Diane Paulus has been appointed the new artistic director of the American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.). She will succeed Robert Woodruff, who held the position from 2002-2007. She will begin her responsibilities in the fall with the planning of the 2009-2010 season.
Paulus’ work fuses the traditional with contemporary and popular culture across a variety of genres, including theater, opera, rock, and innovative jazz-inflected pieces. Her credits include The Donkey Show, a disco adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream; the Obie-award winning Eli’s Comin’ featuring the music and lyrics of Laura Nyro; the 40th Anniversary Concert Production of Hair in Central Park for the Public Theatre, which she will also direct a full production of in Central Park this summer; and Don Giovanni, The Turn of the Screw, Le Nozze di Figaro, and Così fan tutte, all for the Chicago Opera Theater.
