A Statement from LWT’s Board of Directors
Dear Greater New Haven Community,
We want to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who considers Long Wharf Theatre a gem of our region, including those who took the time to attend our recent series of Town Halls. We are thankful for the opportunity to hear directly from you on our Theatre’s path forward and to share our thoughts on why we made this decision to leave 222 Sargent Drive and where we go from here. We are excited for this next chapter and to continue these conversations as we, together, shape an evolving Long Wharf Theatre .
Over the past months, we have heard from a number of voices who join in our confident optimism—from Jon Jory, who co-founded Long Wharf Theatre in 1965, to Adriane Jefferson, Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven, to Tony Award-winning actor Celia Keenan-Bolger, and many more. We have also heard statements of disappointment and unease. We understand how hard change can be. For nearly 60 years, Long Wharf Theatre has been a cultural home to many of you and, as we look towards the future, we remain committed to delivering awe-inspiring cultural works for everyone in our community.
We also want to acknowledge Long Wharf Theatre’s remarkable staff who have worked tirelessly, bringing passion, enthusiasm, and ingenuity to their work every single day. To become a sustainable institution, we are thinking critically about what changes need to be made across the organization to conserve resources and streamline operations. These changes will affect the lives of people we care about; we will do all that we can to support them. While we don’t have all of the answers yet, we’ll continue to be transparent and forthcoming about how this will impact our staff and share additional details as soon as we can.
While we are leaving our brick-and-mortar space, Long Wharf Theatre isn’t leaving New Haven: we’ll continue producing great theatre that you’ve always expected from us; we’ll continue building and deepening partnerships with local organizations on one-of-a-kind programming to bring communities together; we’ll continue cultivating world-class talent and engaging local artists. And we’ll be doing it all with an even greater eye towards equity, inclusion, and connection with every part of our region. We have the utmost confidence in Artistic Director Jacob G. Padrón and Managing Director Kit Ingui as we work in partnership with them to usher in a new chapter for Long Wharf Theatre.
Thank you, again, for helping us launch this process, sharing your ideas, opening your hearts, and continuing to demonstrate your passion for theatre and Long Wharf’s contribution to the Greater New Haven community.
There will be ongoing opportunities to help craft the future of Long Wharf Theatre, and we invite you to continue on this journey with us.
We recently launched an Our Path Forward section on our website so you can stay up to date and engage in this journey, including answers to many of the questions raised during our Town Halls. In the meantime, should you have any questions, thoughts, ideas, or reflections, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing us at lwt@longwharf.org.
In partnership,
Long Wharf Theatre Board of Directors
Nancy Alexander
William J. Aseltyne, Esq.
Gail Brekke
Patricia F. Brett, Ed.D.
Diane Brown
Linda J. Calarco
Jenny Carrillo, Ph.D.
Barbara Franke
James D. Horwitz
Jacqueline Koral
Treneé McGee
Ruby H. Melton
Leah Mirakhor
Victor Padilla-Taylor
Marie E. Robert, M.D.
John Rose, Jr., Esq.
Babz Rawls Ivy
Constance Royster, J.D.
Errol C. Saunders II
Deb Schaffer
Anne Schenck
Anita Sharif-Hyder
Mark Simon
Michael R. Taylor
Rolan Joni Young, Esq.
