Haymarket Theatre Names Nathan Norcross Producing Artistic Director

The Haymarket Theatre welcomes Nathan Norcross as producing artistic director to lead the theatre into 2017 and beyond. After a national search, Norcross was selected to return to the Midwest from New York City where he recently developed and directed new plays with local playwrights.

"When Nathan reached out with interest in bringing his experience to the Haymarket Theatre, our board saw this as a unique opportunity to welcome in a fresh perspective," shared board president John Grady. "He brought a real vision to the table of how our theatre can engage the community through programming and outreach, as well as ways to enhance our educational artistic offerings for Lincoln's youth. We believe our future is bright with Nathan at the helm."

A native of Kansas City, Norcross was active in the theatre scene as a youth actor before training at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in musical theatre. After graduating and working as a professional actor for a number of years, Norcross transitioned into teaching acting and directing. "I quickly realized that my work in the theatre could have a much broader impact by fostering other artists to reach their full potential, rather than through playing specific roles myself," he related.

This led to a burgeoning directing career in Kansas City before earning an MFA in Directing at Florida State University. Norcross went on to be selected for competitive artistic fellowships at Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut and Studio Theatre in Washington, DC, where he worked side by side with some of the leading directors in the American theatre. "What an opportunity it was to assist and collaborate with a wide range of artists who have dedicated their careers to engaging audiences through the power of the theatre not just on Broadway stages, but throughout communities across the country at top-notch regional theatres," Norcross said.

"These formative apprentice opportunities cemented my resolve to one day settle in regionally and start that artistic dialogue a theatre can have with its community." Norcross now settles in to a Lincoln artistic landscape rich in the performing arts. "I already sense what a vibrant cohort I'm joining," Norcross added. "Yet I see a tremendous opportunity for the Haymarket Theatre to bring unique stories to our stage that have yet to be produced in Lincoln. Whether through keeping a pulse on new plays, both in the US and abroad, or resurfacing a play from the past with particular relevance to our present, the Haymarket Theatre aims to consistently engage our community with work that highlights our humanity - our complex relationships, our fierce pursuits, our joyous successes, and our gut-checking challenges."

In addition to its mainstage season, the Haymarket Theatre is well known locally for its year-round series of youth performance camps. Given his extensive experience with Kansas City's Coterie Theatre, a nationally recognized theatre for youth, Norcross is eager to spearhead the theatre's educational offerings as well. "Exploring the process of theatre-making and acting can be such a fertile grounding for young people in empathy, self awareness, and self-esteem," Norcross added. "Watching young artists really blossom into their own personalities through imagining themselves in the very real footsteps of others, and how that journey might impact them and their choices, is some of the most rewarding work I've been a part of in the theatre."

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