Theatre for a New Audience

Executive Director

“Theatre for a New Audience is one of America’s most admirable and exciting theatre companies”

-Tony Kushner

Organization

Founded in 1979 by visionary Jeffrey Horowitz, Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA) is a New York home for Shakespeare, and other classical and contemporary playwrights, which nurtures artists, culture, and the community. With Shakespeare as its guide, TFANA explores the ever-changing forms of world theatre and builds a dialogue spanning centuries between the language and ideas of Shakespeare and diverse authors, past and present.

TFANA has grown from a small theatre into a nationally and internationally renowned modern classical theatre with a world-class permanent home. It mounts several productions each season, exploring the endless forms of theatre and creating a dialogue between Shakespeare and a range of plays from the past and present about our world. Each season, 30,000 to 50,000 theatergoers attend TFANA’s productions.

Many of the finest American and European theatre directors including Julie Taymor, Peter Hall, Arin Arbus, Peter Brook, Michael Boyd, Trevor Nunn, Simon Godwin, Lileana Blain-Cruz, and Awoye Timpo have directed TFANA productions. Distinguished actors who have worked at TFANA include Christian Camargo, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Brittany Bradford, Mark Rylance, John Douglas Thompson, Michael Shannon, Kathryn Hunter, and David Strathairn. TFANA has also produced major authors including Edward Bond, Alice Childress, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Maria Irene Fornes, Branden Jacobs Jenkins, Adrienne Kennedy, Richard Nelson, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Wallace Shawn.

TFANA has collaborated with Cicely Berry, Director of Voice for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). This led, in 2001, to TFANA becoming the first American theatre to be invited to bring a production of Shakespeare to the RSC when Cymbeline, directed by Bartlett Sher, opened at The Other Place, in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 2007, TFANA returned to the RSC for its Complete Words Festival with The Merchant of Venice, starring F. Murray Abraham as Shylock and directed by Darko Tresnjak. With this season’s Henry IV adapted by Dakin Matthews, TFANA has produced 35 of Shakespeare’s 38 plays. The Green Bird, directed by Julie Taymor, transferred to Broadway and various co-productions with other theatres, including in recent years the Public, Soho Rep., Woolly Mammoth, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Rattlestick, have performed Off-Broadway as well as nationally.

Education is a cornerstone of TFANA’s mission. TFANA created and runs the largest in-depth program to introduce Shakespeare and classic drama in New York City’s public schools. Since its inception in 1984, the program has served more than 140,000 students. As an organization committed to economic access, TFANA offers Pay What You Can Performances, and its New Deal Ticket Initiative offers $20 tickets to those aged 30 and under and full-time students of any age for all dates of every production.

In 2013, TFANA opened its first permanent home, the Polonsky Shakespeare Center (PSC), located in the heart of Brooklyn’s cultural district. Designed by celebrated architect Hugh Hardy, PSC combines an Elizabethan courtyard-style theatre with modern technology, offering state-of-the-art and accessible spaces for artists and audiences. The facility includes the flexible Samuel H. Scripps Mainstage theater with 299 seats and the 50-seat Theodore C. Rogers Studio, as well as rehearsal spaces and classrooms. TFANA partners with local schools, cultural institutions, and community groups across New York City to make theatre accessible and relevant to a diverse audience.

TFANA is governed by a 37-member Board of Directors, including a robust Artistic Council, led by Robert E. Buckholz, and is supported by a distinguished Council of Scholars. Horowitz will retire on August 31, 2025, and the Board has begun a search for a new artistic director and a new executive director who will jointly lead TFANA beginning September 1, 2025.

For the fiscal year ending August 2024, annual revenues were $5.6 million, with approximately $3.3 million from contributions and grants. For the fiscal year ending August 2025, annual revenues are projected to be $6.5 million. TFANA’s permanently restricted endowment stands at $10.2 million.

Position Summary

The Executive Director, in co-partnership with the Artistic Director, will jointly lead TFANA as it builds on its artistic vision and mission. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will ensure the financial health and sustainability of the organization while guiding all operational and administrative functions, including fundraising, marketing, human resources, and community engagement efforts. The Executive Director and the Artistic Director will collaborate on season planning and the development of budgets and educational initiatives. The Executive Director and the Artistic Director will jointly partner with the Board in the formulation of long-term strategic goals to enhance TFANA’s visibility and impact while fostering a positive and inclusive organizational culture. The Executive Director will be responsible for the management and operation of the Polonsky Center while seeking to maximize its potential as a resource for TFANA and the theatre industry. The Executive Director will cultivate strong relationships with artists, staff, donors, and key community stakeholders, as well as deepen its role within the cultural landscape while championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the organization’s work.

