Gloucester Stage Names Interim Artistic Director

Gloucester Stage Company has announced that Robert Walsh will join the 35-year old professional theatre as Interim Artistic Director, effective immediately. Walsh succeeds Eric Engel, who stepped down as Artistic Director at the end of the 35th Season, after a 13-year tenure with the theatre.

"Eric gave us a 35th anniversary season that was a spectacular success. I am thrilled almost beyond description that Bob Walsh, one of the most talented and respected members of the Boston theater community will be joining us to lead and shape our artistic product," said Robert Boulrice, President of Gloucester Stage's Board of Directors. "Bob joins our new Executive Managing Director Jon Wojciechowski in leading a dynamic team that will build upon the momentum from last season and take our theatre to the next level."

As Interim Artistic Director, Walsh will work with staff and board to select the theatre's 2015 Season and oversee the creative process involved in making that season a reality, including hiring and managing directors, designers, and other members of the artistic team. He will also assist the Board in evaluating and selecting a permanent Artistic Director once a national search is launched later this winter.

"Having worked at Gloucester Stage in the past as a director, actor, and fight director, I am especially happy to be joining the theatre as its Interim Artistic Director," Walsh said. "I am familiar with the community and the audience and am excited to help craft a season that everyone will enthusiastically enjoy!"

Walsh is a familiar face in the Boston-area theatre community, having worked with Actors' Shakespeare Project, Huntington Theatre Company, Stoneham Theatre, and many more. Other theatres where he has worked in New England and beyond include Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Two River Theatre Company, Portland Stage Company, and the Vineyard Playhouse. Most recently at GSC, he directed North Shore Fish and was last seen on-stage in Sins of the Mother, both plays by Israel Horovitz, founding Artistic Director.

In addition to his work on the stage, Walsh has appeared on film in State and Main, Amistad, Eight Men Out, and the soon-to-be-released, Black Mass. On television, he has appeared on Body of Proof (ABC) and on the daytime dramas Another World, The Guiding Light, and One Life to Live.

"I look forward to working with Bob on our 2015 Season," said new Executive Managing Director Jon Wojciechowski. "Gloucester Stage has a wonderful heritage on which to grow, and I know Bob will help us take our artistic product to the next level."

Gloucester Stage Company was founded in 1979 by playwright Israel Horovitz and two local partners. The theatre has staged more than 32 world premieres in its history and enjoys a loyal following among theatregoers from Boston and throughout the North Shore.