San Jose Rep Names Rick Lombardo New Artistic Director

The San Jose Repertory Theatre today announced that Rick Lombardo of Boston’s New Repertory Theatre will be the company’s next artistic director, succeeding the Rep’s long-time director, Timothy Near. After a six-month nationwide search, the Rep’s board chose Lombardo for his combination of artistic excellence, programming savvy and leadership abilities.

“In Rick Lombardo we have found a proven leader who will complement the current team and help take San Jose Rep to an exciting new level in the community as well as on stage,” said Stan Anders, chair of the search committee and incoming board president. “We look forward to his energy and insight as we launch a new era for the theatre.”

For ten of his twelve years as Artistic Director at the New Repertory Theatre (NRT), Lombardo oversaw all artistic and administrative operations and presided over a quadrupling of the theatre’s budget, a successful capital campaign, a doubling of attendance from 2002-to 2007 and a 500 percent increase in contributed revenue.  An award-winning director, Lombardo produced four world premieres at NRT and directed a wide range of plays including Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, King Lear, A Streetcar Named Desire, Waiting for Godot, Tartuffe, The Scarlet Letter and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

Lombardo also was artistic director of The Players Guild in Canton, Ohio and was founding artistic director of the Stillwaters Theatre Company Off-Broadway in New York.  A National Merit Scholar and graduate of Georgetown, he received his MFA in directing from Boston University School for the Arts.  He has taught at Fordham University and Farleigh Dickinson University.  He has a strong commitment to diversity and developing education and outreach programs such as the successful “New Rep on Tour,” a school touring program funded by the NEA.

"Rick is the perfect combination of a consummate artistic leader, exciting director and seasoned administrator,” said Nick Nichols, managing director of the Rep.  “His entrepreneurial spirit will fit well with San Jose and Silicon Valley.  Rick will build beautifully upon what we already have at the Rep while imparting his distinctive artistic brand.  I am truly excited to work with an artist of his abilities."

“I am honored to be named the next Artistic Director of San Jose Rep and to continue the high artistic tradition the Rep has established under the leadership of Timothy Near,” said Lombardo.

“My work has always been to find the plays, stories and voices that have a powerful and lasting impact on an audience, and to use these plays as a way to begin a real engagement between community and artists around the important questions and ideas of our times.  I’m very excited to begin planning my first season for Silicon Valley, and I’ll be spending as much time as I can at the Rep this fall to get the feel for my new home.”

“In Boston, Rick is one of the most respected arts leaders,” said Mary Kay Marvin, the Rep’s board president.  “He has a unique blend of business acumen and artistic passion.  Rick has established a significant track record for nurturing outstanding local artists and his staff, and he is plugged into the national scene of play selections, consistently choosing just the right ones. We know he will quickly become a valuable leader in our arts community.”

Lombardo will begin the transition into his new position in the fall of 2008.

San Jose Rep is one of largest non-profit, professional theatre companies in the South Bay, presenting six main stage productions each year. As a major contributor to South Bay’s cultural community for 28 years, the Rep’s mission is to engage, entertain, and inspire people. The Rep produces innovative theatrical performances that offer fresh perspectives into the human condition, educational programs that promote life-long learning, and outreach initiatives that benefit our diverse community. For more information, visit us at www.SJRep.com.

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