Jonathan Silverstein to Step Down as Keen Company Artistic Director

Jonathan Silverstein, who has served as artistic director of off-Broadway’s Keen Company since 2012, will step down following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, details of which will be revealed at a later date.

“When I first took over from founding Artistic Director Carl Forsman, I had three goals in mind,” said Silverstein in a press statement, “bring musicals to our stage, develop and produce new work, and cultivate greater diversity both on and off stage. I am proud to say I have taken great strides in all three areas, while at the same time fostering a community where joy is paramount, and all are welcome.  Over the past several years, Keen has showcased an ever-widening breadth of stories, so it seems only fitting that I now hand the reins to a new leader who will further define Keen’s unique mission into its next quarter century.”

As artistic director, Silverstein has produced revivals of work by Pearl Cleage, Brian Friel, A.R. Gurney, and Lynn Nottage, as well as world premieres by Courtney Baron, Kia Corthron, Kenny Finkle, Chisa Hutchinson, and Anna Ziegler. He helmed the hit off-Broadway revival of Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick… Boom!, which starred Nick Blaemire, Ciara Renee, and George Salazar, and which was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards. Uncommonly accessible, Silverstein could regularly be seen greeting audiences at the door before Keen performances.

“Jonny is a star,” said playwright and Keen board member Chisa Hutchinson. “Not in the celebrity way, but in the sense that he’s got a gravitational pull, keeps people orbiting, and both warms and lights up entire worlds. So, if you ask me how I feel about him leaving Keen, you could understand why I’ll miss him and why I feel like my world is dimming a little.”

The Keen Company Board of Directors will soon begin a search and hiring process for Silverstein’s successor.