Cantler, who is also a casting director and partner in Telsey+Company, has served as MCC associate artistic director for over two decades. He first aligned with LuPone and Telsey in 1986 for a one-act festival, which marked MCC Theater's first production and introduced audiences to Marissa Tomei.

"Over two decades as MCC Theater's associate artistic director, Will has become a formidable voice in both our artistic programming and our education and outreach efforts," LuPone and Telsey said in a joint statement. "We've come to rely on his astute literary sense as he has helped us drive the development and production of MCC's key works. He's been an invaluable partner who has helped shape our mission, our choice of plays, our artist compliment and, with his managerial skills, it became apparent that he was no longer acting as our Associate, but rather as our partner. We welcome Will as a much valued and important artistic director of MCC."

Since launching in 1986, MCC Theater has debuted the Tony Award-nominated Neil LaBute play reasons to be pretty, as well as his play Fat Pig. Its history also includes the Tony-winning production of Bryony Lavery's Frozen, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Margaret Edson play Wit and Alan Bowne's Beirut.

Upcoming MCC Theater productions include Sharr White’s The Other Place, starring Laurie Metcalf, (beginning March 10); and Michael Weller’s Side Effects, directed by David Auburn (beginning May 12). The company is also attached to an Off-Broadway mounting of the 1980s cult musical Carrie during the 2011-2012 season, as well as the Laurents/Hatcher Award-winning play, The Submission, by Jeff Talbott.

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