ITHACA, N.Y.: Kitchen Theatre Company has named David Winitsky its interim producing artistic director, beginning July 1. Winitsky will succeed M. Bevin O’Gara, who had been the theatres producing artistic director since 2017.

“On behalf of the entire staff and board, we are thrilled to welcome David to the Kitchen Theatre Company family,” said board president Joel Malina in a statement. “His artistry and expertise will be huge assets not only to the organization but also to our community. We look forward to his guiding the Kitchen to even greater heights over the coming year.”

Winitsky is the founder and executive artistic director of New York’s Jewish Plays Project. He will be taking a sabbatical from the company for the 2020-21 season as he works with Kitchen Theatre. Winitsky has previously worked as the general manager of HERE Arts Center and the producing director of Playwrights Theater of New Jersey. His directing and assisting credits span Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theatres such as Papermill Playhouse, California Shakespeare Company, and Steppenwolf Theater. Winitsky trained as a 2014-17 Silicon Valley UpStart National Fellow, a 2011 PresenTense New York City Fellow, and a 2019 fellow at the Institute for Executive Leadership at Columbia Business School.

“When I was in Ithaca 30 years ago, a group of my acting teachers started this crazy company called the Kitchen Theatre,” said Winitsky in a statement. “Their first productions —including their seminal Cloud 9—are formative theatre experiences for me. I am so humbled and honored to return to Ithaca to lead this now-thriving institution through what promises to be a truly unforgettable year.”