Gloucester Stage Company Announces New Leadership for 2014

Gloucester Stage Board of Directors President Bea Waring and President Elect Robert Boulrice have announced that Costin Manu has been named the new Managing Director of Gloucester Stage Company. A veteran theatre professional with a 35-year career in the arts, Mr. Manu recently relocated to Cape Ann from Canada to begin his duties at Gloucester Stage. Board of Directors President Elect Robert Boulrice elaborates on Manu, "Costin has many skills. He has been successful more than once at knitting the theaters he manages into the fabric of the community. He understands the economic development potential that a business/theater interaction offers to a community. It will be fun introducing Costin Manu to the Gloucester community." Gloucester Stage Artistic Director Eric Engel is excited to collaborate with the new Managing Director," Costin is a great catch for the Gloucester Stage. He's a great administrator, a warm and articulate person, and a remarkably well-informed connoisseur of the theater. He's already proven to be a delightful and effective colleague."

Mr. Manu is looking forward to his work at Gloucester Stage and eager to begin preparations for the theatre's 35th Anniversary season kicking off on June 12, 2014, "My goal is to take the Gloucester Stage Company to a new level of excellence and I thank all our past, present and especially our future supporters for believing in us. I look forward to meeting each and every one of them at the theater this summer. It is quite an honor and a privilege to join such a prestigious company, known as one of the best regional theaters in the country and whose reputation is widespread beyond the borders of the United States. Gloucester Stage is recognized for its innovative and high-quality productions and I have not been this excited about being part of an organization for a long time. I can assure that the upcoming season is one of the best I have seen in years!"

A Manager, Producer, Director and Actor, Costin Manu has produced over fifty professional plays and musicals in English, French and Romanian and directed and acted in almost just as many. His background includes extensive experience in programming, marketing, publicity, fundraising and sponsorship as well as facility management and operations. Mr. Manu comes to Gloucester Stage from the Rose Theatre Brampton in Ontario, Canada. For the past seven years, he was the Manager of Programming, Marketing and Development at the award-winning Rose Theatre Brampton in Ontario and only until a few weeks ago, also its General Manager/Theatre Manager. In Brampton, he also held the position of Manager of Arts, Culture and Theatres for the city.

In 2006/07 Mr. Manu served as the Executive Director of the Sandusky State Theatre in Ohio, where he took a theatre that was closed for over 18 months and brought it back to enormous artistic and financial success which the theatre is still enjoying in 2014. Mr. Manu was Founder, Managing & Artistic Director and Executive Producer at Victoria Playhouse Petrolia, a regional performance venue and professional theatre company in Ontario, Canada. He was also an Associate Producer for the hit comedy Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks on Broadway and served on the Board of Directors of Third Culture Theatre in Toronto, a theatre company producing shows that view the classics through a multicultural lens.

In 2002 Mr. Manu founded StageEnt, Inc., a Theatre Production, Management and Consulting Company. As the President/Executive Producer of StageEnt, Inc, he consulted on the future development of Canada's Theatre Cambridge. He subsequently became the theatre's interim Producing Artistic Director and immediately launched a drive to build a brand new venue and in 2011, the state-of-the-art 500-seat Dunfield Theatre opened under the management of Drayton Entertainment.

Throughout his career Manu has worked extensively as an actor and director in theatre and as an actor in film and television in Europe, Canada and the United States. On film, among many other credits, he has appeared opposite Mark Wahlberg in the feature film Four Brothers. Most recently he could be seen on television in USA Networks' series Covert Affairs and the Netflix series Hemlock Grove. A graduate of the National Institute of Film and Dramatic Arts in Bucharest, Romania with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, he also holds a Degree in Electronics Engineering & Communication Technology and an MFA in Arts Administration.

Later this month Robert Boulrice succeeds Bea Waring as President of the Gloucester Stage Company Board of Directors. Rockport resident Bea Waring has served as the President since 2010. During Ms. Waring's tenure at the GSC highlights of her leadership include among other notable accomplishments completion of full payment of the mortgage for the theatre's home at 267 East Main Street, implementation of a Building Beautification campaign, planning and execution of a regular schedule of fundraising events, GSC became a founding partner of the Rocky Neck Cultural District and expansion of the Gloucester Stage Youth Acting Workshops program. Ms. Waring who will remain an active member of the GSC Board feels confident turning over the office to Boulrice, "I am thrilled with our new President. Bob has been involved with theater in the Boston Area for years and has a solid business background. Add that to the theater experience which Costin is bringing to GSC, and you have a strong and "wild" combination for a growing theater in Gloucester. Then throw in our Talented Artistic Director, Eric Engel, and you all will be hearing a lot from GSC."

Artistic Director Engel provides insights on Waring's lasting contribution," Well, I knew we wouldn't have the privilege of keeping Bea at the helm forever. She's had an enormous impact on GSC-- talking the talk and walking the walk. She's been omnipresent; has been a mentor to all of us; and has contributed at every level of the organization. Bob is the natural next captain of the board. He's a number cruncher and a sophisticated theater-man. Bea and Bob have been working together for several years now and both have enormously generous spirits so we are experiencing a seamless transition."

Robert Boulrice has been a board member since 2011, serving as its treasurer, a position for which he is obviously well suited, given that his day job is treasurer for the city of Chelsea, MA, where he lives with his wife, Margaret Carsley. A playwright as well, last season his play, Bach, Schweitzer and the Wives received an enthusiastic reception during the GCS's new play reading series. Mr. Boulrice looks forward to the challenges ahead: "I am honored to be asked to follow Bea as president of the board, especially since 2014 is the company's 35th anniversary. I could never walk in Bea's shoes; she was a marvelous president. But I am excited for the work we are about to do. Particularly given our good fortune in having Costin Manu join us as Managing Director."

The Gloucester Stage Company is an award-winning, small, non-profit, professional theater company co-founded in 1979 by Geoff Richon, Denny Blodgett, and award-winning playwright Israel Horovitz who also served as its first Artistic Director from 1979 to 2006. Located in Gloucester, Massachusetts in the Rocky Neck Cultural District, its mission is to provide a nurturing, intimate and relaxed platform for the development of new and established playwrights and plays, offer a wide variety of educational programs for children and adults and present a high quality, relevant theater experience that is entertaining, stimulating and intellectually challenging to year-round and seasonal residents.

During its first 34 seasons, the GSC successfully realized this mission with the production of more than 32 world premieres, 6 American premieres and 17 New England premieres. Plays developed at the GSC have gone on to critical and popular acclaim on Broadway, off-Broadway, across the United States, and around the world.

Gloucester Stage Company is located at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA. For information or reservations for 2014 season call the Gloucester Stage Box Office at 978-281-4433 or visit www.gloucesterstage.com.

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