|
Next Theatre Company Concludes Nationwide Search
Jason Southerland Named New Artistic Director
EVANSTON– The celebrated Next Theatre Company, Chicago’s destination for socially provocative, artistically adventurous work, has announced the appointment of Jason Southerland to the post of Artistic Director as the company continues its 28th season.
Artistic Director Jason Loewith stepped into the position of Artistic Director Emeritus on October 1st after six seasons of astonishing growth for the theater. Having tripled the subscriber base and budget, Loewith will continue to work with Next Theatre through this leadership transition from his new home in Washington D.C.
Jason Southerland is an award-winning director and producer who comes to Next Theatre from Bosto, MA. There, he has served as the founding Artistic Director for Boston Theatre Works since 1998. During his tenure, the company produced the world premieres of a dozen plays and developed over sixty scripts through commissions, development agreements and BTW Unbound, an annual festival of new plays. As a director, Jason has staged several award-winning productions including the New England premieres of Homebody/Kabul, Not About Nightingales, Angels in America: Parts I & II and The Laramie Project. Other notable regional premieres include Pulp, The Sweetest Swing in Baseball by Rebecca Gilman, Four Baboons Adoring the Sun and I Am My Own Wife. Jason spent five years in New York City, where his affiliations included BACA Downtown, Circle Rep Laboratory, Lehman/Engel BMI Workshop, Alice's Fourth Floor and the Sanford Meisner Theatre. Regional credits include productions at Long Beach CLO, Albuquerque CLO, Diversionary Theatre and Moxie Theatre (both in San Diego), Foothills Theatre, Stoneham Theatre, University of Kent at Canterbury, Emory University, Cal Berkeley and several others.
Jason studied directing at the American Repertory Theatre/Harvard University Institute for Advanced Theatre Training, working with Ron Daniels, Bob Scanlan, and Robert Brustein. He holds a B.A. cum laude in political science from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a two-time winner of the Joe Hardy Directing Fellowship, received a Drama League Fellowship, was honored with an Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Direction for his 2008 production of Angels in America and was chosen byBostonmagazine as #3 on their list of the "40 Bostonians to Watch."
“I’m thrilled to be partnering with Jason Southerland,” said Managing Director Kevin Heckman. “Over the last six seasons, Next Theatre has become a stable and well-regarded metropolitan company with a growing national presence. Southerland and I are ready to capitalize on that strength and take this company to an entirely new level. We are extremely fortunate to gain a cutting-edge artist with such a deep commitment to new, progressive works, vital experience in institutional leadership, and excitement for the Chicagoland theater community.”
“I am so honored to be taking the reins of Next Theatre at this time,” Jason said from his home in Boston. “Chicago is a mecca for theater and new play development. I am thrilled to join the community, build on the great work Jason Loewith has done there and move Next into a new phase of growth and artistic achievement.” Southerland begins on November 17.
---------------------
Jason Southerland Takes the Reins
An interview with our incoming Artistic Director
by Amber Bel’cher
I sat down with Jason to gain some insight into his artistic voice and point of view as a director.
Why is producing new plays important to you?
JASON: I appreciate the opportunity to give voice to new ideas and new artists by fostering the development of new plays. New work can challenge us and encourage us to learn something about ourselves and about our world. It’s important for theaters like Next to develop these artists and to share their work with our audience.
|
