Bradley, a well-known Canadian arts administrator, "will focus on international creative development from her base in New York, where she has recently assumed the chair of drama of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University," the company announced Dec. 8. "She will assist the Festival in establishing relationships that will enable it to export productions, provide details of opportunities for collaborations, and suggest new markets of interest. She will also recommend international and emerging creative talent to artistic director Des McAnuff."
Bradley will fulfill this role for one year on an honorary volunteer basis.
"I have known Elizabeth Bradley since she was in high school and served an internship casting my musical Silent Edward for Young People's Theatre," stated Stratford artistic director McAnuff. "Over the years, we have become good friends and close colleagues. We worked together at the Stratford Festival under John Hirsch, and I later served on the advisory board for the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon, which Elizabeth headed. [She is] one of the most intelligent and articulate theatre professionals I have had the pleasure of working with. She will be an invaluable and sophisticated ambassador for the Festival as we move into the future."
Bradley held a wide variety of positions in Canada prior to moving to Pittsburgh in 2001 to head the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University, a post she held until her current appointment in New York. A graduate in theatre from York University, she served as programming director and later CEO of the Hummingbird Centre; director of communications and special projects at the Stratford Festival; and president of her own production and talent management company.
As a producer, her many credits include the founding artistic directorship of the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts, which brought to the U.S. 164 artists in international premieres of cutting-edge work; the Tony-nominated production of The Mikado, which toured extensively in North America; and the Edinburgh Festival premiere of B-Movie, The Play. She is the past chair of the International Society for the Performing Arts. Currently she is chair of the American Board of the National Theatre of Scotland. "It is vitally important that the Festival advance its efforts to reach out internationally," stated Antoni Cimolino, the Festival's general director. "To that end, Elizabeth Bradley will be an ideal ambassador for the Festival with an eye toward talent recruitment and partnering opportunities."
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