Garden Theatre Announces New Artistic Director

After several weeks of a nationwide search, Garden Theatre has selected Joseph C. Walsh to be the new Artistic Director. Mr. Walsh will move from his home in Massachusetts to join the Garden Theatre team and will begin his role as Artistic Director this June.

Joseph C. Walsh is an award-winning theatre director whose credits include When Harry Met Sally in the West End (Resident Dir), the London premiere of Zanna, Don't!, the Irish premieres of The Last Five Years, Songs For A New World, The Laramie Project Cycle, and the Irish national tours of Hairspray and The King and I (originated at Cork Opera House). His U.S. productions include Ghost: The Musical at White Plains PAC, Sonder at The Players Theatre (NYC), and Cirque of the Dead at Oberon/American Repertory Theatre (Cambridge). As administrator, he has served in leadership roles at Wild Oats Productions (London), Redhouse Arts Center (Syracuse), and most recently Arlington Children's Theatre (Massachusetts) as Artistic Director.

In the field of Theatre for Young Audiences, Walsh has directed, taught, and developed curricula at White Plains Performing Arts Center, Greenwich Theatre/Young Apprenticeship Programme (London), the Urdang Academy (London), and Cork School of Music at the Cork Institute of Technology (Ireland). He also spent three seasons as the Touring Director for White Horse Theatre, the world's largest touring education theatre company, where his work was seen across Europe and Japan.

"I am thrilled to be joining the remarkable team at the Garden Theatre, with its passionate staff, board, and vibrant artistic community," says Walsh. "Theatre is a living, breathing art form that must engage its audience and community in a way that extends beyond the footlights, and Garden Theater's commitment to creating innovative, impactful, and inclusive theatre which inspires discovery truly exemplifies this and more."

Executive Director Nao Tsurumaki says "our national search generated an overwhelming amount of interests from coast to coast. Joe Walsh unequivocally stood out as a director, an educator, and a creative leader. As international and expansive as his experience may seem, he intimately understands how a theatre can and must create an impact in its community through its mission. We're excited to welcome him as our new Artistic Director and continue to push the Garden into exciting new directions."

Walsh added that he is thrilled to begin the next stage of his career at the Garden: "I look forward to becoming a part of this vibrant community by learning about its rich history, engaging directly in the present, and contributing my own experience, passion, and leadership as we look together to the future."

Mr. Walsh holds an MA in Directing from Goldsmiths College, University of London, and a BFA in Theatre Production and Stage Management from Emerson College.

Garden Theatre's 2018 - 2019 season closes with Flashdance: The Musical from July 5 - 28, 2019. The theatre's 12th season begins on August 23 with the classic musical Ragtime. The 2019 - 2020 season includes Deathtrap, A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas, Violet, Ben Hur, Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical, and Grease.

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