Val Devine leaving Rialto

Executive Director Val Devine is leaving the Rialto Square Theatre.

The Rialto announced Devine’s decision late Friday afternoon, a decision that board Chairman Robert Filotto described as “a quality of life issue.”

“This job just consumes you,” Filotto said. “Val is the type of person who gives 110% to everything. She’s done it for five years at the Rialto.”

He said Devine is looking to spend more time with family and to pursue something else that will leave some open nights and weekends.

“She’s resigning from the entertainment industry,” he said.

Devine is an employe of VenuWorks, the company that manages the Rialto.

Filotto siad he expects VenuWorks will supply an interim executive director after Devine’s departure and that the Rialto board will work with VenuWorks in hiring the next executive director.

“When we hired Val, it was very much a mutual decision,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll be doing the same process this time.”

Devine came to the Rialto in April 2017 from the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, where she was vice president of production.

She came to the Rialto during a troubled time for the theater, which was climbing out of financial problems and emerging from a turbulent time in which her predecessor left under a cloud and the entire Rialto board had been replaced.

VenuWorks was brought in as a third-party manager to improve operations, and Devine was the first permanent executive director hired by VenuWorks.

She received praise for her enthusiastic approach to the job as the theater began recovering from a slump in which it had virtually stopped booking shows.

Devine commented last week at a press conference announcing a $5 million state grant for Rialto renovations that the money marked the crowning moment in a return to “a healthier and vibrant Rialto.”

She could not be reached late Friday for a comment on her departure from the Rialto.

Filotto said Devine did not plan to retire but was leaving the entertainment business so she could spend more time with family on a less demanding work schedule.

“I’m hoping that Val will find something in the Joliet area so we can keep her in the community,” he said.

Filotto said Devine’s announcement to the Rialto board on Wednesday came “as a surprise,” but the board was aware of the wear and tear the job was having on her and was “concerned about Val’s well-being considering the amount of time she spends at the Rialto.”

“There’s no question she’s going to be missed,” he said.