The McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert officially announced today that Terrence W. Dwyer, who left the top spot at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in February, has been chosen as the new CEO and president of the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert.
Dwyer replaces Mitch Garfield, who is retiring after 20 years.
The McCallum Theatre is a more modest institute compared to the Segerstrom Center. According to the most recent tax returns available on GuideStar, the McCallum’s assets in 2017 were $10.5 million. Segerstrom had assets of $457 million for the same period.
Dwyer, who spent 13 years at the Segerstrom Center, has also held major leadership positions at smaller institutions such as the Alley Theater in Houston and the La Jolla Playhouse, among others. At Segerstrom, he oversaw the completion of the Segerstrom Concert Hall and the Argyros Plaza, as well as establishing a branch of the American Ballet Theatre dance school on the campus.
Dwyer was committed to expanding the programming at the Center to reach a more culturally and economically diverse audience. With the Coachella Valley growing in population, Dwyer was undoubtedly hired in part duplicate his successes in Orange County, raising the profile of the theater and continuing his quest to make more art accessible.
Paul Hodgins is the founding editor of Arts & Culture at Voice of OC. He can be reached at phodgins@voiceofoc.org.