From Backstage to Back-End: My Journey from Theatre Degrees to Project Management and Active Community Service

When people learn I hold a Master's degree in Theatre History and Criticism, they're often surprised by what my work actually looks like today: reconciling ticket fee data, working directly in Tessitura databases, managing multi-phase project plans, and advising nonprofit arts organizations on their technical infrastructure. It's not the typical trajectory people associate with a theatre degree — but looking back over more than twenty years in nonprofit arts administration, the connections are clear.

Where It Started

My path into this field began the way many arts administration careers do: through a genuine interest in theatre, which led into graduate study, and from there into the operational side of arts organizations — box office systems, patron data, budgeting, and season planning. It was in these operational roles, first at San Jose Repertory Theater and later at Atlanta Ballet, that I discovered where my strengths were. I gravitated toward the systems and processes that support an organization's mission, rather than the artistic production itself, and found that this operational work suited me well.

Finding Tessitura — and a Professional Niche

Through this operational work, I was introduced to Tessitura, the unified CRM system widely used across the performing arts and cultural sector. It brought together the technical, operational, and mission-driven elements I had already been drawn to, in a single system built specifically for organizations like the ones I'd been working in.

I pursued this specialization deliberately. I became active in the Tessitura Communities online. I also began planning my summers around TLCC, the Tessitura Learning and Community Conference, where I often present. Over time, my professional focus shifted from general arts operations toward deep technical and systems expertise within this specific field.

Adding a Project Management Framework

As the scope and complexity of the work I was doing increased, it became clear that technical knowledge of a system like Tessitura needed to be paired with formal project management skills — the ability to scope a problem, manage a timeline, coordinate stakeholders, and deliver results within defined constraints.

Earning my PMP certification gave me that framework. It allowed me to formalize and structure the project management work I'd already been doing, from complex engagements such as a Tessitura Implementations covering business process alignment and system configuration, to broader organizational consulting work. Project management discipline is what allows technical expertise to translate into delivered, measurable results for a client organization.

MFCF Management

Through MFCF Management (yes that's just my initials), I now provide this combination of project management and Tessitura/technical expertise to arts and culture nonprofits, including organizations such as Cincinnati Ballet, Atlanta Opera, the Long Center, Ensemble Arts Philly, and the Maritime Aquarium. Each engagement varies, but the core offering is consistent: helping organizations build the operational and technical infrastructure needed to support their artistic and cultural mission.

Community and Civic Involvement

Alongside client-facing consulting work, I've also focused on applying these same operational and project management skills at the community level. Doraville Art Center's programming model was built with civic impact in mind from the outset: low cost classes and workshops with all supplies provided, a 10% art sales reinvestment structure that returns proceeds to community programming, and participation in community based events to ensure the art is reachable by the broader public. DART's exhibitions, festivals, and workshops are designed to function as both cultural and civic assets for Doraville.

I serve as Executive Director of Doraville Art Center, an organization I co-founded in 2019, which keeps me directly connected to the programmatic and community side of this work.

Mentorship and Volunteer Involvement

Alongside consulting and civic work, mentorship has become a consistent thread in how I give back to the professional communities I'm part of. Having had many informal mentors throughout my career, I am excited there are programs in place I can participate in. I serve as a Bourbon Women Mentor for SIP Scholars, supporting newer members of that community as they build their own footing in the Bourbon Community. Through PMI, I serve as a mentor to project managers earlier in their careers, offering the kind of practical, framework-based guidance I wish I'd had access to when I was first formalizing my own project management skills. And within the Tessitura community, I serve as a TLCC Buddy Mentor, helping first-time conference attendees navigate the event and connect with the broader network — a small way of paying forward the sense of belonging I found the first time I presented there.

Summary

Over the course of this career, a Master's Degree in Theatre History and Criticism, operational leadership roles, Tessitura specialization, and formal project management certification have combined into a consistent professional focus: building the systems and infrastructure that allow arts and culture organizations — and the communities they serve — to function effectively. That focus now extends through MFCF Management's consulting work, my role at Doraville Art Center, and my involvement in Doraville's civic institutions.

Mary F. French, PMP, is the founder of MFCF Management, a project management consultancy serving arts and culture nonprofits, and Executive Director of the Doraville Art Center.