How did the collaboration between yourself and the Hanover Theatre come about?

When I moved to Worcester in 2018, several colleagues introduced me to Troy Siebels, the President and CEO of the Hanover. He got a sense of my work at Bridge Rep, and shared that the Hanover had been contracted by the Worcester Cultural Coalition to manage operations of its new performance venue, nicknamed the BrickBox.  As Bridge Rep’s Cambridge residency started dissolving in the spring of 2019, I opened myself to the possibility of moving Bridge Rep to Worcester. That redirection in thought eventually led to my being hired by the Hanover and the Worcester Cultural Coalition as Managing Director of the new theater space. Instead of maintaining the nonprofit, we envisioned rolling my leadership and Bridge Rep’s remaining assets forward into a line of homegrown Hanover programming.  

We understand the new theater will be part of a building to be named the Jean McDonough Arts Center, thanks to a recent gift of $2 million! What can we expect from the JMAC and the theater venue in particular? 

Yes! It’s a very exciting time, indeed, and we are very grateful! In my opinion, the best thing about the JMAC is the synergy brewing between the theater I’m managing and our sister space, the Worcester PopUp. While the theater will host ticketed performances of plays, dance, music and more, the PopUp hosts everything from gallery openings to lessons in drag.  

What are you most looking forward to in this new endeavor? 

It’s a toss up between: working with my new colleagues at the Hanover, the Cultural Coalition and the JMAC to bring exciting performances to downtown Worcester; meeting artists from a wide-range of disciplines; and teaming up with Troy to transform Bridge Rep into its next iteration. 

Bridge Rep Strike!, an evening celebrating the past and looking forward to Bridge Rep’s next step, takes place at Kings, 50 Dalton St., Boston, on November 19 from 7–9 p.m.