NEW YORK, NY.- In a surprise announcement Tuesday, Charlotte St. Martin, who has served as president of the Broadway League since 2006, said she would be stepping down from her current role next month.

As the leader of the league, a trade association representing producers and theater owners as well as presenters from around the nation, Martin has held one of the most pivotal positions in the theater industry. The league plays an important role in promoting Broadway, handles labor negotiations with the many unions representing theater workers on Broadway and on tour, and collects and distributes data about Broadway’s economic health and the demographics of its audience.

The league also presents, alongside the American Theater Wing, the Tony Awards, which is the annual ceremony honoring the best shows and performances on Broadway.

St. Martin’s retirement, effective Feb. 16, comes as Broadway — which is made up of 41 theaters concentrated in and around Times Square — is still struggling to rebound from the lengthy pandemic shutdown. The economics of Broadway have become increasingly challenging as production costs have risen while audience levels remain lower than they were before the pandemic.

The league said in a statement that St. Martin would continue to advise the organization through this year’s Tony Awards, which are scheduled to take place June 16. Jason Laks, the league’s executive vice president and general counsel, will run the organization on a day-to-day basis until St. Martin’s replacement is chosen; the league is overseen by a board that is chaired by Kristin Caskey, an executive vice president of the Ambassador Theater Group.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.