Shakespeare & Company Names New Artistic Director
LENOX, Mass. — After an extensive national search, Shakespeare & Company has named renowned actor and director Allyn Burrows, a long-time member of the company, as its new artistic director.
“This is a watershed moment for Shakespeare & Company,” said Board Chair Ken Werner. “Allyn is one of the most lauded and exciting actors and directors both in Boston and nationally, and we are extremely fortunate to have him take over the artistic leadership of our company. He is someone who is well known to us, and our search for a new artistic director could not have turned out better. I extend my deep gratitude to our interim artistic directors, Ariel Bock and Jonathan Croy, who did a superlative job over the past two seasons.”
Founder Tina Packer said she was pleased with Allyn’s selection.
“He has extensive experience as an actor, a director and in leading an organization,” she said. “His knowledge of Shakespeare is deep. Many of us have collaborated with him in the past and found his work inspiring. He brings new energy and we all look forward to working with him.”
Burrows said he was “absolutely thrilled” to accept the position.
“Shakespeare & Company has earned a national reputation for excellence in performance, training and education, and I applaud the great things which the Company has accomplished. I look forward to building on this and working alongside so many talented professionals,” she said. “We are at critical juncture in history where Shakespeare shows us how we need to be human beings and honestly hold the mirror up to nature. I'm eager to get his words and those of other great writers out to the world from the stages of Shakespeare & Company, starting with our upcoming public reading of ‘Hamlet’ and, fittingly, ‘It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play!”
Burrows, an Eliot Norton Award Winner, is a graduate of Boston University. He has performed in film, television, Off-Broadway and regionally, and has served as company member, artistic associate and board member at Shakespeare & Company. He has been the artistic director of Actors’ Shakespeare Project in Boston since 2010 where he was instrumental in that company’s growth and artistic success.
He resides in Medford, Mass., with his wife, actress Tamara Hickey, and their daughter. He will relocate to the Berkshires and will be full-time at Shakespeare & Company as of this January.
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