Hedgerow Theatre Company Names Marcie Bramucci New Executive Artistic Director

Hedgerow Theatre Company, located in Rose Valley, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce the appointment of artist, producer, and inclusion champion Marcie Bramucci as the organization's new Executive Artistic Director starting at the top of July. In her new position, Bramucci, a Delaware County native, aims to implement a radical expansion of inclusive practices, anchor Hedgerow as an artistic home for invention and possibility, and foster strong partnerships in the region to create community-centric, professional programming.

"We are thrilled to have Marcie Bramucci take the helm of Hedgerow Theatre," said Ann Byun, President of Hedgerow's Board of Directors. "Her intelligence, skills, and theatre savvy are matched by boundless energy and joy. She is already inspiring all of us with her deep commitment to community engagement, years of artistic and executive experience, and international relationships with playwrights and theatre-makers. Marcie is a visionary, a creator, a collaborator -- the ideal person to lead Hedgerow into its centennial anniversary and its next hundred years."

"I am thrilled to join and celebrate Hedgerow's incredible company, staff, and board, and to be counted among generations of artists who have made this treasured place their artistic home," notes Bramucci. "As an artist, producer, and administrator, I am driven to make space for others - as makers, as co-conspirators, as participants and as patrons. It is most important to me that Hedgerow intentionally invites everyone to be their fullest selves and to delight in our uniqueness as we embrace our shared humanity. Hedgerow has an extraordinary legacy: it served as the creative playground of such storied playwrights as Bertolt Brecht, Henrik Ibsen, Eugene O'Neill and George Bernard Shaw to workshop and craft their iconic works. That rich foundation is a northstar to me as we activate Hedgerow into a space of exploration for artists and for the artist in all of us."

"What joy that the Board chose an outstanding leader to keep the momentum of Hedgerow's excellence moving," said former Executive Artistic Director Penelope Reed. "Marcie's deep understanding of the theater's rich history, her artistry, and excellent leadership skills (combined with her passionate track record for connecting with all the communities the theatre serves) positions Hedgerow to soar into its 100th year."

Bramucci comes to Hedgerow Theatre Company with a wealth of experience, as a creative producer and as a community connector.

For People's Light, she served as Director of Community Investment. In this role, she has been instrumental in the development and execution of new plays - building community relationships toward a play's ongoing evolution through to its premiere - including Karen Hartman's Project Dawn, which received nine subsequent productions and is currently in development for Population Media Center as a television series; and MacArthur Fellow Dominique Morisseau's West Chester-inspired Mud Row. In her tenure with People's Light, Bramucci has produced the acclaimed "Community Matters" series, fostered community exchange, and leveraged resources for increased access and engagement across the organization and the greater Philadelphia community. On behalf of People's Light, Marcie was the proud recipient of Art-Reach's 2015 Cultural Access Award for the company's relaxed performance initiative (the first in the region) and inclusive practices.

Previously, Marcie served as the Managing Director of Penobscot Theatre Company in Maine, where, in addition to helming the company's operations, she supported new play development and spearheaded community-engaged programming. Marcie has also supported talent managers and producers for A-list film industry artists in LA, worked in Lorne Michaels' office on Saturday Night Live, and supported Philadelphia casting director Diane Heery in production for M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable. She received the prestigious Mark E. Lewis Award from Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts, where she completed an undergraduate degree in Theatre. Marcie also completed graduate degrees in Theatre Arts and Arts Administration from Villanova and Columbia Universities, respectively.

Marcie leads a cohort of tri-state theatres who collaborate toward increased arts access and inclusion. In partnership with the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, Bramucci was responsible for the debut of Smart Caption Glasses in the US, a revolutionary technology for real-time captioning developed by the National Theatre of Great Britain. Her work has been featured in an international study on relaxed performances and shared at regional and national convenings, including Theatre Communications Group's annual conference, Milwaukee Rep's Intersections Summit, and Kennedy Center's LEAD Conference, among others. Marcie also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Villanova University, where she developed and teaches a course in Theatre Administration as part of the non-profit certificate program.​

Marcie grew up in Morton, PA, attending and participating in theatre locally - especially thanks to the legendary Upper Darby Summer Stage and a robust drama program at Ridley High School. After living and working in a number of cities across the country, she came back to Pennsylvania eight years ago to work with People's Light in Malvern, PA. Marcie first experienced Hedgerow with her high school French club to see Tartuffe, and recalls "the inviting intimacy of this remarkable place." She has since come back/visited many times, including two years ago, when she had the pleasure to perform in the celebrated production of Three Sisters. To Bramucci, "Given my local roots, not to mention the fact that artists from Hedgerow founded People's Light - which is also artist-led and community-anchored - nearly fifty years ago, returning to Hedgerow is a homecoming in many ways and I could not be more energized about the abundance of possibility ahead."

For more information, visit www.hedgerowtheatre.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.