PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: OCTOBER 21, 2014
CONTACT: Kate Brandt, kate.brandt@mrt.org
PR CONTACT PHONE: 978-654-7595
BOX OFFICE: 978-654-4678
ONLINE: mrt.org
UPDATE ON THE MERRIMACK REPERTORY THEATRE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR SEARCH
Lowell, MA – Merrimack Repertory Theatre is on track to announce a new Artistic Director for the 36 year old-company in December. After Charles Towers announced in April that he would be stepping down after this season, MRT immediately began taking steps to find his successor, launching a national search to identify the individual who will continue building MRT’s reputation for creating excellence on stage and being a leader in the region’s cultural landscape.
A Search Committee, a subset of the Board of Trustees, was formed in the spring and charged with representing the interests of the organization, audience members, and the greater community. To that end, the committee engaged the nationally-renowned arts search firm, AlbertHall&Associates to guide them through an extremely thorough multi-phase interview process. AlbertHall was integral in the hiring of MRT Executive Director Elizabeth Kegley in 2013. The process includes these key steps:
• June: Met with AlbertHall&Associates to kick off the search
• June - August: Approximately 100 applications received and reviewed by AlbertHall
• September: Field of 14 candidates narrowed to 7 by the committee
• October: First round of interviews conducted
• November: Three finalists selected for final interviews with the MRT Board of Trustees
• December: New Artistic Director is hired and will begin selecting the 2015-16 Season
Though the identities of the applicants are confidential at this point in the process, the committee has indicated that the slate of candidates represents a broad diversity of age, race, gender, and geography. Given MRT’s strong national reputation and the rarity of leadership openings at regional theatres of this level, the search attracted a field of applicants with an impressive breadth of experience.
Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) has been Merrimack Valley’s professional theatre company since 1979, and is an integral part of Lowell’s identity as the cultural heart of the region. Under the artistic direction of Charles Towers since 2001, MRT is known for its high production standards and for creating compelling new plays and regional premieres that reflect the lives and emotions of its audiences. It is one of the 74 members nationwide of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT.)
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