NEW YORK CITY: The Public Theater has announced that artistic director Oskar Eustis will step down when his current contract expires, July 31, 2028, which will also mark Eustis’ 70th birthday. Eustis has served as The Public’s artistic director since 2005.
“This theater, devoted as it has always been to the idea that the culture belongs to everyone, is indispensable. It has been the greatest honor of my artistic life to lead it for 23 years, following in the footsteps of Joe Papp, JoAnne Akalaitis, and George C. Wolfe,” said Eustis in a statement. “I have long hoped that my 70th birthday would be the right moment for me to pass this magnificent theater on to the next generation, and I believe that indeed, the perfect time has arrived.”
Throughout his career, Eustis has been dedicated to developing new works that speak to issues of our time and has worked with countless writers in pursuit of that aim, including Tony Kushner, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Henry Hwang, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Richard Nelson, Rinne Groff, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Lynn Nottage, Ryan J. Haddad, Caryl Churchill, and Shaina Taub, among others.
Eustis’ tenure at The Public includes three Tony-winning Best Musicals (the 2009 revival of Hair, Fun Home in 2013, and Hamilton in 2015) as well as two winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (Hamilton in 2016 and Sweat in 2017). He also developed many other groundbreaking plays and musicals, including Passing Strange, Here Lies Love, Suffs, The Brother/Sister Plays, The Vagrant Trilogy, Eclipsed, Manahatta, The Fortress of Solitude, Soft Power, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures, Ain’t No Mo’, Miss You Like Hell, Tiny Beautiful Things, and many more.
Eustis is known for his committed leadership through changing economic tides, a global pandemic, and generation-defining cultural upheaval. Under his tenure, Eustis developed groundbreaking programs, including the Emerging Writers Group, which over the past 18 years boasts alumni such as Dominique Morisseau, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Ryan J. Haddad, Ethan Lipton, and Else Went; the revived Mobile Unit, which has reached audiences in every corner of the city, from parks to correctional facilities; Public Works, which has been adopted across the world as it mixes community members and professional artists in creating profound works of art; and Public Forums bringing world-class thinkers, from Michael Sandel to Samantha Power to Reverend Samuel Barber, into dialogue with the theatre. A nationwide search for Eustis’ replacement will commence this fall in the hopes of announcing a successor next year.
NEW YORK CITY: Anna D. Shapiro has been named as the next Richard Rodgers dean and director of the Drama Division at The Juilliard School. Shapiro brings decades of professional achievement, educational leadership, and commitment to cultivating emerging dramatic artists. Shapiro will lead Juilliard’s internationally recognized actor and playwright training programs, and begins her full-time tenure on July 1, 2027.
“Anna is among the theater’s most respected artists… She is a singular presence in the field, deeply respected by her peers, connected to the most vital creative work, and passionate about preparing the next generation to lead with imagination and purpose,” said Juilliard president Damian Woetzel in a statement. “She brings exceptional creative leadership, clarity of educational purpose, and an unwavering belief in the power of artists to shape culture.”
An ensemble member and former artistic director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Shapiro has built an extraordinary career directing acclaimed productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and at leading regional theatres across the country. She received the 2008 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for the Pulitzer-winning August: Osage County and earned an additional Tony nomination for The Motherf**ker with the Hat. Her Broadway directing credits include Eureka Day, Of Mice and Men, Fish in the Dark, The Minutes, and This Is Our Youth.
Shapiro has been an educator for more than two decades. She has served on the faculty of Northwestern University since 2002, where she leads the graduate directing program. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Columbia College. Most recently, she directed this summer’s production of Eric Bentley’s Are You Now or Have You Ever Been at New York City Center.
TEMPE, ARIZ.: Childsplay has announced Ellen Conn as the organization’s next managing director, effective October 1. Conn will succeed Steve Martin, who is retiring after 25 years of visionary leadership. Conn brings 18 years of leadership experience as Childsplay’s director of finance and general manager. She will partner with newly appointed artistic director Anthony Runfola to lead the organization into its next 50 years.
Under Martin’s leadership, Childsplay’s education programs experienced tremendous growth. The Childsplay Academy expanded to serve more than 1,500 young people each year, while the organization’s arts education research initiatives attracted more than $10 million in funding from local partners and the U.S. Department of Education. His contributions have left an enduring impact on both Childsplay and the national Theatre for Young Audiences field.
