Syracuse Stage Artistic Director Bob Hupp to Retire in 2027

Syracuse Stage's current artistic director Robert Hupp will retire after a decade of leading the region’s premier professional theatre. He will step down at the completion of the 2026/2027 season after programming the 2027/2028 season. Over the coming months, Syracuse Stage and Management Consultants for the Arts (MCA) will conduct a national search for the next artistic director.

“Bob is not only a remarkable theatremaker, but a tireless champion of the arts with the kind of leadership and wisdom that only comes from having worked with the best and the brightest in his field, and he leaves Syracuse Stage with a strong artistic foundation that will carry us into our next chapter,” said Board of Trustees chair Dick Driscoll. "On behalf of the entire Board, I extend eternal gratitude for everything Bob has helped us accomplish as we begin our search for a new artistic director."

Appointed in 2016 after tenures at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and the Jean Cocteau Repertory in New York City, Hupp directed many acclaimed productions at Syracuse Stage, including “The Three Musketeers,” “Next to Normal,” “Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express” and “Our Town.” He oversaw artistic programming leading to multiple years of operating surpluses, a financial foundation which helped the company maintain full employment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hupp’s production of “Amadeus” (March 2020) was an early streaming success that reached audiences in 49 states and was lauded by the late Wall Street Journal critic Terry Teachout as a standout virtual offering directed with “exhilarating clarity.”

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve this past decade as Syracuse Stage’s artistic director,” said Hupp. “I’m proud of the diverse theatrical stories our resident and guest artists have created, and of the new work, community engagement and educational programming that define Syracuse Stage for Central N.Y.  I’m also grateful for the tremendous support the community and Syracuse University have afforded our theatre. I look forward in the coming season to supporting our fantastic staff as they work with our dedicated board of trustees to chart the exciting future of Syracuse Stage.”

Under Hupp’s leadership, and in collaboration with the theatre’s resident staff, Syracuse Stage increased its reputation as a leading regional theatre: The company produced two world premieres which later transferred to Broadway  (“Thoughts of a Colored Man” and “How to Dance in Ohio”); strengthened its relationship with other regional theatres and producers through co- and enhanced-productions (“The Hello Girls,” “Relentless” and the upcoming world premiere of “Dust and Shadow: The Unraveling of Sherlock Holmes”); and developed commissioned work from nationally recognized artists and playwrights, all while expanding its community engagement and educational programming serving local patrons, students and families. 

As part of the company’s 50th anniversary season, Hupp facilitated the largest single donation in Syracuse Stage history, establishing the Julie Lutz New Play Development Fund to be used for the creation of new work with a particular focus on sharing stories from underrepresented voices. The fund helped produce the world premiere production of Rogelio Martinez ‘s “The National Pastime” and will support the upcoming world premiere of Resident Playwright Kyle Bass’ “The Black Nationals” in 2027.

Hupp was instrumental in fostering work like award-winning artist Ty Defoe’s “Our Words Are Seeds” which continued the company’s commitment to uplifting Native performers and Indigenous storytelling and led to the Dramatist Guild Foundation recognizing Syracuse Stage as the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Lucille Lortel Foundation Indigenous Theatermaker Award. The theatre is located on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Onondaga Nation, the "Keepers of the Fire" of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

For his final show as artistic director, Hupp will direct “Les Misérables,” a personal favorite, as the company’s annual co-production with the Syracuse University Department of Drama.

Robert Hupp Bio:

Robert Hupp is in his tenth season as artistic director of Syracuse Stage. He recently directed “A Christmas Story,” “Dial M for Murder,” “Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express,” “Our Town,” “The Play That Goes Wrong,” “Eureka Day,” “Annapurna,” “Talley’s Folly,” “Amadeus,” “Noises Off,” “Next to Normal” and “The Three Musketeers” for Stage. Prior to coming to Central New York, Robert spent seventeen seasons as the producing artistic director of Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Little Rock. He directed over 30 productions for Arkansas Rep ranging from “Hamlet” to “Les Misérables” to “The Grapes of Wrath.” In New York City, Robert directed the American premieres of Glyn Maxwell’s “The Lifeblood” and “Wolfpit” for The Phoenix Theatre Ensemble. He also served for nine seasons as the artistic director of the Obie Award-winning Jean Cocteau Repertory. At the Cocteau, Robert’s directing credits include works by Buchner, Wilder, Cocteau, Shaw, Wedekind and the premieres of the Bentley/Milhaud version of Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children,” Seamus Heaney’s “The Cure at Troy,” and Eduardo De Filippo’s “Napoli Millionaria.” He has held faculty positions at Pennsylvania’s Dickinson College and, in Arkansas, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Hendrix College. Robert served as vice president of the Board of Directors of the Theatre Communications Group and has served on funding panels for the New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, the Theatre Communications Group, the New Jersey State Council of the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. While in Arkansas, Robert was named both Non-Profit Executive of the Year by the Arkansas Business Publishing Group, and Individual Artist of the Year by the Arkansas Arts Council. In 2025, Robert was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. He and his wife Clea ride herd over a blended family of five children, their spouses, one granddaughter, one dog and two cats.

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