EUGENE O’NEILL THEATER CENTER ANNOUNCES
NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMY SULLIVAN

Waterford, CT, August 7, 2003 – The Board of Trustees of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center today announced that Amy Sullivan, a leading arts fundraiser who has been recognized by Governor John G. Rowland for her outstanding contribution to the arts in Connecticut, is the O’Neill Theater Center’s new Executive Director. Ms. Sullivan served as Director of Development at The O’Neill from 1993 to 1995 and went on to fundraising and institutional advancement roles at Connecticut College and the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts. She takes the reins from Howard Sherman, who resigned from the position after a three-year tenure replacing O’Neill founder George C. White.

As Executive Director, Ms. Sullivan will oversee all programs and operations of the nationally and internationally renowned theater and education center. The O’Neill’s many programs include the O’Neill National Theater Institute and Moscow Art Theater Semester, two college-accredited training programs for emerging theater artists; the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Music Theater Conference and Puppetry Conference, which develop new work for the stage within a diverse community of professionals and open the theatrical process to observing educators, trustees and audience members; the O’Neill Critics Institute, which gives arts journalists an opportunity to examine their craft and expand their practical knowledge of theater; and the Monte Cristo Cottage, Eugene O’Neill’s childhood home.

In announcing the choice, Tom Viertel, Chairman of the Board and a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, said, “Amy Sullivan has an outstanding track record of invigorating the participants and supporters of Connecticut’s leading theaters and arts institutions. In addition to her organizational and fundraising skills, she has a strong personal connection to the O’Neill and joins us wholeheartedly in our commitment to achieving our dreams and facing the challenge of the future. Howard Sherman has done a great job of positioning The O’Neill’s future after the retirement of our founder, George C. White. Amy is, in my opinion, exactly the right person to move us forward into that future. I couldn’ be more pleased to have her join us.”

Ms. Sullivan commented, “I am deeply honored to have been asked to serve as Executive Director of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Like the playwright himself, this organization holds a truly unique place in the history of American theater. No other organization has made such a powerful impact on the development of new work or emerging talent.

“All of us in the theater are indebted to O’Neill founder George White for his vision,” Ms. Sullivan continued, “and to both Howard Sherman and Interim Manager Robert Wildman for their efforts in securing the future of this important institution. It is my privilege to continue their legacy and direct an institution that has captured my heart and my imagination since my first ëO’Neill experience.”

Amy Sullivan first came to The O’Neill more than twenty years ago for a master class taught by Rudi Shelley of the Bristol Old Vic. Isabelle Stevenson of the American Theater Wing nominated her for the class after she studied acting with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater.

She later served as the O’Neill’s Director of Development, during which time she initiated the “Eugene O’Neill’s New London” project, with the Connecticut Department of Tourism and the Connecticut Humanities Council, that launched the first annual Eugene O’Neill Celebration alongside other events and performances.

Ms. Sullivan comes to the O’Neill from the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in Old Lyme, CT, where she was Vice President for Institutional Advancement from 1997 to 2003. At the Lyme Academy she initiated a development plan that resulted in record-breaking increases in contributed operating income and successfully exceeded an $8.6 million capital and endowment campaign in under 5 years.

On the announcement of her resignation from the Lyme Academy, Governor John G. Rowland declared a day named for her and U.S. Congressman Rob Simmons presented her with a certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for her “outstanding contribution to the arts in Connecticut.”

Ms. Sullivan was Associate Director of Major Gifts at Connecticut College, playing a leadership role in funding construction of the Tansill Theater and arts programming. She was Associate Director of Development for the Yale School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theater and worked as Production Assistant for Elliot Martin Productions and Whitehead Stevens Productions in New York. Ms. Sullivan also served as Assistant to the Artistic Director for the Belgrade International Theater Festival and Program Director for The American Theatre Wing.

Amy Sullivan holds an MFA in Theater Arts & Administration from the Yale School of Drama, a BA in English and Theater from Upsala College, and is a graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. Currently, she serves on the Board of Trustees of Young Audiences of Connecticut and the Florence Academy of Art. She is a member in good standing of the Actors Equity Association and has served as a Theater Review Panelist for the Connecticut Commission on the Arts.

Ms. Sullivan lives in Old Lyme with her husband Bruce Josephy, son Dan, and Lucy, their golden retriever. She has visited The O’Neill frequently this summer to observe the programs and will fully assume the Executive Director position as of September 1, 2003.

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964, has been home to more than 1000 new works for the stage and 2500 emerging artists and itself is the winner of a special Tony Award, the National Opera Award, the Jujamcyn Award of Theater Excellence and the Arts and Business Council Encore Award. The plays and musicals developed and performed at The O’Neill include such notable works as John Guare’s THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, Brian Crawley and Jeanine Tesori’s VIOLET, Wendy Wasserstein’s UNCOMMON WOMEN AND OTHERS, August Wilson’s MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, FENCES and THE PIANO LESSON, Lee Blessing’s A WALK IN THE WOODS, AVENUE Q by Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx and Jeff Whitty and NINE by Arthur Kopit, Mario Fratti and Maury Yeston. For more information about The O’Neill, call 860.443.5378.