Larry Hembree speaks out about leaving Trustus

Speculations have been swirling since Trustus Theatre announced that Managing Director Larry Hembree is retiring after three years at the helm.

In response to The State’s brief article about the leadership changes, Hembree said in a statement posted on Facebook Thursday that he voluntarily left his position with the blessing of the Trustus board of directors, adding that he was not fired and did not leave due to poor health.

“After three years of 24/7 love to it, an unbelievably hardworking and awesome staff and board, it is on a straight line to success,” Hembree said of the non-profit theater on Lady Street in the Vista.

“As we move toward becoming a more regional theatre presence with a strategic plan on how to get there, there needs to be an intense five-year commitment to oversee the plan. In five years, I will be 60 and felt there are things I would like and need to do between now and then that I couldn’t do with that kind of commitment. Hence, my decision to leave now so that a new leader could take over and make this happen.”

In a press release issued last week, the theater said that Hembree will continue on “in an emeritus slot.”

It said that Dewey Scott-Wiley, the company’s co-artistic director, is also leaving to focus on her full-time faculty position at USC-Aiken. Chad Henderson will become the sole artistic director, as well as the interim managing director until a permanent replacement can be found. Director of Development Debbie Cohn will remain in her position, along with other members of the Trustus management team.

There is no correlation between Hembree and Scott-Wiley’s departures, Henderson said. Both will still direct several plays as planned this fall. In August, Hembree will direct a musical comedy, “Still Twitty After All These Years,” at Trustus.

“It’s really all for positivity,” Henderson said. “These changes are a product of Larry and Dewey making the decision to have a little bit of their lives back. If you’re working for a non-profit, you’re working 24/7. In their case it’s about them being in a place where they want to enjoy the sunshine a little more and I totally support it.”

Since taking over Trustus in 2012 from Jim and Kay Thigpen, who retired after 27 seasons, Hembree has worked around the clock to modernize and improve the theater, former board member Gillian Albrecht said.

“Larry threw himself into it heart and soul. It’s difficult in a nonprofit to afford to pay people to delegate to. You depend on volunteers and the few people you have on staff.”

Trustus was a labor of love that burned Hembree out, she said. “I think he’s exhausted and like what he said (on Facebook), there are other things he wants to do.”

At the end of his Facebook post, Hembree added — with what appeared to be tongue-in-cheek — that his only future plans at this point “are to take pole dancing lessons and finally work for a for-profit organization.”

This story was originally published July 30, 2015 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Larry Hembree speaks out about leaving Trustus."