Elm Shakespeare Company Names New Producing Director

The Elm Shakespeare Company, a professional theatre company serving the greater New Haven community since 1995, has announced the selection of Rebecca Goodheart as its new Producing Director, replacing Founder and Artistic Director James Andreassi, and Managing Director Margaret Andreassi who are stepping down this Fall after 20 years of leadership. The selection was made after a national search and selection process, led by Transition Chair David Newton with Consultant John Conte.

"After a national search and interview process which produced a number of highly qualified applicants, the Transition Team unanimously endorsed Rebecca Goodheart for the new role of Producing Director. She has the education, experience and energy to lead the Elm Shakespeare Co. and to further enhance the quality and excellence of programs and performances." (David Newton, Board Treasurer and Chair of the Transition Team)

"The Board of Directors is very pleased to welcome Rebecca as Elm Shakespeare's new Producing Director. We are confident that she has the experience and talent to lead the company into its next twenty years, helping us build on the Company's achievements and pursuing new opportunities that bring accessible and exceptional theater and education experiences to the greater New Haven community." (Jo-Anne Basile, Board President)

As Founder and Producing Director of Maryland Shakespeare Festival for twelve years, Rebecca has the financial management, fundraising, producing, community building, and artistic skills needed to lead this highly respected, professional theatre company. While at Maryland she helped to build an acclaimed educational program reaching over 30,000 students from widely divergent backgrounds. She managed sixty seasonal staff and a large volunteer corps, working to build an organization that became a pillar of its community. Since leaving Maryland Shakespeare Rebecca has worked at the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival as Director of Training. At San Francisco she formed a Resident Teaching Artist Company and an Intern Company, started a lucrative school residency program, helped establish annual city-wide 'in-the-streets' style pop-up performances, and greatly expanded its award-winning outreach program. She has continued directing regionally, recently gaining recognition in American Theater magazine for her work at the African American Shakespeare Company. This last year was spent traveling in the Czech Republic, where she is a company member with Prague Shakespeare and in Brazil as a program consultant for Instituto Gandarela. From managing larger budgets and staffs, to working with troubled kids, to national recognition as an artist and a teacher she brings a breadth of leadership, management, and artistic skills to the position.

Rebecca has a Master of Fine Arts in Directing, and a Master of Letters in Shakespeare & Renaissance Literature in Performance from The American Shakespeare Center at Mary Baldwin College, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and she is a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher.

"I am honored to accept the leadership of such a generous, talented, and civically minded group of artists and to join the artistically rich and diverse city scape of New Haven. The next chapter in Elm Shakespeare Company's story promises to build on the extraordinary vision of its founders, continuing our cherished productions for the community while expanding both our artistic and educational impact throughout the city." (Rebecca Goodheart, Producing Director Designate).