Hartford Stage has named a theater executive from Oregon as its new managing director.
Officials of the 500-seat performing-arts venue on Wednesday said Cynthia Rider, who previously served as executive director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), will become the theater’s eighth managing director in July.
She will succeed Michael Stotts, who resigned in January after serving as managing director for a dozen years to manage a much larger theater in New Jersey.
Rider joins newly appointed artistic director Melia Bensussen in co-leadership roles overseeing the theater, which has never been run by two women in its 55-year history.
“I can’t imagine a better collaborator for this next era in Hartford Stage’s history and can’t wait to start our work together in the coming months,” Bensussen said.
Rider is landing in Hartford after leading OSF since 2013. The annual March-October festival features more than 750 matinees and evening performances across three theaters in Ashland, Ore. It annually draws an audience of about 400,000, according to its website.
During her tenure at OSF, Rider operated an annual budget of $40 million, helped the festival establish a 10-year strategic plan and increased its gift receipts by more than 20 percent, officials said. She also played a key role in getting three OSF-commissioned plays moved to Broadway.
Prior to OSF, Rider served almost a decade as managing director of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, and earlier as associate director for advancement and administration.
She started her theater career as a resident company member, guest artist and young company actor at the Alley Theatre in Houston after graduating from Boston University.
Rider’s interest in the Hartford Stage, said David R. Jimenez, president of the theater’s board of directors, is a “testament” to the national acclaim the Church Street-based performing arts theater has earned.
“Cynthia will no doubt bring our mission of artistic excellence and our pursuit of greater community engagement to new heights,” Jimenez said.
