May Adrales Named The Lark's Artistic Director

The Lark, an international play development laboratory dedicated to amplifying the voices of playwrights, is thrilled to announce May Adrales (Vietgone, Luce) as its new Artistic Director. After an inclusive search process led by ALJP Consulting, Adrales was selected by a committee composed of Lark artists, staff, and board members to lead the organization alongside Executive Director Stacy Waring.

Adrales has a long history with The Lark, having first come to the organization through the New Generations Future Leaders Fellowship from TCG under the mentorship of Lark founder John Clinton Eisner, who remarked "she is hands down exactly the right person for the job because she has spent a lifetime fighting for artists to have a place at the center of the cultural conversation." In 2008, Adrales became The Lark's Director of Artistic Programs, during which time, she played a leading role in designing artistic programs that continue to be core to The Lark's toolbox of play development, including Monthly Meeting of the Minds, Winter Writers' Retreat, and Playground. In her acclaimed career as a director, Adrales has also directed numerous world premieres and productions of Lark-affiliated writers, including Katori Hall, David Henry Hwang and Rajiv Joseph.

"The Lark, which, by creating a dynamic, radically supportive and inclusive space for Living Theatre makers, has influenced and shaped me to be the artist I am today," said Adrales. "My vision for The Lark is to wholly empower artists and encourage their fullest potential by providing artistic, financial and career building support. My hope is that the work created under the wing of The Lark reveals the widest range of human experience and works towards an equitable, compassionate, and imaginative world. As the nexus point between art and social justice, The Lark empowers artists to create new worlds through storytelling. These artists, in turn, reimagine a vision for the future and thus, are the first to show us how to be the change we want to see."

"May Adrales is like family coming home," said Waring. "Her vision and insight into the needs of our community perfectly positions her as the right leader for The Lark. As two women of color we can not only bring awareness to the challenges our communities face, but as benefactors of The Lark's mission we understand the value of its promise. It is an honor to serve alongside her."

"May has deep roots at The Lark, so I am overjoyed about her appointment as the next Artistic Director," said Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus Eisner. "She has worked with playwrights across a remarkable range of cultural experiences and ideological perspectives and understands that the reason people find common ground is because they share stories. She has come home to The Lark to build on programs and processes she helped create a decade ago, make them more accessible to an expanding network of communities worldwide, and advocate for artists who will bring us together by changing the way we see the world."