Like many college theater students, Tom Parrish took business courses as something to fall back on. Unlike other students, he found a way to combine his artistic and financial interests as the general manager of the San Diego Repertory Theatre.

“As an acting student, my analytical side got in the way,” says Parrish, 27, who went on to earn an MBA and Master of Arts at Southern Methodist University, graduating first in his class. “So theater management turned out to be a perfect fit.”

Before his graduate work, he worked in administration at six cultural organizations, including the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., Cleveland Playhouse, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Theater Center. After earning his MBA, he joined the San Diego Rep to manage the theater’s finances, administrative staff, IT need, facilities and front of house departments. He also has produced plays such as “Intimate Apparel,” the annual Kuumba Fest Celebration and the theater’s community and educational outreach programs.

“I like how different every day is,” he says. “It’s impossible to get bored. It’s especially challenging with a nonprofit because you have to lead people to do excellent work when you can’t pay market rates.”

That experience should come in handy when someday he returns to his hometown of Detroit to realize a lifelong dream. “Detroit is one of the largest cities in America and doesn’t have a LORT (League of Resident Theatres),” says the single Parrish. “So the opportunity to create a professional theater is there and I want to be the one who does it.”