The Theatre Communications Group (TCG) recently announced the election of six new board members, including OBIE award-winning actress, Kathleen Chalfant (Wit) and Roundabout Theatre artistic director, Todd Haimes.

Chalfant and Haimes will begin their four-year board terms July 1, 1999, and will be joined by four other new members: Walter Dallas, artistic director of Philadelphia's Freedom Repertory Theatre; Oskar Eustis, artistic director, Providence, R.I.'s Trinity Repertory Company; Abel Lopez, associate producing director of Washington, DC's GALA Hispanic Theatre and Susan Medak, managing director, CA's Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Two new officers were also elected to the board: David Henry Hwang (Golden Child, M. Butterfly) as vice president and Paula Tomei, managing director of CA's South Coast Repertory, as treasurer. Re- elected officers include: President Kent Thompson, Vice-President Judith O. Rubin and secretary Linda Hartzell.

Chalfant received a 1999 Obie Award for her current role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Wit, and has served on the boards of both Playwrights Horizons and Classic Stage Company. She's also anticipated for a new show at the Vineyard this-coming season, to be directed by Michael Mayer.

Haimes has served as the artistic director of the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York since 1990 and was recently named Creative Director of Livent Inc. Haimes is also President of the board of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York, and is a board member of the Times Square Business Improvement District. TCG, the publisher of "American Theatre" magazine, was founded in 1961 to provide various artistic, administrative and information services to independent theatre artists.

-- By Sean McGrath