Oct. 8—Ashman leaves leadership post at International Folk Art Market
Stuart Ashman will step down at the end of the year as the CEO of the International Folk Art Market (IFAM). His successor is Melissa Mann, currently IFAM’s director of external affairs.
Ashman has been with IFAM for three years and successfully led the market through the pandemic without any loss of income. Mann joined IFAM in 2019, following a 30-year career in Washington, D.C., in international energy and non-proliferation issues.
Ashman served previously as executive director at the Center for Contemporary Arts, executive director of the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, and director of the New Mexico Museum of Art. From 2003-2010, he was cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
Comedy group gets new space
Santa Fe Improv has a new home for its classes and performances at 1202 Parkway Dr., near other theaters in the Midtown arts district.
Founded in 2009 as Santa Fe School of Improv, it underwent a name and ownership change in 2019. The 1,500-square-foot warehouse space is currently under renovation into a 60-seat black box theater. Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of October, with public performances beginning in November. santafeimprov.com
Stage Santa Fe announces new leadership
Eric Weiss joins Stage Santa Fe on Oct. 1 as its executive director. Weiss will oversee all improv education and performances for the non-profit that formed in 2020.
Weiss is formerly the artistic director at Santa Fe Improv. He trained with instructors from The Groundlings and the Upright Citizens Brigade and co-authored a 2020 study at University of New Mexico Hospital, “An Experience with Improvisational Theater to Prevent Burnout in Psychiatric Residency,” with Dr. Jeff Katzman.
He performs regularly at The Box Performance Space in Albuquerque, where he is part of The Show, the longest running improv show in New Mexico.
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