Traverse City-based nonprofit Parallel 45 Theatre Festival (P45) has named Joseph Beyer as its new executive director. Beyer will succeed Erin Anderson Whiting, a co-founder of the organization, who is leaving the day-to-day operations of P45 to take the job of chief philanthropy officer for Impact 100 Global. Whiting will stay on with the organization by joining the board of directors.

Beyer is no stranger to the northern Michigan nonprofit scene. He moved to Traverse City from Los Angeles in April 2018 to step into the executive director seat with the Traverse City Film Festival. He resigned from the role just 21 days later, citing “challenges for the organization I felt my experiences and expertise couldn't address.” For the past two and a half years, Beyer has served as executive director of Michigan Legacy Art Park, the 30-acre sculpture park and nonprofit organization located at Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville.

Before coming to Traverse City, Beyer had spent 14 years with the Sundance Institute, the nonprofit organization that hosts the Sundance Film Festival. Though Beyer spent years in the film industry, a press release from P45 notes that his “first experiences and original love for the arts came through live theatre.” 

P45, now in its 11th year, is planning a return to its regular summer performance schedule this year, with productions of shows like The Sound of Music and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown scheduled for July and August at P45’s outdoor performance venue at the Civic Center.