Role and Responsibilities

Co-leadership, Strategic Vision, and Financial and Operational Oversight

  • Provide visionary leadership, building on TFANA’s legacy, including through the creation of new programs, partnerships, and revenue opportunities, in collaboration with the Artistic Director.
  • Support the Artistic Director in implementing the organization’s strategic vision, collaborating on season planning, and developing budgets, ensuring that all artistic and financial decisions are mission-aligned to advance institutional goals.
  • Devise and implement a five-year strategic organizational plan in collaboration with the Board, Artistic Director, and outside consultants.
  • Demonstrate solid fiscal acumen, monitoring performance against budgets, controlling expenditures, creating forecasting models, and developing financial analysis, in conjunction with the Finance Committee.
  • Issue regular updates, reports, and strategic guidance to the board, while developing and implementing consistent controls and accounting policies, to ensure financial accountability and compliance with applicable legal and governance requirements.
  • Monitor legislative trends, legal issues, and field performance data that might impact the organization.
  • Embrace other co-leadership, strategic vision, and financial and operational oversight responsibilities, as needed.

External Relations and Fundraising

  • Act as a visible community leader and spokesperson in Brooklyn, New York, and beyond, developing relationships with a wide variety of constituents in order to enhance TFANA’s brand and reputation.
  • Seek out new and renewed sources of contributed income, with a particular focus on individual donors, foundations, and production-specific funding, while motivating board members to leverage their networks and skills.
  • Develop a fundraising plan and calendar, including TFANA’s annual Gala and other fundraising streams, while developing accurate and timely analyses of fundraising results, variances, and performance trends.
  • Support new audience engagement opportunities, expanding TFANA’s reach in order to deepen audience members’ experiences.
  • Oversee marketing and communication strategies to expand and diversify audiences, subscribers, and donors, and manage marketing for development operations.
  • Participate in industry conferences, representing the organization and staying informed of current trends and best practices.
  • Embrace other external relations and fundraising responsibilities, as needed.

Organizational and Administrative Leadership

  • Lead all business functions, policies, and organizational structure of TFANA to ensure that earned revenue, fundraising, finance, marketing, and overall operations are guided by best practices and adhere to guidelines.
  • Supervise and manage direct reports likely to include the General Manager, Marketing Manager, Development Director, and others.
  • Oversee the hiring, supervision, and mentoring of all administrative staff, providing opportunities for professional development and growth to support employee engagement, satisfaction, and a high level of performance.
  • Direct the operations and stewardship of the Polonsky Center, including ensuring its financial viability and operational success, and leading efforts to maximize its potential for the benefit of TFANA.
  • Manage board relations through regular and effective communication, ensuring that board members are fully engaged while identifying and recruiting new board members as part of the Nominating Committee.
  • Foster a positive company culture where all staff and artists feel safe, supported, valued, and respected while establishing accountability measures of success for employees.
  • Champion and implement organizational EDIA and anti-racism initiatives in all aspects of artistic and administrative decisions.
  • Embrace other organizational and administrative leadership responsibilities as needed.

Traits and Characteristics

The Executive Director will be a decisive and strategic visionary who leads with creativity and pragmatism. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach to problem-solving, they will be an effective and transparent communicator, and able to resolve conflict and handle difficult situations compassionately and calmly. Embracing a public-facing role, they will be a natural collaborator who forms strong working relationships internally and throughout the community. The Executive Director will be committed to the values of TFANA, ensuring a culture of trust, openness, and respect.

Other key competencies include:

  • Leadership and Teamwork – The ability to organize and influence people to believe in a vision while creating a sense of purpose and direction.
  • Personal Accountability and Interpersonal Skills – The capacity to be answerable for personal actions while effectively communicating, building rapport, and relating well to all kinds of people.
  • Diplomacy and Negotiation – The dexterity to effectively and tactfully handle difficult or sensitive issues while listening to many points of view and facilitating agreements between two or more parties.
  • Goal Orientation – The acumen to set, pursue, and attain goals, regardless of obstacles or circumstances.

Qualifications

The Executive Director will bring demonstrated leadership experience, ideally in theatre or the arts. A proven track record of success in fundraising, fiscal understanding and accountability, facilities management, and strategic partnership-building is essential. They should exhibit exceptional communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including artists, staff, board members, donors, and community partners. The Executive Director will possess a deep commitment to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism. No specific number of years of experience or specific educational credentials are required.

Compensation and Benefits

TFANA offers a competitive and equitable compensation package in the range of $220,000 to $250,000. Benefits include paid time off and holidays, health insurance, long-term disability and life insurance, and a voluntary 403(b) retirement plan.

Applications and Inquiries

To submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred), please click here or visit artsconsulting.com/opensearches. For questions or general inquiries about this job opportunity, please contact:

Geoff Chang, Vice President
Adam Davis, Senior Vice President
Arts Consulting Group logo.
1040 First Avenue, Suite 352
New York, NY 10022-2991
Tel       (888) 234.4236 Ext. 218 (Chang) Ext.215 (Davis)
Email    TFANA-ED@ArtsConsulting.com

TFANA honors the Lenape and Canarsie People on whose ancestral homeland PSC is built.

TFANA is committed to attracting, hiring, and retaining employees who reflect the cultural diversity of our community. We believe that every employee has the right to work in a respectful environment that is free from discrimination, consistent with our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect. This commitment extends to all aspects of the employment relationship.

Click here for the downloadable PDF.

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