Arizona Theatre Company, the state’s high-profile professional troupe, has produced much-acclaimed work for decades.

But recent financial troubles nearly caused the group to cancel last season’s presentations, and Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein — who had planned to retire a couple of years ago — stayed in the leadership role to help the company transition.

Now a nationwide search has yielded Goldstein’s successor. David Ivers comes from Utah, where he’s been serving as artistic director of the Utah Shakespeare Festival. He’ll begin his new job on July 1.

We spoke with Ivers.