Napoleon Gladney
By Kharisma McIlwaine
In 2024, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Cultural Campus introduced a new brand, Ensemble Arts Philly. Ensemble Arts Philly provides new clarity for audiences online and in physical spaces. Ensemble Arts Philly represents a wide array of genres which include: Broadway, comedy, dance, family presentations, jazz and theater at three venues: the Academy of Music, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Miller Theater.
Napoleon Gladney, a seasoned performer in his own right, is bringing his expertise to Ensemble Arts Philly as the director of theatrical programming and presentations. Gladney spoke with the SUN about his role at Ensemble Arts Philly and what audiences can expect in the upcoming season.
Originally from Los Angeles, Gladney made the transition to Philadelphia in 2021.
“I moved Halloween weekend 2021, transitioning out of the pandemic,” he said. “I was working at a university and had just transitioned back to school and decided to move to Philly. There was [the] weather, there was the COVID of it all, it was being out of the house, doing new patterns and going new places. It was a really interesting transition. I felt welcomed. I had great housing and lived only a few blocks from [the] Kimmel buildings which was really nice. My commute was a 10-minute walk, which I loved. Also just being able to see how the city was reopening and how people were re-engaging was really exciting and interesting.”
No stranger to performance, Gladney toured the country with the Broadway production of “Wicked” and later took on the role of dance captain in the show.
“It was a fantastic experience for me,” he said. “I did it for several years. I first joined the first national touring company when I was 22 years old. I was two years out of college. I had done a bit of professional work in the commercial space as well as with dance companies but this was my first big touring Broadway production and there was a big learning curve. I got to see all the major markets when I toured, so it was a really exciting transition. I was a dancer first. I was able to find my voice having a dance background. I was always fearful of singing and lines, but I was around people who did it all the time, and I was able to get more training, education and learning from them. I was able to move on from being a member of the company on stage every day to being a swing. Then I became a dance captain. I knew every male role in the show, every track, every line. So that was a big undertaking for me. It was a really great, loving, familial experience traveling around the country. I had a great journey with “Wicked.””
Gladney’s background as a performer offers him a very unique perspective in his role as director of Theatrical Programming and Presentations for Ensemble Arts Philly.
“I’m responsible for our Ensemble Arts Presents portfolio of performances, mostly single nights or small multi-night engagements spanning our jazz series, family discovery series, co-presentations with other presenters in the region, as well as direct booking and curation for single night engagements,” Gladney said. “That includes comedy, music, theatrical improv, [and] even special engagements like A Soulful Christmas, and we work with companies like Philadanco. Since we merged with the orchestra, it’s been really exciting to work with them on orchestra specials — helping to bring in headlining vocalists and artists to support the orchestra as well. We also support free community engagement events with education. I’m booking around 100 shows a season.”
“It’s a lot about curation — working with agents and managers and the relationships that I’ve built in the industry to usher in talent to our great stages and advocate for our spaces,” Gladney added. “There is a lot of competition in our markets with other vendors and other theaters, so it’s making sure we’re advocating for artists to come to our spaces, and for audiences to have the great quality of artists that are out there.”
Ensemble Arts Philly takes an all-encompassing approach when booking artists regarding an artist’s production needs.
“People just think that we’re looking at art from a subjective point of view or my opinion, but there’s actually a lot of finances and economics that go into it,” Gladney said. “We create budgets and look at expenses for each of our artists and our shows. What are their needs? What are the needs of each of our venues and our teams? How can we collaborate internally to have the best experience for our artists and for audiences?
Every light, every piano, every costume means there’s going to be an expense associated. So, we think about how everything is put into the mix there.”
Ensemble Arts Philly’s mission is to appeal to the widest audience possible and offer varying perspectives of art.
“I think it’s really important to look for diverse voices for people that are bringing something new and exciting. Even if it is a more classic or traditional art form, how are they flipping it on its head? How are they representing where they’re from? Are they from Philly? How are they able to connect to the community at large? Are they interested in being out in the community and having those touch points? Also looking at shows that do well at the box office is important to look at in the mix of things.”
Gladney was excited to share details about Ensemble Arts Philly’s upcoming unique performances with the city’s community.
“We’re doing a lot of work with authors as well as people that work in the food space,” he said. “Another thing I’m really excited about that we’re starting to do more of is live symphony orchestra with film adaptations or video game adaptations. We’re working on a co-presentation of “Stardew Valley Symphony,” which is the game — different scenes of it with the score and an orchestra. In the dance space, I love that we present Ailey annually and Philadanco in the spring. I feel like there’s so much.”
To find out more about upcoming shows at Ensemble Arts Philly, visit: ensembleartsphilly.org and follow them on social media platforms @ensembleartsphilly.
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