Pipeline Welcomes New Leadership, Sets 8th Season

Pipeline Theatre Company has announced the addition of Natalie Gershtein, Producing Director, to their leadership team. Gershtein joins Ari Schrier, who has served as the company's Artistic Director since 2012. In this newly created position, Gershtein will work collaboratively with Schrier to oversee the company's strategic and artistic growth, which includes the presentation of the New York premiere of Jason Craig and Dave Malloy's BEARDO in the 2016-2017 season.

Gershtein first worked with Pipeline as the producer of their Fall 2015 production of Andrew Farmer's THE GRAY MAN, directed by Andrew Neisler. Prior to her work with Pipeline, Gershtein was the co-founder and Artistic Producer of Beautiful City Theatre in Montreal, where she directed and produced for four seasons. She has been an independent producer in New York since 2012, focusing on developing new works. Over the years, she has worked with Cherry Lane Theatre; Lincoln Center Festival; The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival; HERE; Ars Nova; Sightline Theater; and MCC Theater, among others. Most recently, she served as the Associate Director of Young Playwrights Inc. founded by Stephen Sondheim. She also line produced The Actors Fund's 10th anniversary reunion concert of The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee with the original Broadway cast and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's 27th annual Festival of New Musicals. Gershtein holds an MFA in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University.

BEARDO, the cornerstone production of Gershtein's first full season as Producing Director, is a fervent rock musical from the outrageous and inspired minds that brought us BEOWULF - A Thousand Years of Baggage, Ghost Quartet, and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (coming to Broadway in Fall 2016). This New York premiere, to be directed by Elena Heyman (The Traveling Imaginary, Drama League Fellow), chronicles the ascent and demise of Rasputin and the fall of the Russian monarchy.

Pipeline's 8th season will also feature the fourth consecutive year of the PlayLab. Through a year-long series of monthly meetings, the Pipeline PlayLab serves as a workshop for playwrights to build new plays with constructive feedback from other playwrights, directors, and the artistic staff of Pipeline, culminating in a fully-produced evening of short-plays and staged readings of full-length plays.

"BEARDO will be our most ambitious project to date, and Natalie has both the experience and the drive to propel Pipeline forward into this new and exciting stage," said Schrier, "The positive impact of Natalie's arrival has already begun to reverberate throughout our entire community of collaborators."

"I have never felt more aligned with a company in terms of values, goals, and artistic ambition. Pipeline says YES to big, crazy ideas and has cultivated a community of artists that inspire me on a daily basis. I'm honored to join the team." said Gershtein.

Pipeline and their community will celebrate Gershtein's arrival and their impending landmark 8th season at their Gala this Sunday, March 13, at STK Downtown (26 Little W. 12th St). The Gala will feature two short performance excerpts from BEARDO, as well as performances by Vinny DePonto (Ars Nova's Charlatan), James Monaco (Under the Radar's Aaron/Marie), and Nate Weida (Pipeline's BYUIOO). For tickets and info, visit www.pipelinetheatre.org/gala.