Discovery Playhouse names interim director

The Discovery Playhouse, a children's museum, has found a leader, at least for the time being.

Janet Livingston, a consultant with Hendrickson Business Advisors, was named interim executive director of the children's museum that hopes to open by the end of March at 502 Broadway in Cape Girardeau. Livingston, a mother of two young children, volunteered to help develop a marketing plan for the new museum, said Kevin Priester, president of the Discovery Playhouse board of directors.

"She put in a lot of time and proved to be a very resourceful person," Priester said Wednesday.

The Discovery Playhouse will provide hands-on learning, which will make it an exciting place to work, Livingston said.

"We are trying to open by the first of April," Livingston said. "They needed someone to step up and they said 'we feel confident in you.' I couldn't say no and I am looking forward to the challenge."

Livingston will be introduced to the community during a fundraiser planned for Saturday at the museum. The fundraiser is designed to raise operational money and show off the museum to adults. With construction still underway, children will not be included Saturday.

A wider search for a permanent director will take place in the months after the playhouse opens, Livingston said. The board wants someone with museum experience in charge, she said, but she hopes to remain and coordinate marketing for the museum, she said.

Livingston has a daughter, 7, and a son, 4. She worked for Springfield Remanufacturing Corp. in Springfield, Mo., for more than 17 years after obtaining her undergraduate degree at Drury University. She completed an MBA at Drury while working. Her family moved to Cape Girardeau when her husband became manager of Pavestone, she said.

The board looked at several local candidates for the job and decided Livingston was the best fit, Priester said.

"She is very, very organized and very professional," he said.

The playhouse seeks to combine fun and learning, she said. "It is someplace to come and play. That is how kids learn."

Exposure to science and cultural exhibits "starts building in their brain and prepares them for life and being successful," she said. "That is what really makes me passionate about this."

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

502 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Want to go?

What: Discovery Playhouse fundraiser

When: 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: 502 Broadway

Cost: $50 per person suggested donation