City Springs Theatre Company’s Natalie DeLancey named to Hall of Fame

Natalie DeLancey has accomplished much in her short career in arts administration, including helping to form the City Springs Theatre Company. Now, she can call herself a Hall of Famer with the Georgia Theatre Conference.

DeLancey, the executive director of the City Springs Theatre Company, was named to the Georgia Theatre Conference’s Hall of Fame in October.

“Her name is synonymous with excellence, reflecting her many years of impactful contributions to theater education, arts advocacy, and the creation of world-class theater that extends from and beyond her work with City Springs Theatre Company,” said Jono Davis, executive director of the Georgia Theatre Conference. “It is an honor to add her to this legacy of incredible leaders in the arts.”

City Springs Theatre Company was formed in 2017 by Sandy Springs residents Jan Collins, Steven Hauser, and Peggy and Jerry Stapleton.

DeLancey said she started performing in high school, but chose a business career with plans to become an arts patron or occasional performer. She performed with the Atlanta Lyric Theatre while going to college and working part-time with the Jenny T. Anderson Theatre.

After graduation, she started working for State Farm, but DeLancey said it wasn’t for her. A friend’s recommendation led to her work in arts administration and arts education at the Woodruff Arts Center. She also became involved with the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Shuler Awards. She said the last time she worked with the Shuler Awards in 2017, the show won its first Southeastern Emmy Award. The Shuler Awards are named for Tony Award-winner Shuler Hensley, who also happens to be the artistic director at City Springs Theatre Company.

After three years with Woodruff, DeLancey said she joined the Arts Bridge Foundation as director of Arts Education and Community Outreach. She helped the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre program grow to 50,000 students annually.

DeLancey’s next position came when Brandt Blocker recruited her for the nonprofit City Springs Theatre Company at its start in 2017. She knew Blocker from the Atlanta Lyric Theatre and took the leap, even though she thought it was a risk to leave a full-time job for a brand new nonprofit theater company. She started as the managing director and launched the arts education programs, did all the fundraising, and oversaw the business elements.

When COVID hit in the middle of the company’s second season, they had to cancel the remaining performances. As a backup plan, they decided to film performers individually, creating monthly virtual concerts to replace the main stage shows in September and December. DeLancey said more than 4,000 people watched the virtual shows.

During that time, two performing artists created an original work, an anti-bullying hip-hop musical called “Beautiful” that was distributed to Georgia schools.

“We were especially glad to be one of the first theaters in Atlanta to put on a full musical [in person after the COVID outbreak],” DeLancey said. “That was ‘Mamma Mia’ outside at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre. We came back in May of 2021.”

That same year, Blocker’s plan to serve as executive and artistic director for five years was cut short. He stepped down in June of 2021, with DeLancey taking over the executive director job.

The City Springs Theatre Company prioritizes casting local residents. While casting may look to the greater Broadway community for certain roles, the Atlanta area has many actors with Broadway credits. DeLancey said that the company’s production of “Frozen,” which starts in December, has a cast who are all local to the Atlanta region.

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