Kitchen Theatre Company Names Emily Jackson As New Artistic Leader 

Kitchen Theatre Company's Board of Directors have announced the appointment of Emily Jackson as the next Producing Artistic Director beginning July 1, 2024. A familiar face to Kitchen patrons and the Ithaca theater community, Ms. Jackson brings a wealth of experience and passion to her new role.

Emily Jackson's familiarity with and dedication to Kitchen Theatre Company is evident. At the beginning of her professional career, Emily was an Artistic Fellow at KTC. After that, she served as the Artistic Associate for two seasons. She has directed and performed on the mainstage, managed Front of House operations, and played integral roles in marketing, development, and season planning. Outside of work at Kitchen Theatre Company, Emily is a bold director and arts administrator with a proven record of producing theater and championing new work in New York City and across the country. Currently, as the Associate Producing Artistic Director, she has been working closely with Interim Producing Artistic Director Rachel Lampert in preparing for this transition.

"We are all thrilled that Emily is returning to lead the theater. It feels like such a natural progression," said Barry Chester, President of the Board of Directors. "We are grateful to Rachel, who stepped in to lead us through a difficult time, and excited that the theater is now positioned well enough to allow Rachel to step down and Emily to take the helm."

"It's been an extraordinary year and a half for me," said Lampert. "One thing that kept me focused was the knowledge that Emily was considering the position. I thank all our patrons and supporters who returned and helped get things moving ahead. I cannot think of a better person than Emily Jackson to lead the theater and forge its future."

Jackson's knowledge of Kitchen Theatre Company operations, its supporters, and the City of Ithaca is a significant asset, as is her personal connection to the theater. Emily will be joined in this new chapter by her husband, Tyler M. Perry, who will assume the role of Director of Production. The two met in 2012 at the Kitchen when Jackson was assisting directing and Perry was the lighting designer for Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. They celebrated their wedding at the Kitchen in 2018 and will move back to Ithaca full-time this July with their two young children, Luma and Rocco, and their two small dogs.

Perry has designed over 30 productions at Kitchen Theatre Company, including the set, lighting, and projection design for this season's opening production of Monsters of the American Cinema. A graduate of Ithaca College, he is also an educator and mentor.

"In addition to gaining this fantastic artistic and administrative powerhouse team," adds Chester, "Rachel will stay on and join the Board of Directors. We have been working to ensure a smooth transition in leadership and continuity for our patrons and supporters."

"In early conversations with Rachel and the Board, I mentioned that it would be hard to overstate what taking on this role would mean to me personally and professionally," said Jackson. "To lead an organization with a 30+ year history of producing excellent work with a diverse group of artists in a community that values 'important conversations' is one amazing thing. To do it alongside my husband, as parent-artists, and in a place that has shaped me as a person is an honor. I look forward to the bold, intimate, and engaging plays we will make, to being a part of the thriving arts ecosystem in Ithaca, and to ensuring Kitchen Theatre Company has a sustainable future in the seasons to come."

The public will have an opportunity to meet Emily and Tyler at the Kitchen's Spring Gala: Recipe for the Future. The new leaders will be introduced with food, drink, video, and song at this event on March 30. Tickets for the gala are on sale now at www.kitchentheatre.org/galatix.

Kitchen Theatre Company

Kitchen Theatre Company is Central New York's Off-Broadway theater, housed in a LEED-certified building in Ithaca's West End/Southside neighborhood. Founded in 1991, KTC has produced over 225 mainstage plays, including 35 world premieres. We create bold theater in our intimate 98-seat space engaging our vital and diverse community. Important conversations happen in the Kitchen!

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