Amy Kaissar Appointed As Managing Director Of Bristol Riverside Theater

Bristol Riverside Theatre, an acclaimed professional theatre company in Bucks County currently in its 22nd season, has announced the appointment of Amy Kaissar to the newly created position of Managing Director. The establishment of this position has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative. Kaissar comes to BRT from The Foundry Theatre in New York City, where she was the Associate Producer.

"This is an exciting time for Bristol Riverside Theatre with profound transformations that are driving our third decade of operation toward a higher level of artistic offerings for our patrons, and a more engaged and extensive community outreach," said Brian McPeak, Bristol Riverside Theatre Board President. "These initiatives demand the kind of day to day administrative leadership that will enable our entire staff to increase the reach, visibility and sustainability of the theatre. Amy's addition to our exceptional leadership team will help us achieve even greater success."

John B. Means, Ph. D, who served on the search committee said, "Amy's professional credentials in theatre administration reflect an exceptionally rare blend of producing and managerial skills, ideally suited to BRT's developmental needs as the theatre expands its cultural, educational and artistic missions."

"This is a pivotal moment in the life of BRT, and I am honored and excited to have been chosen to join this team now," said Amy Kaissar. "At this moment when we are being swept along on a wave of change - politically, economically, technologically, environmentally, it is imperative that our theatres remain places where ideas are challenged, where communities gather, and where we explore diverse perspectives. I look forward to working alongside BRT's staff, and in partnership with its growing community, to write the next chapter in Bristol Riverside Theatre's exciting future."

At The Foundry Theatre, Kaissar produced such shows as this season's Telephone ("Inspired and utterly original" - Ben Brantley, The New York Times). Before joining The Foundry, she spent 10 years as the Producing Director of the Epiphany Theater Company which she co-founded to support the work of early career theatre artists. Under Kaissar's leadership Epiphany supported the work of well over 200 emerging artists, among them the future winners of the Richard Rodgers, Jonathan Larson, Reva Shiner, Heideman, and ASCAP Young Musicians Awards. Her study, "Theater Subscriptions in a Changing World" was published by Arts Marketing, and as a subscription/membership consultant she worked with New York City Opera and The Lark Play Development Center. Kaissar is on the Adjunct Faculty of the Columbia University School of the Arts Theatre Management and Producing Program. She is an alumna of the Women's Project and Productions Producers' Lab. She holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and an MFA from Columbia University.

 

"If, as I believe, the best way to predict the future is to invent it, then, along with our totally committed, highly professional staff and proactive Board, the addition of Amy as our Managing Director gives us great confidence in achieving our vision," said BRT Artistic Director Keith Baker.

"We received so many applications from so many eminently qualified candidates," said Susan Atkinson, BRT Founding Producing Director. "Amy comes to us with everything we asked for. I can not express how excited we are to start the next incarnation of Bristol Riverside Theatre."

Since 1986, BRT has brought consistently acclaimed professional theatre to Bucks County and maintained a long-term commitment to finding and developing new plays. The theatre is the recipient of over 50 Barrymore Award nominations for Excellence in Theatre, given annually by the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia. In addition to its mainstage productions, the theatre serves as a cultural hub for the community, with such programs as children's theatre, community concerts and exhibitions of local visual arts. Currently under the direction of Artistic Director Keith Baker and Founding Producing Director Susan D. Atkinson, BRT is in its 22nd season.