PCPA Welcomes New Managing Director

Jennifer Schwartz is the new Managing Director for PCPA as of January 2016. Schwartz comes to PCPA having worked for over 15 years as a non-profit arts manager. She was the Finance and Administration Director at the San Jose Repertory Theatre, held finance positions at SFJAZZ, The San Francisco Film Society and The Paul Dresher Ensemble, and was the Associate Managing Director at the Yale Repertory Theatre where she produced The Special Events Series that included artists Don Byron, Meredith Monk and Guillermo Gomez-Pena. She also has worked in Los Angeles for New Line Cinema and Paramount Pictures and as a consultant for Bay Area non-profits including The Magnes Museum, Southern Exposure, Prison Law Office, Glide Community Housing, Root Division, We Care, World Savvy and Youth Speaks.

Schwartz is an award winning playwright and screenwriter and founder of San Francisco Stage & Film, a non-profit organization that produces works by and about under-represented communities. She has produced The Women's Comedy Show for public radio and received an NEA grant to take the show to a national audience. She has an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.

Schwartz said, "I am thrilled to be joining the staff at PCPA. I am deeply impressed with the quality of the work on stage and the enormous impact that the staff has on the students to propel them on their journey as artists. Working with an organization such as PCPA is a lifelong goal of mine and I am overjoyed that my dream is coming to fruition."

Artistic Director/Associate Dean Mark Booher said of Schwartz in her leadership role, "She will help keep us on track for the next great stage of our work - creating inspiring theatre artistry, the best professional practices, and an exemplary training environment."

Schwartz replaces Michael Black who was promoted to Associate Superintendent/Vice President, Finance and Administration of Allan Hancock College last June.

For over 51 years, PCPA, a professional conservatory theatre, has infused the national theatre scene with thousands of trained actors and theatrical technicians.