Katie Hallman leaves role as Theatre Cedar Rapids’ executive director

CEDAR RAPIDS — Katie Hallman, who has led Theatre Cedar Rapids for the last nine years, shepherding it through the pandemic and embarking on a major renovation — has left her role as executive director of the 100-year-old theater.

Hallman’s departure was announced Tuesday by the theater’s board of directors, which said her last day was Jan. 13.

“Her leadership helped guide the organization through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, while clarifying values, optimizing culture, and laying critical groundwork for the future,” the board’s statement said. “Most notably, it’s with her vision that we successfully launched the Capital Campaign for Theatre Cedar Rapids, to fully activate the 100-year Iowa Theatre Building for enriching, community-centered experiences.”

Hallman grew up in Lisbon, Iowa, and performed on the TCR stage as a teenager. She came home to Eastern Iowa to take on the executive director role in March 2017 after years of working in theaters in New York, Minneapolis and New Orleans.

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In 2024, Hallman helped launch the “Dream Here, Do Here” capital campaign to raise money to renovate Theatre Cedar Rapids, a process which started last year on the theater’s 100th birthday in 2025.

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“I can’t believe that I spent nearly a decade, this last decade, with Theatre Cedar Rapids. It’s been truly incredible,” Hallman told The Gazette. “This community and this state is so fortunate to have an institution like this, and the work that’s going on our stages and being enjoyed by thousands of people in the audience, that’s what I’m most proud of.”

The board announced that Angie Toomsen will assume “executive leadership of the organization” as artistic and managing director, supported by the staff and board.

The board, in its statement, said it will “thoughtfully explore next steps in the evolution of leadership at the company, with a focus on long-term sustainability and artistic excellence.”

Hallman hired Toomsen into her role as artistic director in 2017, and said she is excited to see where Toomsen takes the organization.

“She is a phenomenal artist and strategic thinker and operations leader,” Hallman said.

As for Hallman, she doesn’t yet know what the next step in her career will be, but she said she’s excited for whatever comes.

“Leadership changes often happen at moments of transition, and this just came at a time when TCR is really well-positioned, and stable, and I’m just excited to start exploring what’s next for me,” she said. “I spent my career in strategy, and operations and storytelling, so I’m really excited to see where I may be the most useful.”