The Flea's Artistic Director Jim Simpson to Step Down

Artistic Director Jim Simpson and Producing Director Carol Ostrow are looking for a dynamic leader for the completion of The Flea Theater's long tenancy at 41 White Street, and to lead The Flea once it moves to its own new three-theater performing arts complex at 20 Thomas Street in 2016.

Simpson will continue his association with The Flea in the advisory role of Founding Artistic Director and President. "The Flea has been a source of joy for me for 18 years, and I couldn't be more proud of all The Flea has achieved," said Simpson. "It feels like the right time to add another, newer vision to our future. The Artistic Director's role in our exciting new home will present a singular leadership opportunity."

Ostrow said, "Jim has been a wonderful partner who continues to inspire us all. We have become a mainstay in Tribeca, and a true part of the Lower Manhattan community. We remain committed to the goals that Jim laid out when he started The Flea. Our new space will be the beginning of the next chapter for The Flea, and will enable us to fulfill our mission to represent the wide range of what is possible Off-Off-Broadway."

The Flea was founded in 1996 to "Present a joyful hell in a small space," and has met that intent time and again. The Flea remains a greenhouse that has nurtured the work of many notable playwrights, directors and actors. Its resident company of actors, The Bats, provides a stream of learning opportunities for the next generation of theater professionals.

The theater's fifth season coincided with the devastating events of 9/11, and The Flea was one of the first downtown theaters to respond with an artistic statement. THE GUYS, a play about a journalism professor and a fire captain who lost all of his men, ran to packed houses for more than a year, with artists such as Sigourney Weaver and Bill Murray, among many other stars. During this period Ostrow joined Simpson at the helm, and together they have built an Off-Off-Broadway institution.

Currently at The Flea, the critically acclaimed SMOKE by newcomer Kim Davies is playing in the Downstairs Theater while a group of 11 young Resident Directors under the guidance of Simpson are premiering THE CUTTHROAT SERIES: GRAND GUIGNOL DUELS, a series of 11 one-act plays from the Parisian theater of the same name. Simpson is also currently in rehearsal with the world premiere production of I SEE YOU by Kate Robin which opens at The Flea in November.

The Flea is also constructing a brand new three-theater performing arts complex in Tribeca, with completion and opening scheduled for 2016.

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