OKC Rep Selects Kelly Kerwin as New Artistic Director After National Search

The Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre (OKC Rep) and its Board of Directors are proud to announce the selection of its new Artistic Director Kelly Kerwin. Ms. Kerwin will succeed the founding Artistic Director Donald Jordan who will be transitioning to Artistic Director Emeritus after June 2021.

"The vigorous national search resulted in more than 65 highly qualified candidates from across the United States. We are impressed by Ms. Kerwin's experience and vision and are excited to have her lead OKC Rep into the next generation," said Search Committee Chair Max Weitzenhoffer, Chairman, Nimax Theaters, Philanthropist and OKC Rep Board member.

"My vision is to produce powerful and innovative works of theater that will help us better understand our own humanity." Kerwin said in a statement. "I am honored to lead OKC Rep into the future, and I see this next phase as one that will be an expression of Oklahoma City's ambition, creativity, and generosity of spirit. I'm so excited to be immersed in Oklahoma City's thriving arts community."



Ms. Kerwin will be starting July 6 and is relocating from New York City where she currently serves as the Associate Producer for The Public's Under the Radar Festival, where she is also a Line Producer for plays and musicals in The Public's five performance spaces. She also co-leads The Public's Devised Theater Working Group, and she is an Adjunct Professor at Connecticut College, where she teaches Theater and Culture. Ms. Kerwin earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from the Theatre School at DePaul University and a Master of Fine Arts in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from the Yale School of Drama, where she received The Pierre-André Salim Prize--awarded to the graduating student who shows distinct promise of raising the standard of practice in the field.

Ms. Kerwin has worked as an artistic leader, performance curator, director, dramaturg and producer. She has been on the artistic staff at Yale Repertory Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Atlantic Theater Company, The House Theatre of Chicago, Chicago's Collaboraction, and she was the Co-Artistic Director for the Yale Cabaret's 46th Season. She also helped establish, with Jane Beachy, Chicago's Salonathon, a weekly series specializing in underground performance. As a dramaturg, she has worked on world premieres with playwrights Ike Holter, Phillip Howze, Carly Mensch, Amelia Roper, and Emily Zemba.

"Kelly Kerwin is an extraordinary, sparkling jewel of a leader: brilliant, passionate, with exquisite taste and with inspiring gifts for both listening and leadership," said Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis in a statement. "In her years at the Public, she made herself invaluable; I can only reconcile myself to her leaving by knowing that she is going to make great theater in Oklahoma, and that her success there will be good for the entire field. (And good for the wonderful state where my great-grandparents and grandparents were born!) There is no leader in the American theater who has more potential, or a brighter future."

The national search for a new artistic director was conducted by a broad-based committee of Oklahoma City community leaders and was chaired by Max Weitzenhoffer and assisted by Seth Gordon, Director-Helmerich School of Drama at the University of Oklahoma (OU) and OKC Rep board president Cliff Hudson.

"We are so thankful to the committee members and Seth Gordon for making the selection process a pleasurable one. We are especially excited for Oklahoma City's cultural evolution with Ms. Kerwin as the leader for OKC Rep's future development," said Cliff Hudson, OKC Rep Board President.

Members of the committee were: Michael Anderson - President & CEO, Oklahoma City Museum of Art; Ruth Charnay - Founding OKC Rep Company Member and Former Dean of Arts at the Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC); Adrian Fung - Associate Dean and Associate Professor, Weitzenhoffer College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma; The Honorable Jerome Holmes - Judge, U. S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit; Clifford Hudson - OKC Rep Board President, Former President & CEO, Sonic Corp. and Of Counsel, Crowe & Dunlevy; Alexander Mickelthwate - Music Director and Conductor, Oklahoma City Philharmonic; Chip Oppenheim - Managing Partner, The Oppenheim Group; Gene Rainbolt - Chairman Emeritus, Bancfirst and Philanthropist; Meg Salyer - Managing Principal, Broadway Realty; Richard Tanenbaum - CEO, Gardner Tanenbaum Holdings and Philanthropist; and Dr. Valerie Thompson - President & CEO-Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City.

Founding Artistic Director Donald Jordan spoke highly of Ms. Kerwin, "In my time with her, she has shown the sense of service, commitment, artistic vision, professional excellence and dedication needed to build upon our foundation and continue to lead the organization forward. I think the Rep and Oklahoma City are very lucky to have her!"

 

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