Rhavynn Drummer, Tyler Ennis, and Amanda Watkins bring national experience, deep Atlanta connections, and a shared commitment to advancing the Alliance’s artistic vision

ATLANTA, Oct 26, 2026 – Atlanta’s Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre announces three appointments to its leadership team that signal an exciting new chapter of artistic growth, community connection, and national impact. Rhavynn Drummer joins as Casting Director, Tyler Ennis joins the organization as Chief Development Officer, and Amanda Watkins has been named BOLD Artistic Producer following her roles as Associate Producer and Director of New Works.

Together, these leaders bring decades of experience across Broadway, regional theater, film, television, and arts philanthropy. Each also shares a meaningful connection to Atlanta, reinforcing the Alliance’s vision of being a national theater deeply rooted in the city it calls home.The appointments reflect a strategic investment in the people and partnerships that will shape the Alliance’s future: strengthening the philanthropic relationships that make ambitious work possible, connecting exceptional talent to its stages, and championing artists and new stories from development to production.

“At the Alliance, we believe that being a national theater and being rooted in Atlanta are not competing ambitions – they are what make each other possible,” said Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses, Jennings Hertz Artistic Directors of Alliance Theatre. “Rhavynn, Tyler, and Amanda each bring extraordinary experience, vision, and a deep understanding of the creative potential of this city. Their leadership will help us invest more boldly in artists, deepen our relationships with our community, and create work that begins in Atlanta and resonates far beyond it. This is what the next chapter of the Alliance looks like: Atlanta’s talent helping shape the future of American theater.”

Rhavynn Drummer, Casting Director
An accomplished casting director, producer, and director with deep roots in Atlanta’s thriving entertainment industry, Rhavynn Drummer brings an expansive network of talent and a passion for discovering and championing exceptional performers to her new role at the Alliance.

Drummer began her casting career at Tyler Perry Studios, where she worked across film, television, and theatrical productions. Her credits include projects such as The Haves and the Have Nots, Sistas, The Oval, and A Jazzman’s Blues. Her work has also extended to independent projects and collaborations with entertainment companies including Nickelodeon, Starz, and BET.

With a career spanning both stage and screen, Drummer has witnessed and helped shape Atlanta’s emergence as a major center for entertainment production. Her appointment represents an opportunity for the Alliance to build even stronger connections with the city’s extraordinary community of actors while bringing a broad national perspective to casting its productions.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, where she studied Theater and American Studies, Drummer is also an award-winning filmmaker whose creative work includes the digital series Good Girls and Brooklyn.Blue.Sky.

As Casting Director, Drummer will play an essential role in connecting artists with opportunities at the Alliance, expanding relationships across Atlanta’s performing arts community, and assembling the dynamic ensembles that bring the theater’s stories to life.

Tyler Ennis, Chief Development Officer
A seasoned fundraising executive and lifelong arts advocate, Tyler Ennis brings two decades of experience building philanthropic partnerships and advancing some of the nation’s leading performing arts organizations. His appointment will help strengthen the relationships and resources that sustain the Alliance’s artistic ambitions, education initiatives, and community impact.

Ennis spent 13 years in senior fundraising positions at Roundabout Theatre Company in New York and Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, two of the nation’s largest nonprofit theater organizations. His career also includes work with Manhattan Theatre Club, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, La Jolla Playhouse, and Atlanta’s Horizon Theatre Company. Most recently, he founded Mainstage Consulting Group, where he advised arts organizations on fundraising strategy, campaign planning, board development, and executive leadership.

Born in Atlanta and raised in Georgia, Ennis began his fundraising career in his home state. His return to Atlanta represents both a professional homecoming and an opportunity to connect the city’s philanthropic community with the Alliance’s growing artistic vision.

Amanda Watkins, BOLD Artistic Producer
Amanda Watkins’ promotion to BOLD Artistic Producer recognizes her contributions to the Alliance’s artistic work and expands her leadership in developing new plays and musicals, supporting artists, and bringing ambitious new stories to the stage.

Previously serving as Director of New Works and Associate Producer, Watkins has been instrumental in developing multiple projects at the Alliance and serves as resident director of the theater’s annual production of A Christmas Carol. She also co-developed and directed Approval Junkie, starring Faith Salie, which premiered at the Alliance’s Hertz Theatre before being picked up by Audible Theatre for a New York engagement at the Minetta Theatre and a subsequent audio release.

Watkins brings extensive Broadway producing and development experience to her role. As Executive Vice President of Production and Development at The Araca Group in New York, she spent eight years working with playwrights, composers, and creative teams to develop new work.

Her Broadway producing credits include Disgraced, the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Ayad Akhtar, and the 2010 revival of Lend Me a Tenor, directed by Stanley Tucci.

A former Broadway and regional theater performer, Watkins also served as General Manager of Broadway Dreams, an organization dedicated to mentoring and training emerging theater artists. Her work reflects a career-long commitment to nurturing creative talent and helping artists realize their visions.

With longstanding ties to Georgia’s theater community, Watkins brings a combination of national producing experience and local artistic investment to her expanded role. As BOLD Artistic Producer, she will help advance the Alliance’s commitment to originating new work, supporting playwrights and creative teams, and developing productions with the potential to contribute to the national theatrical landscape. Watkins’ position is supported by the BOLD Theater Women’s Leadership Circle, whose mission is to create a network of women artistic leaders in professional theaters across the United States and empower them to address the issues preventing women from advancing in theater leadership.

A National Theater Rooted in Atlanta
These leadership appointments come as the Alliance continues to build on its legacy as a nationally recognized producing theater and a vital part of Atlanta’s cultural landscape. With a history of originating work that has reached Broadway and audiences across the country, the Alliance is uniquely positioned to connect the city’s creative energy with the broader American theater community.

By investing in leadership that understands both the national theatrical landscape and the people, institutions, and creative communities of Atlanta, the Alliance is strengthening its ability to develop new work, cultivate artistic relationships, expand philanthropic support, and create meaningful connections with audiences.

The arrival of Drummer and Ennis, alongside Watkins’ expanded role, represents more than a series of leadership changes. It reflects a shared vision for what the Alliance can become – a theater whose national ambitions are fueled by the talent, creativity, and generosity of its home city.