Longtime Live Arts artistic director John Gibson told C-VILLE Weekly this morning that he will resign from his position on January 4, 2010—18 years after he first set foot inside the local theater.

"It's a totally positive choice, and largely but not completely a personal one," Gibson explained during an interview. "My longtime partner died in January, and he was a real rock of stability for me and vice versa," said Gibson. "In the wake of his death, I began a process of really deep soul-searching."

Gibson, who oversaw more than 200 productions during his time at Live Arts, will retain three major responsibilities during the months approaching his resignation: supervision of Live Arts' annual participation in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, producing Live Arts' 18th annual Gala on November 7, and directing a musical this fall, title to be announced during the annual Live Arts season announcement on Monday, May 4.

Asked if he would remain in Charlottesville, Gibson answered, "Yes, yes. Charlottesville, I hope, will long be my home. I have a profound connection to this community and these people and to my little corner of the world on Lexington Avenue." As for his future with the stage, Gibson said he would "probably take a break from the theater for a while, because I've had a great run," but would stretch a few other creative muscles.

"As much as I love directing at Live Arts, I'm also curious about other types of stages and other forms. So, could it be anywhere other than Live Arts? Yeah, it could be," Gibson explained. "But will it always, in some form, be Live Arts? Yes. Of course."

Stay tuned to c-ville.com for more about Gibson's announcement, and read Feedback in next week's paper for expanded coverage. In the meantime, I'd like to hear a few tributes to our parting artistic director, and thoughts about the direction of our theater. Also, you can read more about Gibson's history with Live Arts in our current feature here.

Artistic director John Gibson will resign from Live Arts on January 4, 2010.