Julie Crosby Leaves Women's Project Theatre; Additional Board Members Also Depart?

Women's Project Theater is going through some major changes. A recent blog by Howard Sherman indicates that Artistic Director Julie Crosby is now missing from the masthead and staff list on the theater's official website. According to Sherman, Crosby was not fired, but "did not depart voluntarily." Additionally, some other advisory board members have also resigned.

Crosby told Sherman: "I poured my heart, soul, and brainpower into Women's Project Theater for nearly a decade. It was my privilege and dream to lead the theater and work with so many extraordinarily talented women theater artists, and I'm incredibly proud of how much we accomplished. I would never resign."

Jessica R. Jenen is currently identified on the WPT website as interim executive producer.

UPDATE: An official statement has been released:

Women's Project Theater has begun a national search for a new Artistic Director to lead the company for the coming 2014-15 season and beyond. The new Artistic Director will succeed Julie Crosby, who recently departed the company as Producing Artistic Director, a position she held since 2006. During her tenure, Ms. Crosby led and nurtured the institution immeasurably, producing more than 25 plays by women playwrights and directors, and championing the careers of its alumnae lab artists.

Women's Project Theater's Board of Directors remain steadfastly committed to the mission of the theatre founded by Julia Miles in 1978. For the last 36 years, WP has championed work by women theater artists and shall continue to do so for many years in the future.

Click here to read the full blog.

The award-winning Women's Project Theater is the nation's oldest and largest company dedicated to producing and promoting plays written and directed by women, who receive only 20% of the professional opportunities nationwide. Now in its 36th year, Women's Project Theater has produced over 600 main stage productions and developmental projects, and published 11 anthologies of plays by women.

Women's Project Theater was founded in 1978 by Julia Miles to address the significant under-representation of women theater artists and has since built a tremendous legacy. Although even today women lack parity in pay and opportunity, the artists who have broken through the glass ceiling have first crossed the threshold at Women's Project Theater, including Eve Ensler, Lynn Nottage, Maria Irene Fornes, Katori Hall, Pam MacKinnon, Leigh Silverman and Anna Deavere Smith, among the many.

For additional information, visit: http://wptheater.org/