Executive Director Jessica Jenen Departs Classic Stage Co.

Classic Stage Company announced today a search for a new Executive Director, following the announcement of the forthcoming departure of Jessica R. Jenen, who will leave the company to return to the commercial theater world.

Ms. Jenen joined CSC in 2003 shortly after Brian Kulick's appointment as Artistic Director. Together Kulick and Jenen led CSC through a period of unprecedented growth. During this time, the institution tripled its operating budget, retired its cumulative debt and created a large operating surplus. It was also during this time of institutional growth that CSC produced successive seasons of critically acclaimed productions which included THREE SISTERS, THE SCHOOL FOR LIES, UNCLE VANYA, THE TEMPEST, NEW JERUSALEM, THE SEAGULL and VENUS IN FUR. The latter play, through special arrangement with Jon B. Platt, Scott Landis, and CSC, will be seen this fall on Broadway in a Manhattan Theatre Club remounting.

"It has been a joy to watch Jessica grow over the years into a formidable producer. She has been integral in helping CSC to achieve a new level of fiscal stability that has enabled us to take more and more programmatic risks," said Kulick, "We'll miss her acumen, wit and deep dedication to making theatre that makes a difference."

CSC Board Chair Lynn Angelson noted, "We are deeply grateful to Jessica for her extraordinary array of achievements that have strengthened CSC so significantly during her tenure. Among these, she has built an organization of talented and committed staff, who will ensure a successful transition for our new Executive Director. We thank Jessica for all of her contributions to this company and wish her every success in her new endeavor."

Jenen stated: "I'm deeply proud to have worked with Brian and the Board of Directors for the past 7 years to continue to build and grow this legendary NY theatrical institution, now in its 5th decade. In particular it has been tremendously gratifying to produce such exciting new work. The CSC family of artists and audiences will always remain dear to my heart and I look forward to attending its exciting 2011-12 season!"

Ms. Jenen will join 5 time Tony Award winning producer Jon B. Platt (WICKED, THE BOOK OF MORMON) as Executive Producer focusing on Broadway, touring and international productions.

Now in its 45th year Classic Stage Company is the award winning theatre committed to re-imagining the classical repertory for a contemporary American audience. This season CSC will present Chekhov's THE CHERRY ORCHARD with John Turturro and Dianne Wiest, Brecht's GALILEO with Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham, and Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM with Tony Award-winning actress Bebe Neuwirth as Titania. Past seasons have included critically acclaimed productions of Chekhov's THREE SISTERS with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jessica Hecht, Juliet Rylance and Peter Sarsgaard, directed by Austin Pendleton (Obie Award); David Ives' THE SCHOOL FOR LIES with Hamish Linklater (Obie Award), directed by Walter Bobbie; UNNATURAL ACTS conceived and directed by Tony Speciale; Ostrovsky's THE FOREST with Dianne Wiest and John Douglas Thompson, directed by Brian Kulick; David Ives' VENUS IN FUR with Nina Arianda and Wes Bentley, directed by Walter Bobbie; Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST with Mandy Patinkin, directed by Brian Kulick; Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA with Denis O'Hare, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, directed by Austin Pendleton; Anne Carson's AN ORESTEIA (International PENN Award for Poetry); Chekhov's THE SEAGULL with Dianne Wiest and Alan Cumming; David Ives' NEW JERUSALEM with Richard Easton, directed by Walter Bobbie; HAMLET, RICHARD II, RICHARD III with Michael Cumpsty (Obie Award as HAMLET), directed by Brian Kulick; and Yasmina Reza's A SPANISH PLAY with Zoe Caldwell, directed by John Turturro.

CSC presents plays from the past that speak directly to the issues of today. As we return to works of the past, we endeavor to keep a clear eye on the future, particularly in terms of the next generation of artists and audiences. Founded in 1967, CSC has received wide recognition for its significant contributions to theatre as an art form through productions of classic plays, translations and adaptations and a long-standing commitment to the identification and nurturing of leading and emerging artists. Classic Stage's artists are the finest established and emerging theater practitioners working in this country. Highly respected and widely regarded as a major force in New York and American theatre, Classic Stage has been cited repeatedly by all the major Off-Broadway theater awards: Obies, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and the 1999 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work. Memberships to Classic Stage Company productions are available at various price levels, including the flexible MasterPass membership, which in addition to prime seats entitles members to participate in CSC special series, including their sold-out Open Rehearsal events. For more informa