Count Basie Theatre

Adam Philipson became the CEO and President of the Count Basie Theatre on November 1, 2012.  In his two plus years at the helm of the Basie he has assisted in ushering a complete turn-around of the theatre operationally and fiscally.  Under Philipson’s leadership he has increased the operational budget by over 30% and also successfully rebranded the Basie to more prominently feature its education and outreach activities and its non-profit mission as a community change agent. He continues to work diligently to align the Boards, staff and community around a unified vision for the future.

Adam is a senior arts administrator who holds an MA in Organizational Management from Antioch University.  He has an extensive 16-year-long professional acting background which included roles in several Off-Broadway performances, two national tour theatrical productions, and one Broadway role with over 400 performances as Eugene Morris Jerome in Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound”.

Prior to his work he worked with two theatres in California including the Broad Stage at Santa Monica where he served as the assistant director of the non-profit operating entity of the college’s $45 million center. Philipson was involved in a number of community outreach and arts education programs, including collaborations with the Los Angeles Opera Company and The Museum of Tolerance, to offer an after-school Opera Camp and the development of various K-12 arts education programs and performances in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

Adam has vast board and volunteer experience. He was President of the California Presenters State Consortium and appointed to be on the State Superintendent of Public Education’s task force for creating a Blueprint for Education in California. Among other activities, Adam is most proud of producing “Rock the Rhythm, Beat the Odds” a community celebration that incorporated over 10,000 students and community members attempting to break the world record for the largest drum circle and casting a national spotlight on the need for the arts in creating a whole child.