A New Executive Director for the O’Neill Theater Center
Howard Sherman, a Connecticut native with extensive experience in not-for-profit institutional theater, has been named as the next executive director of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Ct.
Sherman will be only the second executive director in the organization’s history. He replaces O’Neill Center founder George C. White, who will retire from the position on December 31, 2000. The center’s many programs include the National Playwrights Conference, the National Music Theater Conference, the National Theater Institute, the National Critics Institute, and the Cabaret Symposium.
Tom Viertel, who headed the search committee charged with finding a new executive director for the center, said of Sherman: “It was essential in hiring a new leader for the O’Neill that we find someone who could be an ambassador to artists, to funders, to the region, and to both the commercial and not-for-profit theater communities, as well as someone who could manage a multi-faceted institution and strategically plan for its future. Howard’s background demonstrates that he has a unique combination of talent and experience that addresses the breadth of the O’Neill’s challenges and dreams.”
Said George C. White of the appointment, “I am thrilled that a theater professional of Howard Sherman’s skill and energy will be taking the helm of the O’Neill Center. Howard was ‘raised’ in the theater community of Connecticut, but is well respected on a national level. As the O’Neill enters into the next phase of its continuing evolution, it is both comforting and exciting to know that Howard will be bringing his insight and love for theater to our organization.”
