Baldridge’s successor will be announced shortly and will be in place when the School’s 84th year begins in September.

Board President Robert Fraina said in a statement, “During his more than three decades of tireless effort and dedication, Harold has firmly established himself as an important part of the school’s long, distinguished tradition and history.”

Baldridge added, “The Neighborhood Playhouse has been a revered and unique institution ever since its founding. I am proud to be a graduate of the school and to have contributed to the school's place in New York's theatre history.”

Baldridge studied at the University of Alberta in his native Canada. He graduated from The Neighborhood Playhouse in 1960. He was artistic director of the Woodstock Playhouse, NY, where he worked with M. Edgar Rosenblum. He was artistic director of Theatre Calgary, a major regional theatre, and taught acting at the Banff Centre for the Arts before returning in 1981 to New York to accept the position of Director of the Neighborhood Playhouse. As a director and designer, Baldridge worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, as well as in regional theatres in the U.S. and Canada.

Baldridge is married to playwright Mary Humphrey Baldridge; they have two children and four grandchildren. *

Since 1928 the Neighborhood Playhouse has been a training ground for actors, directors and theatre professionals, including Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Elizabeth Ashley, Allison Janney, Sherie Rene Scott, Christopher Meloni, Mary Steenburgen, Sidney Pollack, Leslie Moonves, Marion Seldes, Tony Randall and Eli Wallach.