In a statement, Goldberg, a long-standing member of the Drama Desk and a member-at-large of the Board of Directors, said, "I'm honored to be elected president of the Drama Desk and look forward to continuing in the footsteps of William Wolf who has been so effective in sustaining and growing the organization. This season I hope to see the Drama Desk develop more of the panels for which we are known, and to help us build on our important role in the theater community."
In a letter to the membership, outgoing president Wolf wrote, "After four years of serving as Drama Desk president, I must now move on from these presidential responsibilities to attend to various personal projects. During my tenure I have done my best to serve our organization, uphold its traditions and move it forward in the face of new challenges and opportunities. I want to thank you for having given me the honor of being president these last four terms and joining the long line of those who served as previous Drama Desk presidents."
About his successor, Wolf added, "She has the qualities of an excellent leader. Isa has good judgment, interacts well with colleagues, is principled, respects the views of others, has fresh ideas and has the ability to follow through with dedication on what needs to be done to continue to move the Drama Desk forward. She has earned the respect of our Board members, and I know this will be the case with the membership at large. I greatly admire Isa and pledge to her my complete support."
Following is list of elected officers and Drama Desk Board of Directors for 2010-2011:
President: Isa Goldberg (syndicated columnist, Stamford Advocate/Greenwich Times, Albany Times Union, Greater Philadelphia Newspapers, Middletown Times Herald Record and Pocono Record; contributing columnist, Financial Times and Jerusalem Post)
Vice President: Leslie (Hoban) Blake (contributing writer, TheaterMania.com; recurring guest critic, Two on the Aisle, MNN)
Treasurer & 2nd Vice President: Charles Wright (A&E Television Networks; essayist and editorial board member, Best Plays Theater Yearbook, published annually by Limelight Editions)
Secretary: Richard Ridge (Broadway Beat TV) Members at large include Arlene Epstein (theatre critic, arts columnist, South Shore Record/Herald Community Newspapers; LIherald.com); Elysa Gardner (theatre critic, USA Today); Randy Gener (senior editor, American Theatre; founding critic, New York Theatre Wire; editorial board, Critical Stages/Scènes critiques, www.criticalstages.org); John Istel (freelance arts editor and writer; Best Plays, contributing editor); David Kaufman (freelance; author); Sam Norkin (freelance artist; past Drama Desk president); and William Wolf (wolfentertainmentguide.com).
The Drama Desk (www.dramadesk.org) is an organization of professional theatre writers, editors, critics and columnists who cover all areas of professional theatre in the greater New York area, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway and not-for-profit theatres. The organization was founded in 1949 to explore key issues of the theatre community.
The 56th Annual Drama Desk Awards will be presented May 22, 2011.
