Lesli Chandler in Astor Aug 1 2023. Photo Ed Halverson

The Astor Theatre Society is once again on the hunt for a new Executive Director.

Just over two months into the job, Lesli Chandler has resigned from her position as the Executive Director of The Astor Theatre citing the need to prioritize her family.

Chandler says The Astor Theatre is one of the best live venue spaces she has known.

The Board of Directors of the Astor Theatre Society published a statement announcing Chandler’s departure on Thursday and acknowledged her contributions and dedication wishing her success in her future endeavors.

Chandler’s resignation is effective immediately.

Former Executive Director Jean Robinson Dexter announced her decision to resign in March of this year and a replacement was found shortly afterwards. However, the Astor Theatre Society posted to social media in May that the newly hired Executive Director decided not to take the job and the search was back on.

Chandler was announced as the new Executive Director in June and began her tenure July 5.

Robinson Dexter has agreed to step in as the acting, part-time Executive Director while the board searches for Chandler’s replacement.

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Entrance to Region of Queens council chambers. Photo Ed Halverson

The Region of Queens top employee has quit.

Chief Administrative Officer Chris McNeill has resigned to take up the same post in Annapolis County.

McNeill has been the CAO for Queens since January 9, 2019.

Mayor Darlene Norman says she held off making the news public until council and staff were informed of his departure.

Norman says council will now need to determine what their next steps will be.

She says there are senior staff members who can step into an acting CAO role on an interim basis, but they will need to begin the search for a permanent replacement.

“In today’s market, CAOs do not come a dime a dozen. I’d like to be optimistic and think that there’s someone who would love to live here in the Region of Queens,” said Norman.

The emotion was apparent as Mayor Norman talked about her respect for McNeill and the work he has done in his time in Queens.

“I have always supported CAO McNeill. I believe his heart is in the betterment of the community,” said Norman. “He’s a wise, intelligent person and when I learned of this, I said I didn’t know whether to cry or to wish him well, so I wished him well.”

McNeill will end his tenure with the Region of Queens in early May.

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Howe of the Astor Theatre, the Liverpool Town Hall Arts and Cultural Centre. Photo Ed Halverson

The executive director at the Astor Theatre is taking her final bow.

Jean Robinson-Dexter announced she will be stepping away from the position at the end of March.

She has been in the part-time executive director position at the Astor Theatre for almost three years while continuing to run her own consulting firm.

Robinson-Dexter says that busy schedule combined with health concerns caused her to think about how she wants to spend her time.

“As a number of people would know is that I have been on a journey with breast cancer for over a year now and that treatment is still underway,” said Robinson-Dexter. “I think I just took a pause a few days ago to think about where I am you know, the treatment seems to be going well but at my age I needed to think about out one, my health for myself and my family and what I wanted to be doing over the next few years.”

Robinson-Dexter will no longer run the day-to-day operations of the theatre, but still wants to be involved.

She was originally drawn to the Astor as a producer for shows like “The Full Monty”, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and the Winds of Change production of “Les Misérables” and would like to return in that capacity, helping to bring new shows to life.

But before show starts planning her next production Robinson-Dexter will be tying-off loose ends over the next couple of weeks.

“There are a few deliverables and pieces of work that I want to have completed and the board would like me to complete before I step back and of course, as I say, I’ll be around and happy to support and provide information for whoever comes next,” said Robinson-Dexter.

She speaks fondly of her time as executive director and looks forward to being involved with the theatre in a new capacity.

“The Astor is a pretty special place in our community, and I think I’ve been pretty privileged to have the opportunity to be part of the Astor family for as many years as I have and so my role is hopefully just changing.”

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