Skidmore heads up new DC theatrical agency

Jeremy Skidmore, who Washington theatregoers first became aware of as Theater Alliance’s wunderkind Artistic Director, has joined lawyer Roger Yoerges to form the DC-based theatrical representation firm, Capital Talent Agency. CTA will offer “a holistic approach to serving our clients…not just based off of contracts and negotiations but also taking into account as many things as possible that will…make our clients’ home and professional lives easier,” Skidmore said.

Skidmore views the Agency’s mission less in terms of the traditional agent’s task of increasing revenues to his clients and more in terms of both providing local theatre companies with the talent they need and increasing his clients’ opportunities for work. “In the DC area I have strong relationships with most of the artistic directors and casting directors and have developed a strong sense of what they are looking for in the actors they hire,” Skidmore observed. “I have many relationships with regional theatre artistic directors and freelance directors and I plan to tap into those in order to facilitate getting CTA clients seen for regional theatre work around the country.” Skidmore notes that the Agency will represent both Equity and non-Equity clients to theatres both in and outside the D.C. area, and will be looking to place its clients in film, television and commercials as well. The firm intends eventually to offer health care benefits to its clients.

The 32-year-old Skidmore first rocked the Washington-area theatre scene in 2001, when he took the helm of H Street’s Theater Alliance and staged such provocative shows as Mary’s Wedding, [Sic], Slaughter City and The Bluest Eye. He introduced Aaron Posner to the Washington area to direct the much-underappreciated Headsman’s Holiday and brought the Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor to our attention with Theater Alliance’s staging of You Are Here. He left Theater Alliance in 2007 to embark on a career as an independent director.  He has won acclaim for his direction of several productions, the most recent of which was Forum’s Angels in America – Millennium Approaches, for which he has received a Helen Hayes nomination.  For the last two years, Skidmore has served as Producer for the  Source Festival of new work.

To these skills and accomplishment Skidmore now intends to add an MBA. “(I made) the decision to go back to graduate school to earn my MBA so that my business sensibilities can be sharpened and become as developed as my artistic sensibilities,” Skidmore said.  “I want to step outside of the non-profit world for a bit and learn as much as a can about business from the for-profit/corporate world.”  Skidmore’s commitment to his two-year educational program would make it impossible to direct during that period, he said. “Since I was not going to be directing for the next two seasons I had eliminated any conflict of interest that would stem from me wanting to hire my own clients and I also became excited by the notion of applying the business skills I was learning in my MBA program to an actual business I was helping to build.” Skidmore hopes ultimately to return to a role as an Artistic Director.

While Capital Talent Agency is not accepting new clients, those seeking to audition CTA clients may reach Skidmore through Capital Talent Agency’s Web site.