Northern Stage Names Jason Smoller as Next Managing Director

The Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Jason Smoller as Managing Director of Northern Stage beginning January 2023. Smoller joins Producing Artistic Director Carol Dunne as co-leader of the award-winning professional theater company in the region.

With a mission to "Change lives, one story at a time," Northern Stage actively engages audiences with world-class productions and extensive educational and outreach programs and serves more than 50,000 community members each year. With a commitment to the development of new work for the American theater, Northern Stage's New Works Now has been extraordinarily successful with world premieres continuing from the main stage to Off-Broadway and beyond. A robust educational program focuses on professional training in a nurturing and supportive environment for students of all ages. Offerings include student acting ensembles, a summer teen musical theater intensive, an expansive theater-in-the-schools residency program, and an Experiential Term for Dartmouth College theater students.

"Jason is a talented and passionate leader with the tools to skillfully navigate the unique challenges and opportunities of producing world class theater while also being a wonderful fit for the collaborative team culture at Northern Stage," says Northern Stage Board Chair Jennifer Kaye Argenti. "This rare combination is both exciting and essential and we couldn't be more excited to welcome Jason to the role."

Smoller is currently the Director of Development and Marketing at Irish Repertory Theatre in Manhattan. During the COVID shutdown, he developed the strategy behind the organization's first-ever online season, reaching 60,000 patrons in more than 20 countries. Smoller also streamlined the theater's fundraising programs and oversaw its reopening to the public after New York's 18-month COVID hiatus. Prior to his time at Irish Rep, he worked in fundraising and external relations at The New York Pops orchestra and The Morgan Library & Museum. Smoller is an accomplished oboist and holds a Masters in Orchestral Performance from Manhattan School of Music, as well as an AB in French and Music from Brown University. His first full-time job was at Northern Stage.

"I am beyond thrilled to join the terrific team at Northern Stage as their next Managing Director," said Smoller. "The performing arts sector is at an important inflection point, and I am confident that the company's high-quality art-making and the community's genuine investment will ensure that Northern Stage remains a cultural beacon for the Upper Valley. My family and I are excited to be moving back to the area, and I look forward to working with the talented artists who are committed to changing lives, one story at a time."

Dunne, who has been Producing Artistic Director since 2013 and is credited with the theater's extraordinary growth over the past 10 years, says of Smoller, "I look forward to work closely with Jason as we navigate this challenging time in the theater. We count ourselves lucky that Jason is deeply passionate about Northern Stage and our entire region. He knows how much this theater means to so many people, and we will work diligently to prepare the company for its next 25 years."

Smoller was selected after a national search, conducted by the New York-based Tom O'Connor Consulting Group working with a search committee of Northern Stage board, staff and community members, chaired by Carolyn Dever. "Jason Smoller brings a remarkable combination of practical experience, vision, and shared values to the role of Managing Director. On behalf of search committee members Jess Johnston, Joe Major, and Rubi Simon, we are proud to welcome Jason and his family to the Upper Valley."

Northern Stage's 25th Anniversary Season continues with the world premiere holiday classic musical The Railway Children, running now through January 1st, followed by Celeste Jennings' stirring new choreopoem 'Bov Water (January 25 - February 12) and Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat (March 8-26) in the Byrne Theater; A playful new adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved novel Sense and Sensibility (June 14 - July 9) will close out the season outdoors in the Courtyard Theater next summer. Northern Stage's 2022/23 season is sponsored by Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, our season underwriter since 2018.

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