Abigail Buell (Courtesy photo)
Performing arts, Horton Plaza
‘Take it Away, Abigail!’
‘San Diego Repertory Theatre Welcomes a New Managing Director’
By Frank Sabatini Jr.
From a small town in Wisconsin, where she became immersed in its theater community at a young age, to the artistic hustle of New York City, where she produced and promoted diverse stage shows, Abigail Buell has brought her theater savvy to San Diego.
The bright and ambitious maven replaces now-retired Larry Alldredge as managing director of downtown’s San Diego Repertory Theatre. She is tasked with reigniting audiences as consumers find their way out of a global pandemic. She will also oversee all of the administrative, business, and marketing aspects of producing shows.
Buell spoke to us about her past experience within the industry and future goals for The Rep while settling into her new home, which she now calls San Diego.
Downtown Condo Guys: What were you doing professionally before taking The Rep job in October?
Buell: I was the senior director of marketing for the RWS Entertainment Group in New York City, where I got hired in late 2019, right before the world came crashing down. I was with them for about a year and a half after marketing several Broadway shows such as To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Music Man.
Downtown Condo Guys: How long did you live and work in New York?
Buell: For 16 years. When I first got there, I was an intern for Hats The Musical, and I continued working on multiple different productions as an assistant to the director. During that time, I had met the late and renowned Broadway actress, Nora Mae Lyng. Together we formed Buell & Lyng Productions. In that, we produced smaller-scale shows in and around New York. That occupied part of my time in New York.
I also spent a lot of time at the Schimmel Center developing and marketing performing arts. I was one of the original people who did that. And I worked at The Joyce Theater, where I was the director of marketing. There, I helped bring in younger and diverse audiences. After that, I spent time marketing Broadway theater shows.
Downtown Condo Guys: We see you worked seven years for ‘Inside the Actors Studio,’ which was hosted by the late James Lipton and aired on Bravo. What was your role in the show?
Buell: It was in marketing and development. I was responsible for bringing in people to the live, recorded interviews—which wasn’t difficult, since we had guests like Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.
The interviews were shot at the Schimmel Center. And because it was a small crew, I was very involved with the celebrities who came on.
Downtown Condo Guys: Any big standout moments when working with the big names on the show?
Buell: It was really just listening to how tirelessly these people had worked in their careers with their dreams in mind—just hearing the stories of their blood, sweat, and tears. It was always inspiring to be in an intimate setting with them while they shared their stories.
Downtown Condo Guys: At what age did you feel the calling for this type of career?
Buell: In the small Wisconsin town where I grew up, there was a small community theater. From the age of 7, my younger sister, my parents, and I were part of it. We did many plays and musicals together. By the time I graduated from high school, I had performed in about 50 shows, from dramas to musicals. Then I started out as an acting major at Drake University in Iowa but changed my major to advertising management and pre-law. I was still very involved in theater there and worked with a local real estate developer to create a theater in downtown Des Moines.
Downtown Condo Guys: How impactful has the pandemic been to your work and the live entertainment industry as a whole?
Buell: It’s been extremely impactful. Especially within New York City, where it was always like being in a hamster wheel, where you go, go, go all the time. For me, when it stopped, I started re-evaluating my life and career. It gave me an opportunity to re-identify what I really want to be doing, which was to produce rather than market. It’s where I started. The slowdown brought me to the opportunity of the San Diego Rep. It was perfect.
Downtown Condo Guys: How did that opportunity at The Rep come about?
Buell: I hadn’t been actively looking for anything. But an excellent search consultant I know reached out to me about it. For a long time, I never thought I’d leave New York, but I had always followed the arts and culture scene in San Diego. And given that the San Diego Rep lives up to its mission of producing intimate, provocative, and inclusive theatre, I was interested.
Downtown Condo Guys: What are your short and long-term goals for The Rep?
Buell: Short term is really identifying how to restructure and increase our infrastructure and what is needed to make us the most efficient and successful organization we can be. The mission has always been about diversity and inclusion, on and off stage.
Any of the data points we saw and trusted before the pandemic no longer exist. So we have to find a new way forward in terms of how we re-engage with audiences and reach people.
Beyond that, it’s to make sure the productions and art we’re producing have a longer life, and that they’re visible nationwide and worldwide.
Downtown Condo Guys: Since arriving in San Diego, what have been some of your favorite discoveries in the Downtown and Uptown areas?
Buell: I haven’t had much time to explore yet, but I recently went to a Pop Pie Co in University Heights and really enjoyed it. The chicken pot pie was great! I love walking along the harbor downtown and seeing all of the boats. And I really love all of the old houses in Golden Hill. I also had a meeting at Amplified Ale Works downtown. It’s in a beautiful little area, and they have delicious beer and a really nice ambiance.
