Derek Charles Livingston starts our conversation by singing a few bars of “Rhode Island is Famous for You,” a funnily charming little ditty from a 1940s musical revue called Inside USA.

Livingston graduated with a Bachelor in Theatre Arts from Brown University, located in Providence, R.I. This author is from the neighboring city of Cranston. The song provided a moment of connection.

And connection is something that’s deeply important to the newly appointed artistic director of Stages, who takes the reins this summer from Kenn McLaughlin, who’s retiring after 23 years of helming the theater.

He sees Stages as an organization that holds a vital place within Houston’s arts community, and he envisions myriad ways to build the theater’s connections to the city. Amid his clear enthusiasm for this new journey he’s about to take, he’s also filled with gratitude.

“I’m humbled. I’m immensely grateful. I’m excited by the possibilities,” Livingston tells CultureMap. “The Gordy is like giving an artist a playground!”

He imagines Stages’ home as a place where visual artists can showcase their work, inspired by or dovetailing with performances on stage. He sees the soaring lobby as a natural meeting place for discussions about the arts and the things we see on stage and how they can change us.

“There’s just a plethora of exciting opportunities,” he says.

Livingston comes to Houston from the Utah Shakespeare Festival, where he has been the director of New Play Development since 2021, and served as the interim artistic director from June 2022 to November 2023. His experience also includes serving as the managing artistic director of Los Angeles’ Celebration Theatre. And he has a long history as someone who looks to bring communities together. He has a photo in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and he served as a national co-chair of the 1993 LGBTQ equal rights march on Washington, one of the largest in United States history.

He anticipates bringing that experience with him to Houston, to further enhance the work Stages has done in launching new work and new artists. He discusses the idea of bolstering the theater’s Sin Muros Festival, which celebrates Latinx voices and stories with a series of readings and workshops.

“I want to have spaces where we develop new works with new writers and new voices, but also help them recalculate and rework their plays from readings to workshops to being on our stage,” he says. “And not just our stage, but having those works evolved to where they can be performed anywhere in the country.”

The idea of allowing artists the space to grow their plays at the Gordy speaks to Livingston’s belief that the arts are a connector among communities. Allowing audiences to watch a play from its first reading to a first full staging gives them an inside look of what it takes to make this particular art, as well as demonstrating that Stages is committed to having a place in the country’s evolving theater scene.

In taking over the top spot at Stages, Livingston is one of the first Black men to lead a top-tier Houston arts organization. He’s one of a handful around the country.

“Being a Black arts leader puts me into a brotherhood now,” he says, listing off several other organizations headed by Black men, including the Actors Theater of Louisville, Arena Players in Baltimore, and the Geffin in Los Angeles. “We all have earned the right to be in these spaces, and for me, that comes with a responsibility to be an active, visible presence to other people of color. It’s a testament to a belief in the idea that artistry and drive can make change happen.”

Livingston is looking forward to exploring Houston and collaborating with the city’s other institutions.

“Houston has a Museum District,” he says, emphasizing the last word. “That is telling to me on how Houstonians see themselves in relation to the art and artists that are here. It tells me the city recognizes the importance of expression and what it means to be present in the world.”

His first official day in his new role will be August 5. Prior to that, he’ll be in Houston for a week in June, spending time with the Stages team and doing what he calls a “brain transfer” with McLaughlin to help him prepare for what’s next.

Livingston’s enthusiasm is apparent when he speaks about his future here in Houston. He’s hoping he’ll be embraced by the community and he’s very aware of the legacy he’s been handed.

“I won’t violate that!” he says.

He also wants his new city to understand that his desire to connect runs both ways, and as much as he’s looking forward to being part of Houston, he’s hoping even more of Houston will look forward to being part of Stages.

“Come to the theater,” he concludes. “Bring your fears. Come with an open mind and an open heart and let’s have a conversation.”