its audience
As student numbers decline and co-op teams expand, RI Interscholastic League director Mike Lunney urges schools to refocus on why sports were created — to keep kids engaged, build character, and prepare them for life beyond the field