BWW Q&A: Barrington Stage Company Artistic Director Alan Paul on Benefit Concert

Barrington Stage Company will host its annual NYC Gala at 54 Below on Monday, October 19th. The event will honor BSC superstars Mary Ann & Bruno Quinson and celebrate acclaimed composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown, recipient of the 2026 William Finn Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre.Three-time Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown will play from his songbook joined by BSC favorites Carolee Carmello, Mykal Kilgore, Elizabeth Stanley, Alysha Umphress & others. Enjoy cocktails, dinner, and a live auction, with all funds raised going towards BSC’s New Works Fund.

Alan Paul is the Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company. BSC credits include A Chorus Line, The Weekend, Camelot, Next to Normal, A Tender Thing and Cabaret. Alan spent 15 seasons at the Tony Award-winning Shakespeare Theatre Company, where his productions included Camelot, Kiss Me, Kate, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Helen Hayes Award, Best Director), Man of La Mancha, Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, the world premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s Peter Pan and Wendy, and Our Town featuring a score by Michael John LaChiusa. Alan is a frequent collaborator with the National Symphony Orchestra and directed John Williams’ 90th Birthday Celebration, which featured Steven Spielberg, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Daisy Ridley.

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Can you tell us a little bit about how this benefit will support Barrington Stage Company and what you'll do with the funds?

This event raises money for New Work at Barrington Stage Company. This season, we produced four new plays by four wonderful playwrights. Next season, we are hoping to produce a significant number of new plays and are already committed to the world premiere of a really interesting new musical. So, all the money raised supports this great artistic endeavor.

What are you most looking forward to about this year's event honoring Jason Robert Brown?

Jason Robert Brown is one of our greatest living composers and lyricists, and a champion of new work. He has graciously agreed to accept the William Finn Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre. When I think of Bill's legacy and his desire for writers to find their own voices and write as authentically as possible, I think of Jason and his amazing body of work. I know Bill was very proud of Jason's work in the theater, and they worked together on A New Brain. So it's a big honor to give Jason the William Finn Award.

How does Barrington help support emerging artists and new musical theater?

Right now, we have many active commissions with playwrights, composers, and lyricists who are writing original plays and musicals that will hopefully premiere at Barrington Stage in the coming years. Commissions let us invest time and money in the writers themselves and give them a process to bring their work to the stage in a supported environment. These vary from adaptations of novels to entirely original ideas - and I'm excited about all of them.

What are some of the highlights of the remaining shows in BSC's 2026 season?

Although summer is over, we have two amazing works happening in the Berkshires this fall. I am directing the one-man VANYA by Simon Stephens in its regional premiere starring Mark H. Dold. VANYA marks his 23rd time onstage at Barrington, and his performance of all eight characters is a tour de force. Also playing is the North American premiere of THE URMETAZOAN by Alex Rugman, directed by Jack Serio. Starring Julia Chan and Francesca Carpanini, it's a gorgeous story of sisters. One is getting ready to leave for life on Mars, and the other has questions. Both plays have performances through October 25th.

What goes into your work planning the season of an organization like this?

I never want to be like a standard regional theater that programs plays that were successful last year in London or New York. So, I am always on the hunt for new plays and musicals that need a world premiere or a second production. Our audience is smart, they like work that sparks conversation, and they are always up for something new. And, of course, I look for great musical revivals to fill our larger theater. Barrington's audience loves Broadway, and I try to give them something of Broadway caliber!

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Photo Credit: Eric Korenman