Williamstown Theatre Festival Names New Artistic Director
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williamstown Theatre Festival has named Mandy Greenfield as its new artistic director, festival Chairman Matt Harris announced on Wednesday.
Greenfield, currently artistic producer at Manhattan Theatre Club, succeeds Jenny Gersten beginning Sept. 2014. Gersten, who was named director in 2010, is leaving this January become executive director of Friends of the Highline in New York City. Gersten will program the upcoming 2014 season, and Williamstown Theatre Festival Producer Stephen Kaus will oversee the season. Greenfield's tenure as artistic director will begin immediately following the 2014 season, the festival's 60th.
"We are thrilled for Jenny's new chapter, and know that she will forever be linked to WTF; we welcome Mandy Greenfield with great excitement. Mandy has the experience, leadership ability, taste, and vision to help us write the next chapter for our theater," Harris said.
"I am thrilled to build upon the rich history of the Williamstown Theatre Festival and create bold, adventurous work with the company," Greenfield said. "I look forward to producing theater with writers, directors, designers, actors, and apprentices passionate about making great art, in a spectacular and singular environment, in the seasons ahead. I am excited to work with the festival's devoted board, unwavering supporters, and loyal audiences to sustain and grow one of the great American cultural treasures."
As artistic producer of Manhattan Theatre Club, Greenfield leads programming for the two Off-Broadway theaters at City Center and collaborates on the programming of MTC's permanent Broadway home, the Samuel J. Freidman Theater. She oversees production at each of the three venues.
Among the world and Americanpremiere plays and musicals she has commissioned, developed and produced at MTC are new works by Nell Benjamin, Liz Flahive, Daniel Goldfarb, David Harrower, Matthew Lopez, Tarell Alvin McCraney and Lynn Nottage, among others. She has brought directors including Marc Bruni, Carolyn Cantor, Garry Hynes, Pam MacKinnon, Anna D. Shapiro, Leigh Silverman and Kate Whoriskey.
In 2012, Greenfield launched the Studio at Stage II initiative with the critically acclaimed, world premiere rock musical "Murder Ballad," (book and lyrics by Julia Jordan and music and lyrics by Juliana Nash), which enjoyed a subsequent commercial engagement at the Union Square Theater and recently opened in Korea. As part of that initiative, she created The Writer's Room in partnership with Ars Nova, a program to commission and develop new plays for production. Writers currently under commission include Adam Bock, Rachel Bonds, Thomas Bradshaw, Francis Ya-Chu Cowhig, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Samuel D. Hunter, Justin Levine, PigPen Theatre Co. and Sharyn Rothstein.
Before joining MTC in 2003, Greenfield produced several critically acclaimed Off-Broadway premieres including the world premiere musical "Betty Rules," directed by Michael Greif, and Daniel Goldfarb's "Modern Orthodox." As producer of Blue Light Theatre Company, her work included Darko Tresnjak's "Princess Turandot" and Daniel Goldfarb's "Adam Baum and the Jew Movie" (winner of 1999-2000 Oppenheimer Award for Best New York Debut).
She is a member of the Broadway League, serves on the advisory board of the Drama League, and is a judge for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Greenfield graduated magna cum laude from Yale University.
