Photo by morainevalley.edu
By Emma Gomez, Arts & Entertainment Editor
The search has begun to find a replacement for Tommy Hensel, the long-time managing director of Moraine’s Fine and Performing Arts Center.
Finding someone with Hensel’s programming ability will be a challenge, said Wally Fronczek, dean of liberal arts, who is leading the effort.
“It’s rather difficult,” he said. “We’re still in the process so we just started reviewing the resumes.”
Hensel left the position on Jan. 31 after 14 years in charge of programming and setting up different kinds of events at the Dorothy Menker Theater and other facilities in the FPAC. He accepted a similar position at Elgin Community College.
Fronczek and Hensel had been companions and coworkers since the day Hensel started.
“He had such great knowledge in programming. He would bring in programs like entertainment and attractions,” Fronczek said. “He would also bring in academic productions for theater and music. He was great at putting seasons together.”
Fronczek is serving as interim director of the FPAC until a replacement is found, and he has been staying busy with all of the programs Hensel left behind, with an entertainment schedule leading all the way up until next year.
According to Fronczek, Hensel’s resignation will have no major effect on currently scheduled programs.
“Structurally, nothing is going to change,” he said. “What we will change is when the new person starts, I think any new person has ideas of how they want that particular area to be with their expertise.”
The search committee has a good pool of candidates for the position, Fronczek said.
The committee met Thursday about what will be happening moving forward and what the next steps will be. The technical director for the FPAC, Sean McIntosh, said there was limited information he could share about their meeting.
Hensel’s mission was to create a theater that was very diverse with several different cultures and types of shows represented. This concept likely will continue with a new managing director because of Moraine’s mission to add diversity throughout the school. However, Hensel’s replacement will have creative freedom with the program.
