Todd Haimes, the artistic director of New York's Roundabout Theatre Company, has renewed his full-time commitment to his position at the nonprofit company. The announcement came just over a year after Haimes had assumed additional, outside duties with the beleaguered commercial theatrical production company, Livent.

"I accepted a second job as artistic director of Livent a year ago," Haimes said in a prepared statement, "with the understanding that I would remain artistic director of the Roundabout through the company's move to its new home on 42nd Street [to the site of the former Selwyn Theatre]. Now that my services are no longer required by Livent, I'm delighted to be able to return to Roundabout full time."

The announcement last year that Haimes was assuming a position at Livent made news. Haimes was never associated with the allegations of executive misconduct and subsequent indictments of Livent's co-founders, Garth Drabinksy and Myron Gottlieb, but the challenge of attempting to make Livent successful seemed all but overwhelming.

Throughout the latter part of 1998 and into 1999, however, Haimes continued at Roundabout, which is counted among the country's most dynamic nonprofit theatres. In his capacity there, Haimes continued to work on production, fundraising, a move from the Criterion Center on Broadway, and the ongoing reconstruction of the Roundabout's new home.

Part of Haimes' cachet seems to be his talent for managing the creative side as well the business side of theatre. Haimes not only initiated Roundabout's successful director-in-residence program and its New Play Initiative but also managed the introduction of a complex marketing plan, Theatre Plus, which represents 20 percent of Roundabout's 40,000-member subscriber base.

Haimes has been the artistic director at Roundabout since 1990. He joined the company as managing director in 1983 and is credited with steering the organization from a $2.5 million deficit to become the second largest operating theatre company in the United States.

-- By Murdoch McBride