La Jolla Playhouse Hires Executive Search Firm to Find Managing Director

La Jolla Playhouse Board Chair Ralph Bryan announced today that BHK Arts Consultants, Inc. has been contracted to conduct a nationwide search for a new Managing Director. La Jolla Playhouse plans to make its decision in early 2009 and have the Managing Director start shortly thereafter.

Mr. Bryan says, "Our search committee is looking forward to working with Benita Hofstetter Koman to support the Playhouse leadership in this important executive search."

In partnership with Artistic Director Christopher Ashley, the Managing Director will be responsible for directing the strategic planning, financial management, fundraising, marketing, development, production management and labor relations for the organization.

"We have a great opportunity to continue building La Jolla Playhouse's reputation for excellence," says Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. "I'm confident Benita is the right partner to help us identify an experienced and collaborative leader."

BHK Arts Consultants, Inc. specializes in the arts, and fiscal responsibility has been their benchmark. President Benita Hofstetter Koman recently completed seventeen years of federal contracting with the National Endowment for the Arts as the on-site coordinator for the theatre, musical theatre and opera programs. She has a broad background in regional and off Broadway theatre, as well as extensive experience in casting and event management.

La Jolla Playhouse advances theatre as an art form and as a vital social, moral and political platform by providing unfettered creative opportunities for the leading artists of today and tomorrow. To fulfill this mission, the Playhouse produces a mainstage season of 6 to 8 innovative productions of new plays, classics and musicals, many of which are world premieres, and supports the creation of new work through its "Page To Stage" play development program, which includes commissions, readings and workshops.

Interested candidates and recommenders of qualified individuals for this position are invited to contact BHK Arts Consultants, Inc. ATTN: Benita Hofstetter Koman PO BOX 50 REEDVILLE, VA 22539 phone: (804)453-9107 email: BHKArts@aol.com.

The nationally acclaimed, Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse is known for its tradition of creating the most exciting and adventurous new work in regional theatre. The Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, and is considered one of the most well respected not-for-profit theatres in the country. Numerous Playhouse productions have moved to Broadway, including The Farnsworth Invention, Big River, The Who's Tommy, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Walk in the Woods, Dracula, Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, and the currently-running Jersey Boys.