NAPLES, Fla. (Nov. 8, 2021) – Gulfshore Playhouse, Naples’ premier professional theater, is thrilled to announce two new team members: Chief Marketing Officer Alejandro Castaño and General Manager Jim Dallas.

Castaño brings with him deep marketing experience from his career in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. As the Vice President of Marketing at the Greater Naples Chamber, he helped define the Chamber’s brand and positioning of the voice of business in Collier County. Prior to moving back to Naples in 2019, Alex worked at the global advertising agency GREY, increasing marketing effectiveness with data science for clients like UPMC, Pfizer, Febreze, and other national brands. As a Brand Director at Procter & Gamble, he led P&G’s marketing efforts for the 2016 Rio Olympics, launched new products for the Dawn brand, and led multicultural marketing for the Pampers brand. At GE Healthcare, he worked in supply chain and process improvement.

“It was so fortuitous that I crossed paths with Alex through Leadership Collier.  As we continue to envision the future of Gulfshore Playhouse, I knew we needed someone like Alex on our marketing team. Not only will his strategic mind and years of experience help enhance the organization here and now, his expertise will help widen our audience as we double in size in the coming years,” said CEO and producing artistic director Kristen Coury.

Also joining the team is Jim Dallas as General Manager. Dallas comes to Gulfshore Playhouse after an eclectic career performing as a musician and working in arts management. Dallas was the founding principal percussionist and personnel manager of the Naples Philharmonic, a tenure that lasted for 38 years. He was instrumental in the transition of the Naples Philharmonic to a full-time orchestra and assisted in the development of several of the orchestra’s educational programs. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Jim to our team,” said COO and managing director Joel Markus. “Gulfshore Playhouse brings together the best working professionals from across the nation to create exceptional theatrical experiences and Jim’s duties will be integral to this goal, including negotiating with agents to hire creative teams, liaising with talent, and executing the myriad contracts and logistics that producing the highest caliber theatre entails.”

Gulfshore Playhouse is passionately committed to enriching the cultural landscape of our region by producing professional theatre to the highest artistic standards and providing unique educational opportunities to diverse groups of people in a spirit of service, adventure, and excitement. The work of Gulfshore Playhouse is inspired by a belief in the magic of theatre to expand the imagination, challenge the senses, provoke discussion, and revitalize in its audiences an understanding of our common humanity. This belief drives the care with which Gulfshore Playhouse treats its artists, audiences, students, staff, and members of the greater community.

The professional theatre is also leading the nation’s growth for arts and entertainment with progress for the new Gulfshore Playhouse at the Baker Theatre and Education Center. Recently announcing the public phase for the fundraising campaign for the new building, welcoming gifts of all sizes, the new Cultural Campus is slated to break ground this fall. The Cultural Campus has been created as a cornerstone for culture, education, and community engagement that epitomizes the region’s growing reputation as a destination for the arts. The Baker Theatre and Education Center will be home to world-class professional productions that have the power to foster connections, catalyze conversations, and bridge cultural differences. The new theatre and education center will also serve the entire region with accessible education programming and elegant cultural engagement spaces open to the public. 

For more information about Gulfshore Playhouse or its new facility, or to make a contribution, visit www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org or call 239-261-PLAY (ext).