MTC's Mandy Greenfield Named New Artistic Director of Williamstown Theatre Festival

Williamstown Theatre Festival has named Mandy Greenfield as its new Artistic Director, the Festival's Board Chair Matt Harris announced today. Greenfield, who is currently Artistic Producer at Manhattan Theatre Club, succeeds Jenny Gersten beginning September 2014. As previously announced, Gersten departs Williamstown Theatre Festival in January 2014 to become Executive Director of Friends of the Highline. Gersten will program the upcoming 2014 season, and Williamstown Theatre Festival Producer Stephen Kaus will oversee the season. Greenfield's tenure as Artistic Director will begin immediately following the 2014 season, the Festival's 60th.

"We are thrilled for Jenny's new chapter, and know that she will forever be linked to WTF; we welcome Mandy Greenfield with great excitement. Mandy has the experience, leadership ability, taste, and vision to help us write the next chapter for our theater," Board Chair Matt Harris said.

"I am thrilled to build upon the rich history of the Williamstown Theatre Festival and create bold, adventurous work with the company," Mandy Greenfield said. "I look forward to producing theater with writers, directors, designers, actors, and apprentices passionate about making great art, in a spectacular and singular environment, in the seasons ahead. I am excited to work with the Festival's devoted board, unwavering supporters, and loyal audiences to sustain and grow one of the great American cultural treasures."

Jenny Gersten became Artistic Director of Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2010, and oversaw three exciting and record-breaking seasons that included the workshop production of David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim's Here Lies Love (directed by Alex Timbers) at MASS MoCA, the World Premieres of Far From Heaven, The Bridges of Madison County, Katori Hall's Whaddabloodclot!!!, the American Premiere of Ten Cents a Dance (conceived and directed by John Doyle), the much-buzzed-about production of The Elephant Man (starring Bradley Cooper and Patricia Clarkson), and more.

Mandy Greenfield is currently the artistic producer of Manhattan Theatre Club where she leads programming for the two Off-Broadway theaters at City Center and collaborates on the programming of MTC's permanent Broadway home, The Samuel J. Freidman Theater. She oversees production at each of MTC's three venues. Among the World and American Premiere plays and musicals she has commissioned, developed, and produced at MTC are new works by some of the most interesting and influential writers of her generation, including Nell Benjamin, Liz Flahive, Daniel Goldfarb, David Harrower, Matthew Lopez, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Dennis Kelly, Itamar Moses, Conor McPherson, and Lynn Nottage, among many others. Over the past decade, Ms. Greenfield has brought several directors to MTC's stages including Marc Bruni, Carolyn Cantor, Trip Cullman, Sam Gold, Michael Greif, Garry Hynes, Pam MacKinnon, Anna D. Shapiro, Leigh Silverman, and Kate Whoriskey, among others. In 2012, Ms. Greenfield launched the Studio at Stage II initiative with the critically acclaimed, World Premiere rock musical Murder Ballad, (book and lyrics by Julia Jordan and music and lyrics by Juliana Nash), which enjoyed a subsequent commercial engagement at The Union Square Theater and recently opened in Korea. As part of the Studio at Stage II initiative, Ms. Greenfield created The Writer's Room in partnership with Ars Nova, a program to commission and develop new plays for production. Writers currently under commission include: Adam Bock, Rachel Bonds, Thomas Bradshaw, Francis Ya-Chu Cowhig, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Samuel D. Hunter, Justin Levine, PigPen Theatre Co., and Sharyn Rothstein.

Before joining MTC in 2003, Ms. Greenfield produced several critically acclaimed Off-Broadway premieres including the World Premiere musical Betty Rules, directed by Michael Greif, and Daniel Goldfarb's Modern Orthodox. As Producer of Blue Light Theatre Company her work included Darko Tresnjak's Princess Turandot and Daniel Goldfarb's Adam Baum and the Jew Movie (winner of 1999-2000 Oppenheimer Award for Best New York Debut).

Currently, Ms. Greenfield is a member of the Broadway League, serves on the Advisory Board of the Drama League, and is a judge for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Ms. Greenfield graduated magna cum laude from Yale University.

Pictured: Matthew Lopez, Mandy Greenfield; Photo by Walter McBride