NCTC announces leadership change as Decker steps down

San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theatre Center has announced that founder and artistic director Ed Decker, a gay man, will step down in January. NCTC’s board also stated that Ben Villegas Randle, a queer Latine man, will then take the helm as artistic director as the organization enters its 45th year.

NCTC’s board made the announcement October 8.

The company champions queer theater productions. Decker started NCTC in 1981 as a progressive arts education program for young people. It has since grown into a nationally-recognized organization, a news release noted. During Decker’s leadership, NCTC has produced hundreds of productions, including over 40 world premieres, served thousands of students through its on-site and touring programs, and provided career opportunities to many artists and educators in the Bay Area.

Randle is well-known to Decker and NCTC’s board. In 2013, as the board launched its succession plan, Randle was named the company’s first artistic associate with hopes he one day might take over, according to the release. That plan paused while Randle earned a Drama League Fellowship and moved to New York City a couple of years later. But in 2024, just as NCTC’s board launched its search, Randle was already preparing to return to San Francisco and to his artistic home, the release noted.

In a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter ahead of the formal announcement, Decker said that Randle had again become artistic associate in January. Randle previously also served as NCTC’s stage director and press manager, the release stated.

“He’s somebody I’ve been mentoring for more than 20 years,” Decker said of Randle. “He’s already committed to the mission of the theater and has a real vibrant connection, not only in how NCTC works, but our community.”

Decker said that he felt it was the right time to make the changes. He said that come the new year, he will move into an artistic director emeritus role through August, working in the background and “speaking with donors.”

“A succession plan has been in place for the last decade,” Decker said. “Two years ago, I asked the board to trigger it because I knew it would take some time.”

Three of the current season’s six shows are now in process, he said, with the remainder coming next year. “Ruthless!” starts in December. “The Hot Wing King” by Katori Hall plays through October 19, while “Spanish Stew” by lesbian comedian Marga Gomez begins performances October 17.

NCTC’s fiscal year runs from September to August, when Decker will make his final departure, he said.

Randle said that he hopes to build upon the loyalty NCTC has engendered over the years.

“For me, I think it’s really important – I feel one of the most admired things about Ed is the incredible loyalty people have, both subscribers and donors,” Randle said in an October 6 phone interview ahead of the formal announcement. “I want to keep those relationships and also find ways NCTC can be that same kind of home for future generations.”

Randle, 42, stated in the release that he’s learned a lot from NCTC.

“NCTC is where I first felt empowered to take risks, to tell stories from my perspective as a queer Latine artist, and where I learned how theater can be both deeply personal and radically communal,” he stated. “Ed didn’t just create a theater – he created a home. I’m not stepping into this role to only continue his legacy – I’m stepping in to serve it, to help it evolve and reach its next promise.

“I’ve seen first hand the impact this theater can have and I believe in its power – not just to reflect the world, but to shape it,” Randle added.

Randle will direct Christopher Oscar Peña’s “how to make an American Son” next April.

NCTC board Chair Cedric Wilson noted the organization followed its strategic plan. “We knew it would be nearly impossible to replace Ed. We needed someone who truly understands NCTC’s heart and purpose – and we found that in Ben,” Wilson stated.

 
A long tenure
Decker, 69, said that his proudest achievement is that the core of the organization – its educational programming – has endured for young people. Now, it’s been expanded to offer adult theater classes.

“It’s really important for kids to come into their own, to develop critical thinking skills, work ethic, and solve problems together,” Decker said. “To learn about our differences and find ways to connect through those qualities.”

In terms of challenges, Decker echoed what leaders of other nonprofits have stated: fluctuation in funding, the COVID pandemic, and the current political landscape. NCTC was one of several local performing arts nonprofits that saw federal grant money rescinded, as the B.A.R. previously reported. A tentative funding recommendation for $20,000 was pulled by the National Endowment for the Arts by the Trump administration.

“Now, we’re in a real challenging period for the queer community,” said Decker. “Just like life, there will be things that need to be faced, conquered, if you will. And there will be wonderful times to celebrate and be part of the queer community and allied community.”

As for regrets, Decker was clear.

“Oh, no regrets,” he said. “Goodness, to have the opportunity to have my life’s work be something I enjoy and be so passionate about – I love what I do. Not that there aren’t hard days.”

NCTC has a budget of just about $2 million and 15 full-time staff, Decker said. Artisans are hired for the various productions or teaching positions, he explained. Randle declined to share his salary; Decker earned $101,962 according to the nonprofit’s most recent 990 tax filing. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/942778856/202500349349301880/full

The future
NCTC Executive Director Barb Hodgen stated that the organization will be in good hands with Randle at the helm.

“This is a thrilling and poignant time for the NCTC family,” she stated. “Ed’s generous spirit infuses the entire organization, and I can’t think of a better person than Ben to carry that forward to a brave new future. Our artists, staff, and audience will be in good hands.”

Randle said that he and Decker have already put together NCTC’s 2026-27 season, which will be announced next spring. And he said that NCTC’s commissions program will pick up again. It had been paused during the leadership transition discussions, he said.

The program sees NCTC commission works from playwrights for world premieres.

“It will ramp back up,” said Randle.

Randle, who lives in Berkeley, said that since 2008 he’s directed 14 productions for NCTC.

He noted that NCTC’s continuity “is something that meant a lot to Ed and is a huge asset to me.” Though he hinted, “I think there will be some surprises in store.”

As for Decker, he quipped that his husband, Robert Leone, whom he’s been with for 38 years, will no longer be a “theater widow.” The couple live in San Francisco, and Leone is retired after a career in global public health, Decker said.

“My husband is eight years ahead of me in the retirement stage, and doing things he likes. Those will reveal themselves once this is finished,” Decker said of his own impending retirement, though he noted he plans to spend some time with his elderly mother, whom he noted, “is in great shape.”

Decker, who will have turned 70 by next summer, said he chose to announce the leadership transition now for several reasons.

“I wanted to do this on my own terms,” he said. “The organization is in a strong fiscal position, and our year-to-year subscription base has grown a little and remains stable.”

For more information about NCTC, visit nctcsf.org.