Giovanna Sardelli Confirmed As Artistic Director Of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has announced that Giovanna Sardelli will serve as the company's Artistic Director. Sardelli assumed the role on an interim basis earlier this month, following the departure of former Artistic Director Tim Bond who left to take the reins at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. TheatreWorks' Board of Trustees has now made a formal offer to Sardelli to become Artistic Director, which she accepted. She remains at the helm of TheatreWorks in partnership with Executive Director Debbie Chinn. 

 

“I have long loved TheatreWorks and I am excited to continue my work with this thrilling Tony recipient theatre company as its Artistic Director,” said Giovanna Sardelli. “I look forward to stewarding this great organization through its next chapter, leading TheatreWorks in its continued mission to create exhilarating theatre that feeds the soul, celebrates the human spirit, and engages TheatreWorks' many diverse communities across the Bay Area and beyond.”

 

A stage director of national renown, Giovanna Sardelli was spotlighted by The New York Times as one of a new generation of rising female directors sought after by both veteran playwrights and in-demand younger writers. She has closely collaborated on new works with the likes of Tony Award winner Matthew Lopez (The Inheritance) and Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph, both of whom have debuted works at TheatreWorks. She has also directed acclaimed productions at theatres in New York and across the country, including The Mark Taper Forum, Geffen Playhouse, Alley Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company, and others, as well as many hit productions at TheatreWorks. Prior to her appointment, Sardelli collaborated with TheatreWorks for more than 15 years, recently serving as its Artistic Associate and Director of New Works.

 

"Giovanna Sardelli is one of the finest directors, and one of the absolute best cultivators of new American plays working in this country right now," said playwright Rajiv Joseph of Sardelli's appointment. "She has directed 10 of my plays. Under Giovanna's direction, Describe the Night went on to win the Obie Award for Best New American Play in 2018. Giovanna directed the first play I ever wrote, in 2005, at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City—she has been my most trusted collaborator ever since, and I am not the only person who feels this way. Scores of playwrights, actors and designers are loyal to her because they trust her vision, her leadership and her artistic soul."

 

TheatreWorks Board Chair Mark Greenstein adds, “We are elated that Giovanna will become TheatreWorks' new Artistic Director. As we considered the future of this incredible theatre, we realized we had the perfect candidate right here, so felt it was expedient to confirm her position. Her long association with the company, her extensive experience, her unique creative vision, and her enthusiasm for the American theatre make her an ideal artistic leader for TheatreWorks. We look forward to the remarkable theatre we will be making under Giovanna and Debbie's guidance, as well as finding ways to welcome audiences and supporters back into the fold after the pandemic. We know Giovanna has already hit the ground running, leading the company as it prepares for its wildly-popular New Works Festival in August, as well as the start of TheatreWorks' 53rd Season.”

 

Under her previous titles of TheatreWorks Director of New Works and Artistic Associate, Sardelli has been preparing the company's 20th Anniversary New Works Festival, featuring readings of new plays and a musical, to be held August 11–20, 2023 at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto. With her continued direction, this year's festival will kick off with a dinner and conversation with nationally acclaimed playwrights David Henry Hwang and Rajiv Joseph. The Festival celebrations will also include a special performance by actor/activist Shakina (NBC's “Connecting,” NBC's “Quantum Leap,” Hulu's “Difficult People”). Next up, Sardelli is slated to direct the West Coast Premiere of Mrs. Christie, which launches TheatreWorks' 53rd Season, performing October 4-29, 2023 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts.

 

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, led by Artistic Director Giovanna Sardelli in partnership with Executive Director Debbie Chinn, presents a wide variety of contemporary plays and musicals, revitalizes great works of the past, and serves more than 100,000 patrons per year. Founded in 1970 by Robert Kelley, TheatreWorks has grown from an original Silicon Valley start-up to become one of the nation's leading professional non-profit theatre companies. TheatreWorks was honored as the recipient of the 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award. In addition to acclaimed productions of classics and contemporary plays and musicals, TheatreWorks champions new work, offering artists support and a creative home as they develop new stories for the American theatre. Offstage, TheatreWorks' arts education programs and arts engagement programs uplift its audiences and strengthen community bonds. Onstage and off, TheatreWorks welcomes the mosaic of people that embody the Bay Area and beyond, celebrating the transformative power of theatre to ignite imagination, inspire conversation, and enliven souls.

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