Josh Borenstein Appointed Chair of Theater Management at David Geffen School of Drama

Joshua Borenstein has been appointed Chair of the Theater Management Program and Assistant Professor Adjunct at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, effective July 1, 2025.
 
Principal at the arts consultancy Odyssey Associates, which he founded in 2019, Josh Borenstein previously served Long Wharf Theatre for thirteen years in positions of increasing responsibility and leading the organization for eight years as Managing Director. Josh earned his MFA in Theater Management from the Geffen School, where he has taught courses on strategy, financial management, and theater organizations since 2017.
 
“I am delighted to congratulate Josh Borenstein on his new role as Chair of the Theater Management Program,” said James Bundy, Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean of the Geffen School. “He brings a powerful combination of experience and vision to the leadership of a training program that prepares students both to serve in prominent institutional roles and to advance the state of practice in the field.”
 
In his new role, Josh Borenstein succeeds Joan Channick, who has served as Chair of Theater Management since 2016 and who will continue to teach in the program following her retirement. Josh will participate in the program’s admissions process this spring prior to the start of his tenure in July. 
 
"I am excited, grateful, and humbled to serve as the next Theater Management Program Chair,” Joshua Borenstein said. “It is an extraordinary opportunity to lead the program's evolution as the field explores new ways to produce theater, to become more equitable and inclusive, and to develop new operating models. I look forward to collaborating with the Geffen School community to take this outstanding training program to the next level."
 
The faculty of the Theater Management Program are Deborah Berman, Joshua Borenstein, Gonzalo Casals, Joan Channick, Hope Chávez, Andrea Cuevas, Kelvin Dinkins, Jr., Jaan Elias, Janna Ellis, Anna Glover, Naomi Grabel, Andrew Hamingson, Carla L. Jackson, Edward Martenson (Professor Emeritus), Beth Morrison, Victoria Nolan (Professor Emerita), Jacob G. Padrón, Joey Parnes, Laura Penn, Roberta Pereira, Jordan Person, David J. Roberts, Florie Seery, Sally Shen, Rosalie Stemer, Harold Wolpert, Lisa Yancey, and Nancy Yao. 
 
More About Joshua Borenstein
 
Josh Borenstein (he/him) is an arts consultant, executive, and teacher with over 25 years of experience. He has advised on nearly 100 consulting engagements and is also a Lecturer at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, where he teaches classes on strategy, financial management, and theatre organizations to arts administration graduate students. Representative clients include Goodspeed Musicals, the Gaston County Museum of Art and History, Writers Theatre, and the Addison Performing Arts Centre.

Prior to founding Odyssey Associates in 2019, Josh served at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, for 13 years, including 8 as its Managing Director. During his tenure, Long Wharf transferred several productions to New York; renovated its mainstage theater; and raised over $25 million in operating, capital, and endowment funds. Josh has also held positions in theatre organizations throughout New England, including at the Huntington Theatre Company, Trinity Repertory Company, and Yale Repertory Theatre.
 
Additionally, Josh served as a project manager at AMS Planning & Research, a consulting practice devoted exclusively to arts and culture clients. At AMS, he led or supported dozens of consulting projects, and clients included the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism; Americans for the Arts in Washington, DC; and the Greater Columbus Arts Council in Ohio.
 
Josh has been a grant panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts/Arts Midwest (Shakespeare in American Communities program), the Greater Hartford Arts Council, and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. He has been interviewed by numerous podcasts and media outlets including the Associated Press, American Theatre, and Connecticut Public Broadcasting. Josh is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale.