Mara Isaacs

With over twenty years of producing experience at flagship theaters in the United States, Mara Isaacs is recognized as a field leader in new play and musical development and production as well as non-profit organizational leadership. She began her professional career at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, where she produced new play development programs and productions from 1990-1995. During that time, she developed a reputation as an advocate for artists and honed her ability to identify and nurture emerging plays and playwrights.

In 1995, Mara joined the McCarter Theatre Center staff, first as Resident Producer and then as Producing Director. For eighteen seasons, she produced McCarter's theater series and play development programs including numerous commissions and productions of new plays and musicals (by Christopher Durang, Edward Albee, Athol Fugard, Emily Mann, ReGina Taylor, Nilo Cruz, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Lydia Diamond, Eric Bogosian, Danai Gurira, Sarah Treem, Will Power and others) and transfers to Broadway (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Translations, Anna in the Tropics, Electra) and off-Broadway (The Brother/Sister Plays, Miss Witherspoon, Crowns), to theaters around the country (Goodman Theatre, Center Theatre Group, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Rep and others) and internationally (South Africa's Market Theatre). She has collaborated with many directors on new and classic works, including Mary Zimmerman, Des McAnuff, Sam Buntrock, Rebecca Taichman, Lisa Peterson, Emily Mann, Stephen Wadsworth, Gary Griffin, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Mark Lamos, Nicholas Martin, Tina Landau, Garry Hynes, John Doyle and many others. During her tenure, she solidified McCarter's relationship with Princeton University's Lewis Center for the Arts.