Wendy C. Goldberg Appointed Artistic Director of O'Neill Theater Center's Playwrights Conference
By Ernio Hernandez
24 Mar 2005
Arena Stage Artistic Associate Wendy C. Goldberg has been appointed the new Artistic Director of the Playwrights Conference at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.
"I am thrilled to assume this position," Goldberg stated in a release. "The National Playwrights Conference at the O'Neill Theater Center has a distinct legacy of artistry and continued commitment to the development of new work for the American Theater. We want to see this program continue to foster the next generation of playwriting talent and to seek out the storytellers who will make an impact on our art form for years to come."
At Washington, D.C.'s Arena Stage, Goldberg directed numerous mainstage shows and headed up one of the new play development programs. In addition, she has also continued to direct at numerous venues across the country such as The Mark Taper Forum, Portland Center Stage, Signature Theatre (VA), The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Women’s Project, Florida Stage and New Dramatists. She was recently profiled in American Theatre Magazine and holds a BA with Honors in Comparative Literature and Theater from University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and an MFA in Directing from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Goldberg joins the artistic team of the Connecticut complex that had undergone a tumultuous year. In September 2003, the Playwrights Conference had announced the end of its open submission policy due to a growing debt and a lack of staff to handle the numerous plays submitted every year. The move was not welcomed by the playwriting community.
By October's end, O'Neill Playwrights Conference artistic director James Houghton announced his resignation, citing exclusion from the board's reorganization plans to consolidate leadership. In Jan. 2004, the new artistic director J Ranelli then announced a return to open submission, though he would step down from his post in July. O'Neill's artistic associate Richard Kuranda assumed duties as the Interim Artistic Director for the then-integrated Playwrights and Music Theater Conferences.
As Artistic Director of the Playwrights Conference, Goldberg will "provide artistic oversight and vision for the development of new works for the stage, collaborating with emerging and established playwrights, actors, directors, dramaturgs and designers." a release explains.
Goldberg joins current O'Neill Executive Director Amy Sullivan, General Manager Preston Whiteway and Producing Director Richard Kuranda.
Chairman of the Board Tom Viertel added "Wendy's youth and energy will help to lift the O’Neill toward its ambitious goals. In the first years of her career she has impressed the theater veterans who have worked with her mightily. We expect her to have an important impact on American theater in her new position."
The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center was founded in 1964 and based in Waterford, CT. Programs at the Center include the Puppetry Conference, Playwrights Conference, Critics Institute, Music Theater Conference and the National Theater Institute. The Monte Cristo Cottage, O'Neill's childhood home, is also owned and operated by the group.
For more information on the O'Neill Center, visit the website at www.TheONeill.org or call (860) 443 5378.
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