Coy Middlebrook Named Artistic Director Of The Wallis Annenberg Center For The Performing Arts

Jean Davidson, Executive Director and CEO of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis), has appointed Coy Middlebrook as Artistic Director, effective September 25, 2026.

The appointment comes as The Wallis looks toward its next chapter, with a focus on presenting artistry of the highest integrity, deepening connections with audiences and the Beverly Hills and greater Los Angeles communities, and creating meaningful opportunities for people of all ages to experience and participate in the arts.

As Artistic Director, Middlebrook will oversee artistic planning and programming across The Wallis, including its public performances and GRoW @ The Wallis, the organization's education and lifelong learning programs. He will report to Davidson.

Davidson said, “This is an exciting moment for The Wallis as we look ahead to our next chapter and think expansively about what a performing arts center can mean to the people and communities it serves.”

“We want The Wallis to bring the world to the stage and bring our community together,” Davidson continued. “That means presenting artistry of the highest integrity while creating experiences that are meaningful, welcoming, and relevant to the people we serve. It also means thinking beyond what happens on our stages—creating opportunities for audiences of all ages to discover something new, engage more deeply with artists and ideas, and find connection through the arts.”

The integration of artistic planning and education under a single artistic leader will create new opportunities for audiences and learners to encounter the arts across The Wallis. Rather than treating performances and education as separate areas of activity, the organization will seek greater connections among artists, educators, audiences, students, families, and lifelong learners.

Middlebrook has been intrinsically involved in the artistic life of The Wallis throughout every season of the organization's history. Moving to Los Angeles in 2014, after many years in New York working on Broadway, he directed the family concert Baseball Swing and Jason Robert Brown's The Trumpet of the Swan in the inaugural season for The Wallis. He joined the programming team in the second season bringing Deaf West Theatre's revival of Spring Awakening, directed by Michael Arden, as part of the production's path to Broadway and multiple Tony Award nominations including Best Musical Revival.

As Associate Artistic Director, Middlebrook assumed significant programming responsibilities under former Artistic Director Paul Crewes and former CEO and Executive Director Robert van Leer. Since van Leer's departure in spring 2026, he has served as Acting Chief Programming Officer.

Throughout his tenure, Middlebrook has worked across the organization and developed relationships with artists, audiences, educators, donors, production staff, and community partners.

About Coy Middlebrook

Coy Middlebrook has built a lifetime's mission on enhancing community through the performing arts, and arts education, since a young boy first as a dancer, then actor, choreographer, director, producer and now arts leader. Growing up in Chico, California, his entire career has been informed by arts education starting with the tap lessons his mother gave him for his 5thbirthday. While still in high school, Coy became a choreographer and assistant director for the Theatre Arts Department at California State University-Chico (CSUC) and co-founded Chico City Light Opera (CCLO).

By the time Coy was 21yrs old CCLO grew into a non-profit community, fully operational theatre, producing theatre 200 days of the year. He directed 10 large scale musicals there including Hair, into the Woods and Jesus Christ Superstar. CCLO also established Chico Area Student Theater.

The success of CCLO gave Coy the momentum to move to New York City where for four decades he has been an active participant in the theater community. For New York and other regional theatres, he produced and directed main stage productions, readings and developing new work for The Actors Studio, The Adobe Theatre Company, Ensemble Studio Theater, Epic Repertory Theatre, The John Harms Theater, Musical Theater Works, The Neighborhood Playhouse, and The Stamford Center for the Arts.

The Kennedy Center commissioned Coy to direct and adapt Nobody's Perfect (Parent's Choice Award) for the stage, based on the book by Marlee Matlin and Doug Cooney, and its subsequent national tour. Also in Washington, DC Middlebrook directed Little Shop of Horrors for Ford's Theatre, breaking attendance records.

Middlebrook had creative involvement in many Broadway productions: as associate director of Brooklyn, Bonnie and Clydewith music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics by Tony and Oscar winner Don Black, and the Bells are Ringing revival starring Tony winner Faith Prince.

Middlebrook has had a long and continuing relationship with Deaf West Theatre, first as Associate Director to director-choreographer Jeff Calhoun, for their highly acclaimed Los Angeles 2003 home theatre production of Big River that transferred three times - to the Mark Taper Forum, then to Broadway at Roundabout Theatre Company (Best Revival Tony Nomination and recipient of the 2004 Tony Award for Excellence in the Theater) and the subsequent International Tour. He directed Deaf West Theatre's production of Edward Albee's At Home At The Zoo, also remounted at The Wallis.

In 2014, Coy joined the artistic team of The Wallis in its 2nd season and brought with him a Deaf West Theatre production from the LA Inner City Arts (Theatre), to the Bram Goldsmith Theater -- the acclaimed revival of Spring Awakening directed by Michael Arden. After it's Broadway transfer, Spring Awakening received a Tony nomination for Best Musical Revival placing The Wallis on the national theatrical map, and helping to secure The Wallis' first Best Season Ovation Award. Arden directed twice more at The Wallis under Middlebrook's watch -- Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along in 2016 and the Olivier Achievement in Affiliate Theatre Award winner The Pride by Alexi Kaye Campbell in 2017.

Middlebrook continued his work on the programming team alongside artistic directors Paul Crewes and Patricia Wolff presenting local, national and international theater, dance and music and the creation of the popular club venue The Sorting Room and its digital streaming series The Sorting Room Sessions. Middlebrook also programmed musical theatre historian and raconteur Seth Rudetsky, who has brought Tony Award winners Patti LuPone, Audre McDonald, Chita Rivera, Christine Ebersole, and J. Harrison Ghee to The Wallis.

Highlights during Coy's years as Associate Artistic Director [2016-2022] include Jesse Eisenberg's The Revisionist (2016) starring Tony Award winner Deanna Dunnigan, City of Conversation (2016), starring Academy Award winner Christine Lahti and Jason Ritter, the original musical Witness Uganda (2019), Four Larks' Frankenstein (2020) and leading for The Wallis the co-commission of Twyla Tharp's 50th Anniversary Tour.