Flashpoint Theatre Announces New Artistic Director

Flashpoint Theatre Company is pleased to announce the appointment of award-winning lighting designer Thom Weaver as artistic director for its seventh season.

Thom Weaver, a native of Cherry Hill, N.J. and current South Philadelphia resident, is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and Yale School of Drama. He has worked with many theaters in the Philadelphia area, including Arden Theatre Company, The Wilma Theater, People's Light & Theatre Company, and Theatre Exile. Weaver's work also has been seen in New York and nationally at theaters such as Signature Theater, Summer Play Festival at the Public Theater, Urban Stages, CENTERSTAGE, Williamstown Theater Festival, and California Shakespeare Theatre.

A recent 2010 Helen Hayes Award nominee for Arcadia at the Folger Theatre in Washington, D.C., Weaver received two Barrymore Award nominations in 2009 for Theatre Exile's production of American Buffalo and The Wilma Theater's production of Scorched. Some of Weaver's other honors include the 2009 Philadelphia City Paper "Best of the Year" best lighting design award for Scorched, and the 2007 Audelco "VIV" Award for Best Lighting Design for Signature Theatre Company's production of King Hedley II.

Weaver's commitment to new work in theatre extends beyond his extensive design experience. Currently, he is involved in Philadelphia's PlayPenn, an annual conference dedicated to the development and advancement of new plays. Paul Meshejian, artistic director of PlayPenn, said that Weaver's interest in the development of new plays beyond design is clear, and that his appointment as the new artistic director of Flashpoint "will be a boon for all of us moving forward." Meshejian applauded Flashpoint for its selection outside of the usual criteria for artistic directors.

Weaver said, "It is an honor to lead Flashpoint into a new decade, and I relish this great challenge. Flashpoint's commitment to contemporary, provocative, and electrifying work has attracted my admiration for some time. As an artist, I am humbled and thrilled to join the entire organization as we explore the next phase of our evolution. As a Philly-area native, I am excited to join other artistic leaders and fellow community members to solidify Philadelphia's place as one of the great cultural cities in the country. And as a fan of the theatre, I am eager to curate and participate in the type of work that can make us all proud. Let's get to work."

Susan Chernesky Koger, chair of Flashpoint Theatre Company's board of directors, said, "Thom is a talented, bold, and charismatic theater artist. The board believes that Thom will provide Flashpoint with both the artistic vision and the leadership that it needs to become the home of new play production and a leading cultural arts institution in Philadelphia."

Founded in 2004, Flashpoint Theatre Company is dedicated to producing socially provocative and emotionally resonant works, developing educational programming within the community, and collaborating with new and emerging artists from all artistic disciplines. Flashpoint's current producing artistic director and co-founder, Michael Osinski, will remain with Flashpoint through the rest of this season, and he will direct its Philadelphia-premiere production of Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) by Sheila Callaghan, running April 15 to May 8 at Second Stage at the Adrienne. Osinski will leave Philadelphia this summer to pursue other artistic projects and studies.

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