Stephen Eich Joins Pasadena Playhouse as Executive Director

By Kenneth Jones
30 Jun 2009

Stephen Eich has been named executive director of Pasadena Playhouse, the California theatre's board announced June 29.

Eich will assume his new position on July 1. As executive director of the theatre, he, in partnership with artistic director Sheldon Epps, will manage all business and administrative functions of the Playhouse, working "closely with the board and staff to continue to increase the theatre's capital to assure the Playhouse's growth and ongoing success."

Eich is a producer, manager, teacher and director with 30 years experience in both the commercial and not-for-profit professional theatre. From 1979 to 1995, he was the managing director of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company where he produced over 125 productions including the 1990 Tony Award-winning Best Play, The Grapes of Wrath. While there he oversaw the emergence of an internationally recognized award-winning theatre, built a new $9.5 million dollar home for the company and secured the theatre's administrative future. He produced Steve Martin's award-winning Picasso at the Lapin Agile at Steppenwolf before taking it to Los Angeles' Westwood Playhouse, then to New York, Chicago, San Francisco and England. He was co-producer of Paul Simon's Broadway musical The Capeman, and produced two concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York featuring the national voices of Puerto Rico.

From 2000-2008, Eich was the managing director of The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. This year, he co-produced the critically acclaimed world premiere of Mark Roberts' Rantoul and Die in Los Angeles.

Eich received a master of fine arts degree in directing from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor of science in theatre education from Illinois State University.

Eich succeeds Brian Colburn, who resigned to take a new position at Seattle's Intiman Theatre.