Anthony Runfola

biography

​Anthony Runfola is an artistic director, director, and producer with over 25 years of experience in Theatre for Young Audiences.

He began his career at Childsplay in Tempe, Arizona, where he spent two decades in leadership roles including Production Manager, General Manager, and Director of Production. During his tenure, he oversaw more than 150 productions, contributed to new play development including Tomás and the Library Lady and The Sun Serpent, directed national tours of Rock the Presidents and Schoolhouse Rock Live!, and helped shape Childsplay's ensemble culture through significant periods of organizational growth.

From 2019–2025, he served as Artistic Director of Magik Theatre in San Antonio, Texas, leading the company toward inclusive, socially relevant storytelling through new play development and community partnerships. He commissioned and directed the world premieres of Lyric and the Keys and Eddie & Vinnie, and directed productions including ¡Lotería: Game On!, The Lightning Thief, and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. During his tenure, he launched San Antonio's first Pay-What-You-Wish ticketing program and the city's first dedicated quiet room for patrons with sensory sensitivities, prioritized work by Latinx playwrights to reflect the community Magik serves, and led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic by pivoting to virtual and outdoor programming. Under his leadership, Magik Theatre was named "Best Theatre" by the San Antonio Current from 2022–2024.

Anthony has been a guest artist at theatres throughout the U.S., including Imagination Stage, Orlando Family Stage, Geva Theatre Center, Black Theatre Troupe, Teatro Bravo, Phoenix Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, and Mesa Community College. His directing credits span theatre for young audiences and adult work, including A Steady Rain, Top Girls, Broke-Ology, Goodnight Moon, and Wonderland: Alice's Rock & Roll Adventure.

He is committed to equity, accessibility, and sustainability in theatrical practice. In 2010, through funding from the MetLife Foundation and Theatre Communications Group, he founded the Sustainable Stagecraft Initiative, researching and developing sustainable practices for theatrical production. He was founding co-chair of Childsplay's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee and a member of the inaugural cohort of artEquity. He co-directed Childsplay's El Puente project, an outreach program engaging Latinx families in Phoenix, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Trust.

In 1998 he was selected to participate in the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, and in 2000 was invited to join Director's Lab West at the Pasadena Playhouse. He has served on the boards of Desert State USITT, Teatro Bravo, and Stray Cat Theatre, and was a founding member and artistic director of Upstairs Theatre Company in Tucson.