Ben Hill To Exit Hollywood Fringe As Festival Director; New Festival Director And Executive Director Announced

The Hollywood Fringe board has announced that Ben Hill will step down as Festival Director after 13 years leading the organization - he will remain a member of the Board of Directors. Hill co-founded the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2010 and has been a key asset to the growth of the festival from its earliest startup days to its current success.

"It's a bittersweet thing to say goodbye to something you've loved (and feared) so very hard that your identity is hardly recognizable in its absence," said Hill in his goodbye letter to the Fringe community. "All the same, this movement was created to outlast, outlive (and sometimes outfox) its founders. It was a gift to generations yet to breathe, yet to act, yet to be inspired by the brilliant light cascading down from its participants."

Hill's initial goal along with the other co-founders was to create a theatre festival in Hollywood to celebrate art, and to provide a platform for theatre artists to share their work. His passion for the arts has transcended through his work with the Hollywood Fringe - thousands of artists have produced a total of 3,410 shows under Hill's leadership.

"Under Ben Hill's leadership over the last 13 years, the Hollywood Fringe has grown from a small upstart festival into one of the largest performing arts festivals in the United States," said Kanchan Mattoo, Chair of the Hollywood Fringe Board of Directors. "His bold vision for the Fringe was our guiding beacon in the early days of the festival. Our organization was unbelievably fortunate to have had Ben at its helm. His contribution to Hollywood Fringe helped change the face of Los Angeles theatre. I have been lucky enough to be Ben's friend for nearly 30 years and I can't wait to see where his creativity takes him next."

Current Operations Director Lois Neville will take over the role of Festival Director. Neville has been involved with the festival since its first year, beginning as a volunteer and shortly thereafter assuming a leadership role. She has developed lasting programs and partnerships that have contributed to the overall success of the festival for more than 10 years, and will continue leading the festival in her new role.

Ellen Boudreau-Den Herder, current Programs Director, will additionally step into a new role as Executive Director. During her 5 years with the organization, Boudreau-Den Herder has developed community programs such as the scholarship program, the workshop/educational series, the Access Committee and the Artist Fund - all programs that have helped support Fringe participants. In her new role, she will continue to focus on community programs and the organization's broader nonprofit goals in a greater capacity.

Neville and Boudreau-Den Herder have grown and thrived within the Hollywood Fringe organization over the years, and are well-known among Fringe participants and the greater community.

"The Board of Directors couldn't be more excited to welcome Lois and Ellen as the festival's new leadership team," said Mattoo. "Their dedication and devotion to the Fringe community make them the perfect pair to lead the festival into the future. The passion that the co-founders have had for the festival is matched by the commitment Lois and Ellen have shown. I look forward to working with them over the coming years and making the festival even bigger and better," he added.

Hill has exemplified stellar leadership and inspiration over the last 13 years, and the organization looks forward to his continued involvement with the festival - he will continue to serve the Hollywood Fringe community as a board member, mentor and audience member. To close out his chapter as Festival Director, Hill composed a letter to the Hollywood Fringe community.

Learn more about the festival on HollywoodFringe.org.

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