Plays & Players Announces First Artistic Director

Plays & Players' (P&P) Board of Directors have announced the selection of Daniel Student as Artistic Director, effective January 15, 2011. "Daniel is a perfect fit for this position. He understands the historical relevance of Plays & Players in the community as well as where we are headed. He has been a huge part of our recent achievements and we expect even more great work from him in his newly established role as Artistic Director," said Bill Egan, Plays & Players Board President.

Since Student joined P&P's Executive Committee three years ago, he has been tireless in his efforts to expand the theatre's artistic endeavors by leading P&P's transition from its community theatre model to a professional theatre. His first initiative was to create the Philly Fringe Preview, an opportunity for thirty performing arts companies to preview their upcoming Fringe shows to local audiences each year. He has also co-created local playwright development programs with the Philadelphia Dramatists Center (such as the Annual Philadelphia Bake Off and PIFA New Play Festival and the PDC Playwrights In Residence at Plays & Players), which have helped both organizations grow their repertoire and establish themselves as key players in supporting the creation of local drama.

"As Artistic Director, I want to create a Plays & Players that is known in this community for artistic quality and diversity in its programming, and specifically highlights and supports the development of local artists in their craft," said Student.

Over the past three years, Student produced and starred as William Shakespeare in P&P's East Coast Premiere of William Shakespeare's Land of the Dead, and directed the World Premiere of Early in the Mourning as well as contemporary classics such as David Mamet's Oleanna, Richard Greenberg's Take Me Out and William Finn's A New Brain (opening this weekend). Additionally, Student has directed at a number of institutions in the area including Lansdale Theatre Works, Quince Productions, Represented Theatre Company, Kapow Productions, The Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian Theatre Festival, The University of Pennsylvania, and The College of New Jersey. He is a graduate of Vassar College and was a 2007 participant in the Lincoln Center Director's Lab.

"I am extremely honored and excited to be named the Artistic Director of Plays & Players," said Student. "When I first joined the board of this organization in 2008, I was amazed by the dedication of its members towards creating theater of quality and preserving this historic building. When you visit Plays & Players Theatre, you are struck by its awe-inspiring beauty and the living legacy of those who came before us. I was proud to call myself a member of Plays & Players. I was then proud to call myself a board member of Plays & Players. And now I am proud to call myself an employee of Plays & Players."

Plays & Players will be entering its 100th season this Fall, and as part of its landmark centennial year audiences can expect world premieres from local playwrights, creative takes on contemporary and classic theater, a host of additional programming, artist education and development, and celebratory events in the community.

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