Musical Theatre Factory Announces Nationwide Search For New Artistic Director

Musical Theatre Factory has announced a nationwide search for a new artistic director. The company congratulates Mei Ann Teo on their new role at Oregon Shakespeare Festival after three banner years at the Factory.

Founding Artistic Director Shakina Nayfack will return as interim artistic director while the search is conducted.

According to MTF's Founding Artistic Director, Shakina Nayfack, "Musical Theatre Factory was created to provide support and professional development to early-career Musical Theatre makers, and that includes our Artistic leadership. The Factory is the perfect place for an emerging Artistic Director to take their administrative skills and creative vision to the next level, and we are so excited to find the person who will lead the Factory into the future!"
Formed in 2014 by Drama League and Lilly Award winner Nayfack, Musical Theatre Factory is a radical, intentional, rigorous, and inclusive nonprofit arts services organization dedicated to helping musical theatre artists develop and present new work in a collaborative atmosphere free from commercial pressure. MTF is committed to the practice of art-making as change-making, dismantling oppressive ideologies toward collective liberation, and centering artists of excellence who exist in the intersections of underrepresented groups.

Since its founding, MTF's signature programs have assisted in the development of hundreds of new musical works - including Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize winning A Strange Loop. Now, entering our 8th season, MTF is starting the search for our next Artistic Director to cooperatively lead the organization in crafting new artistic programs, goals, and a strategic plan for the future. The Artistic Director will work under the continued guidance of the Board of Directors, alongside our President & Managing Director Aaron Salley, and in consultation with Founding Artistic Director Ms. Nayfack to execute the Factory's mission and service offerings.

"The past 18 months provided a unique artistic challenge for MTF," says Salley. "Mei Ann's innovative, collaborative artistic leadership smashed all expectations, expanding accessibility via new digital mediums, and illuminated new ways to interrogate equity in the arts. We are excited by these possibilities and look forward to welcoming the next thought partner to the MTF family as we reimagine our definition of in-person artistic support and community."

The Artistic Director will join a dedicated and talented team of passionate professionals. Musical Theatre Factory is intentional in our role as gatekeepers and curators and we have robust systems in place through our governing bylaws and programmatic Assembly Line to ensure the resources we are providing go to support the work of artists who have traditionally not been given equal opportunity and access. We strongly encourage QTPOC candidates and those from underrepresented communities to apply for this position.

The MTF Artistic Director Search Committee includes Shakina Nayfack, Michael R. Jackson, Natasha Sinha, Troy Anthony, Kent Nicholson, Juliet Moser, with assistance from Julian Fleisher. Candidate interviews will involve members of the Musical Theatre Factory staff, board, and greater MTF artist community.

For more information including a full job description, please visit mtf.nyc/adsearch.

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