Conn’s extensive experience overseeing the business operations of Childsplay has prepared her well for this leadership role. In her previous positions, she strengthened operational systems, fostered collaborative leadership, mentored staff, and supported strategic business development across the organization. Her deep institutional knowledge and strong community relationships have helped advance Childsplay’s mission.
“The arts, and specifically theatre, play an integral role in the development not only of our children, but also of our communities and our economy,” said Conn in a statement. “Childsplay has long been a leader in making professional theatre and arts education accessible to all. I am deeply honored to lead one of our community’s most respected and internationally recognized arts institutions.”
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA.: Aurora Theatre has announced that co-founder and producing artistic director Ann-Carol Pence will retire after 30 years on Feb. 1, 2027. The theatre is currently undergoing a search for a new executive director to take over. In the interim, board member Randy Redner will act as executive director and Katie Chambers will serve as interim artistic director.
In 1996, Pence and fellow co-founder Anthony Rodriguez launched Aurora Theatre to create a professional theatre company that would enrich lives, reflect the community it serves, and make world-class arts accessible in Gwinnett County. Throughout her tenure, Pence helped shape Aurora’s artistic identity while championing new works, musical theatre, arts education, and community engagement. Drawing upon her background in education, she developed Aurora’s Learning Library program and played a pivotal role in expanding the theatre’s educational offerings for students and teachers across the region.
As a musician and artistic leader, Pence launched initiatives including Musicals by Moonlight and Aurora’s New Musical Initiative, helping cultivate new voices and create opportunities for emerging artists. Her work has earned many accolades, including six Suzi Bass Awards for Outstanding Music Direction. Under her leadership, Aurora Theatre received the inaugural Pinnacle Award for Large Non-Profit and the Gwinnett Chamber’s inaugural Moxie Award recognizing outstanding woman-led organizations.
DALLAS: Dallas Arts District has named Ahava Silkey-Jones as its executive director. She brings more than 15 years of leadership experience spanning higher education, nonprofit management, arts administration and civic engagement to the role. Silkey-Jones comes to this new role from Dallas College, where she has served as vice provost of the School of Creative Arts, Entertainment and Design and led academic strategy, programming, and industry partnerships across seven campuses for the arts.
The appointment follows the retirement of longtime executive director Lily Weiss. During the leadership transition, former board chair Jill Magnuson stepped into the role of interim executive director “The Dallas Arts District is one of America’s great cultural neighborhoods—a place where creativity inspires community, strengthens the economy, and enriches everyday life,” said Silkey-Jones in a statement. “I’m honored to join this extraordinary organization at such an exciting moment. We have an incredible opportunity to elevate the District’s national and global profile while creating an even more welcoming, connected and vibrant place for everyone who lives, works and visits here.”
Home to 19 cultural organizations across 118 acres in the heart of Downtown Dallas, the Dallas Arts District is the largest urban arts district in the United States. The appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the organization and for downtown. Over the past year, the organization has adopted a new strategic vision focused on advocacy, placemaking, safety, infrastructure, programming and sustainable growth; expanded partnerships across the district; advanced initiatives to create a more vibrant public realm.
PITTSBURGH: Quantum Theatre’s Karla Boos has announced she’ll step down as artistic director of the company she founded in December 2026. Boos chose this time to retire because the troupe she founded is in strong shape under executive director Julie DeSeyn and because she’ll turn 65 during her final month with the troupe.
Quantum will begin advertising for a new artistic director in January, according to a Quantum spokesperson. The company plans to name Boos’ successor next summer — right around the time it’s staging a Boos-directed production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest at the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Landmark. Boos will also program the 2026-2027 season.
Since its inception in 1990, Quantum Theatre has operated as a laboratory for the arts, expanding creative boundaries and fostering deep community connections. Boos has produced all of its 106 works, of which she directed 33, acted in 17, and wrote or adapted nine original productions among Quantum’s 26 world premieres. Under Boos’ direction, Quantum has become synonymous with staging site-specific productions in places as varied as abandoned warehouses, city parks, historic churches, and even cemeteries.
