Jeremy Blocker Named New Managing Director of New York Theatre Workshop

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Board of Trustees, Co-Presidents Noel Kirnon and Heather Randall, have announced that Jeremy Blocker has been named the theatre's new Managing Director.

Mr. Blocker replaces William Russo who is now the Managing Director of Cambridge's American Repertory Theater. Fred Walker currently serves as NYTW's Interim Managing Director.

Mr. Blocker joins New York Theatre Workshop in January 2014. He is currently the Managing Director of Ars Nova, where he has helped establish a framework that serves hundreds of emerging artists each year, by developing their innovative projects, producing world premieres of their work, and helping launch their careers. During his tenure Ars Nova's budget grew by 50%, and Mr. Blocker oversaw six world premieres, including Dave Malloy's critically-acclaimed Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, which is currently enjoying a successful commercial run. Mr. Blocker's previous positions include Director of Individual Giving at Manhattan Theatre Club and Development Associate for Capital Projects at Atlantic Theater Company. He holds an MFA in theatre management from Columbia University's School of the Arts.

Nicola says, "I am eagerly anticipating the start of this new partnership. Jeremy's perspective and creativity will help NYTW move forward into the heart of the 21st century with a renewed vigor."

"In Jeremy we have high hopes in his extraordinary energy, enthusiasm, and ideas. He is poised to help us in reaching out to our many audiences with his social media, fundraising, and marketing skills. Coming from Ars Nova is particularly thrilling to us because he has extensive experience in workshopping and developing works from both emerging and established artists and we hope he will help us find an even more public presence in this endeavor," say Co-Presidents Kirnon and Randall in a joint statement.

New York Theatre Workshop, now celebrating its 31st season, is a leading voice in the world of off-Broadway and within the theatre community in New York and around the world. NYTW has emerged as a premiere incubator of important new theatre, honoring its mission to explore perspectives on our collective history and respond to the events and institutions that shape our lives. In addition, NYTW is known for its innovative adaptations of classic repertory. Each season, from its home in New York's East Village neighborhood, NYTW presents three to five new productions, over 80 readings, and numerous workshop productions, for over 45,000 audience members. Over the past 28 years, NYTW has developed and produced over 100 new, fully staged works, including Jonathan Larson's Rent, Tony Kushner's Slavs! and Homebody/Kabul, Doug Wright's Quills, Claudia Shear's Blown Sideways Through Life and Dirty Blonde, Paul Rudnick's The Most Fabulous Story Ever Toldand Valhalla, Caryl Churchill's Mad Forest, Far Away, and A Number, Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen's Aftermath, and Rick Elice's Peter and the Starcatcher. The 2002 remounting of Martha Clarke's seminal work, Vienna: Lusthaus and subsequent American tour was one of the longest-running productions in NYTW's history. NYTW's acclaimed production of Once is currently enjoying a Broadway run, and Peter and the Starcatcher, which made its New York premiere at NYTW, has returned to off-Broadway following a successful Broadway run. NYTW supports artists in all stages of their careers by maintaining a series of workshop programs including work-in-progress readings, summer residencies, and minority artist fellowships. NYTW's productions have received a Pulitzer Prize, seventeen Tony Awards and assorted Obie, Drama Desk, and Lucille Lortel Awards.

The current season includes Fetch Clay, Make Man, written by Will Power and directed Des McAnuff; What's It All About? Bacharach Reimagined, music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David and others, musical arrangements by Kyle Riabko, directed by Steven Hoggett; Love and Information, written by Caryl Churchill and directed by James MacDonald; andCinderella/Cendrillon, original text and direction by Joel Pommerat.

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