Rudina Toro (Photo by Jason Nuttle)
GableStage and Palm Beach Dramaworks are entering the new season with new executives added to the existing management.
Rudina Toro, who has been Dramaworks’ first chief financial & operation office since March 2023, assumes the role of Executive Director.
Rachel Burrtram Powers, an Alabama producer-arts administrator who has acted at GableStage and Florida Repertory Theatre, will become an Interim Managing Director at the Coral Gables company.
When Toro was hired two years ago, it was with the knowledge that she would become Managing Director Sue Ellen BeryBeryl’s successor. Beryl was preparing to step down as managing director – that title has been retired – to spend more time with her children and grandchildren.
Toro’s association with the company dates back two decades when she collaborated with Beryl on PBD’s inaugural audit, and remained audit manager for the next 12 years.
Not only did the two women become friends, but Toro worked closely with Beryl on operational and financial structures, and was an advisor, sounding board, and resource.
“Rudina knows PBD from the inside out, loves the company, and is committed to its mission,” said Beryl. “We knew she was the right person to step into this job, and I’m looking forward to seeing how she and Bill (Hayes, producing artistic director) continue to grow the company.”
Toro said, “It’s been an incredible journey, and I know that it will keep getting better. The mission here is so important to me, and I don’t want ‘Theatre to Think About’ touched or diluted in any way. It’s who we are.”
“One of the things we’ve already begun to do is craft a broader effort to make people aware of our work, because we think that once they get to know us, they’ll be all-in and eager to come back again and again. In addition to the exceptional quality of our productions, our box office and front-of-house personnel create a warm and welcoming atmosphere and go the extra mile for our patrons. There’s a reason we often refer to the ‘PBD family.’ “
“What we’re focusing on now is messaging,” Toro continued. “But now we have more resources to devote towards creative messaging and advertising to let people know we’re here and that we offer thought-provoking theatre. We aim to deepen existing relationships and reach new audiences whom we can develop into lifelong patrons and friends.”
Hayes said, “Rudina brings a youthful perspective, a new way of looking at things…. It’s good to bring in somebody younger, who has fresh ideas and can bring new life to the organization – technology, more efficient ways of doing things. I tend to be a dinosaur about certain things. But I’m also smart enough to know that the organization needs what Rudina has to offer.”
Toro had a long career in finance, accounting, and business. A certified public accountant, she holds a dual Bachelor of Science in applied finance and accounting from Palm Beach Atlantic University and a master’s degree in taxation from Florida Atlantic University. She grew up surrounded by theater. Her mother was a producing artistic director, and her uncle was an actor and director with the National Theatre of Albania. This early exposure instilled in her a lifelong passion for the performing arts.
Beryl remains at PBD in a new capacity. As Founder in Residence – a position that gives her fewer day-to-day responsibilities and more flexibility – her goal is “to help secure the company’s next 25 years, which includes starting an endowment, deepening relationships with donors and partners, and bringing new people into the PBD family.”
Burrtram is recognizable from her performances in GableStage’s Appropriate and A Doll’s House, Part 2, but she is also an aarts leader with decades of experience across the theater field.
A teacher, digital theater visionary and builder of systems, Burrtram Powers has produced work ranging from intimate productions to large-scale events. Her Facebook page charts the backstage life of a professional theater artist. She is an expert in forging partnerships across sectors, from the U.S. State Department to Google, Amazon, and Twitter—all while keeping a sense of humor and deep care at the center of her work.
She is a grant recipient of the Alabama State Council on the Arts Individual Artists Fellowship Cohort for 2025/2026.
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