Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Announces New Managing Director

From the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kate Liberman as its new Managing Director. Reporting to HVSF’s Board of Directors, and working in partnership with Artistic Director Davis McCallum, Ms. Liberman will be responsible for all administrative and operational aspects of HVSF’s activities.

With an MFA in theater management from the Yale School of Drama and an MBA from the Yale School of Management, Ms. Liberman has devoted her career to theater administration, serving Yale Repertory Theatre as Associate Managing Director, Berkeley Repertory Theatre as a Managing Director Fellow, and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as Assistant Manager in Development. She is currently General Manager of The Laguna Playhouse, a $4.5 million regional theater in Laguna Beach, CA, which is entering its 95th season. Ms. Liberman will join HVSF in March.

“The Board has made an outstanding choice in selecting Kate as the new Managing Director, and I am delighted to have her join our team,” said HVSF Artistic Director Davis McCallum. “Not only is Kate a natural leader with a wide range of skills and experience, she also has an unmistakable passion for the mission of our theater company. I look forward to introducing her to the HVSF community and embarking on the next chapter of the company’s story together.”

Robin Arditi, President of the HVSF Board, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kate as our new Managing Director. She is an exciting new leader in the field of theater administration, with great energy, intelligence, and commitment to HVSF‘s mission and the power of theater to enrich our lives and build community. Her experience, training, and consistently high record of achievement convinced us that she will be a superb partner to Davis in leading HVSF in its next phase of development.”

On accepting the position, Ms. Liberman said: “I am thrilled to join Davis, the board and the staff at this exciting time for HVSF. This is a remarkable organization that engages the community, young artists, and students through its dynamic productions and impactful theater education programs. I look forward to contributing to and continuing the wonderful work that has defined HVSF for the last 28 years.”

Ms. Liberman succeeds Maggie Whitlum, who left HVSF in the fall to return to England with her husband, who took up a post at Oxford University. Since then, the HVSF administrative staff has been led by Jared Goldstein as Interim Managing Director and Mona Smith as Deputy Interim Managing Director. Ms. Arditi said, “The Board is deeply appreciative of the staff’s exemplary team work during this transition period, as they executed our sold-out “second stage” productions during the fall, planned for our diverse and innovative in-school education programs, and set the stage for what promises to be a terrific 2015 summer season.”

Ms. Liberman’s appointment concludes a nationwide search that attracted a distinguished pool of candidates. The search was conducted by a Board committee chaired by Leslie Kelley, Managing Director of Blue Man Productions.

ABOUT KATE LIBERMAN

Ms. Liberman joins HVSF on March 2, 2015. She is currently General Manager of The Laguna Playhouse, a $4.5 million non-profit theater in Laguna Beach, CA. During her tenure at The Playhouse, she worked with senior leadership and the Board of Trustees on a strategic plan, assisted in an organizational fiscal turnaround, and oversaw the planning and implementation of significant capital improvements. Prior to her job at The Playhouse, she served as Associate Managing Director at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, CT. In her time at Yale, Ms. Liberman also served as the Managing Director of Yale Summer Cabaret and as the Company Manager for Yale Repertory Theatre. She has also served as the Managing Director Fellow at Berkeley Repertory Theater and was a member of the development staff of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Kate has an MFA in Theater Management from the Yale School of Drama as well as an MBA from the Yale School of Management. Kate completed her undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Theatre Arts and English. She was a 2006 recipient of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship and now serves as the President of the Truman Scholars Association Board of Directors. Originally from the Boston area, Kate is thrilled about settling in the Hudson Valley.

ABOUT HUDSON VALLEY SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Founded in 1987, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s mission is to engage the widest possible audience in a fresh conversation about what is essential in Shakespeare’s plays. Both in production and in the classroom, our theater lives in the present moment, at the intersection of the virtuosity of the actor, the imagination of the audience, and the inspiration of the text.

HVSF’s primary home is a spectacular open-air theater tent at Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison, NY. Every summer, more than 35,000 patrons join us there for a twelve-week season of plays presented in repertory, with the natural beauty of the Hudson Highlands as our backdrop. HVSF’s exuberant productions garner consistent critical acclaim from regional and national media (New York Times, New Yorker, Wall Street Journal) for communicating great stories with clarity, energy and imagination. HVSF also tours productions throughout the Hudson Valley and presents limited runs of classic plays in local landmark venues. HVSF’s acclaimed arts education programs include training for early-career theater artists; professional development for educators; and programs and performances that serve more than 40,000 middle and high school students each year.

HVSF’s 2015 summer season opens June 9 and continues through September 1. Running in repertory will be The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare, directed by Davis McCallum; A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, directed by Eric Tucker; The Arabian Nights by Mary Zimmerman, adapted from the Book of Thousand Nights and One Night, directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz; An Iliad by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare, adapted from Homer’s Iliad as translated by Robert Fagles, and directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch; and The Tempest by William Shakespeare, directed by Jim Calder and featuring the HVSF Conservatory Company.

Online ordering for the 2015 season begins March 1, and the Box Office opens May 19. For more information about tickets and shows, please visithvshakespeare.org.