Long Wharf Theatre Managing Director Kit Ingui to Start New Chapter at Williamstown Theatre Festival

Ingui, who bolstered Long Wharf Theatre in its transition to an itinerant model in New Haven, will continue advocating for regional theaters as Managing Director of Operations and Advancement at Williamstown Theatre Festival

New Haven, CT (August 26, 2024)  – Long Wharf Theatre and Williamstown Theatre Festival today jointly announced that Managing Director Kit Ingui will depart Long Wharf to bring her ambitious, community-centric leadership to Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) as Managing Director of Operations and Advancement. Ingui will begin her new role at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in November. 

Since joining the storied institution in 2017, Ingui has been an unwavering steward of Long Wharf Theatre’s promise of being a theatre for all. She has been a dedicated partner to Artistic Director, Jacob G. Padrón and was instrumental in transitioning the organization to its innovative new model that brings performances and programming to venues across New Haven. Her dedication to engaging the theatre’s existing audiences while also investing in its growth to reach new audiences through unique partnerships resulted in a dynamic production of The Year of Magical Thinking at residences and gathering spaces across the region and the development of a robust partnership with Southern Connecticut State University. Padrón set a bold vision of strengthening equity, inclusion and connection at every level of the organization. Ingui worked to carry out this vision by eliminating the company’s accumulated deficit, successfully guiding the organization financially through the pandemic, supporting cultural transformation, and improving the minimum rate of pay for employees of Long Wharf Theatre by more than 40%.

“I am deeply grateful for my time at Long Wharf Theatre and for all we accomplished as a team these past eight years. Regional theaters are at a crucial moment to captivate new audiences and re-establish performing arts as a cornerstone of culture, and both Long Wharf Theatre and Williamstown Theatre Festival are shining examples of this creative, transformative work,” said Kit Ingui, Managing Director. “I look forward to cheering on my colleagues and friends in New Haven, especially my visionary partner of five years Jacob G. Padrón, as Long Wharf continues its successful 60 year journey of breaking boundaries. And I am thrilled to foster new relationships and execute new ideas in partnership with Raphael Picciarelli for the community of Williamstown Theatre Festival.” 

“It has been a joy and privilege to be on the journey with Kit. She has been a crucial partner to me over the last five years and I am deeply grateful for her collaboration, integrity, and grit,” said Jacob G. Padrón, Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theatre. “Long Wharf Theatre is stronger today because of her many contributions and the legacy of her work here will live on for years to come. We wish her the best and can’t wait to see what she accomplishes in her new role at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.”

Long Wharf Theatre’s Board of Directors will appoint an interim Managing Director to support the organization as it approaches the start of its 60th Anniversary Season this fall. 

“I am truly delighted that Williamstown Theatre Festival will experience Kit’s forward thinking  and creative leadership toward urgently needed changes in the theater industry,” said Nancy Alexander, Chair of Long Wharf Theatre’s Board of Directors. “Kit has been a key figure in Long Wharf Theatre’s evolution and long-term success. The board is proud that another organization will benefit and grow from her expertise. Meanwhile, we are committed to executing a smooth transition as Long Wharf begins its landmark 60th season.”

As Managing Director, Operations & Advancement, Ingui will be responsible for translating WTF’s vision for the future into a sustainable action plan as the storied organization enters a new chapter that will build a vibrant Festival destination in the Williamstown community. She will work in partnership with Raphael Picciarelli, Managing Director, Strategy Transformation as he works alongside the Festival’s newly formed Creative Collective led by Creative Director Jeremy O. Harris, to ensure the Festival’s tradition of breaking boundaries with diverse programming and creating new opportunities for emerging artists continues for the next 70 years and beyond. 

Margaret Gould Stewart, Chair of the Board of Trustees for WTF, said, “Kit’s reputation as a leader in the regional theater community is unparalleled. Her ability to see what possibilities could exist for the future is inspiring. She will be a tireless champion for the Festival as well as the artists and the people who give the Festival life. “I look forward to working with her alongside my fellow board members, Raph and the Creative Collective led by Jeremy O. Harris to build an inspired future for this cherished cultural institution that breaks new ground for the American theater.” 

Raphael Picciarelli, Managing Director, Strategy & Transformation at WTF, said, “It’s so thrilling to arrive at a key milestone in our journey of transformation with the rounding out of our leadership team. We knew that in order to successfully implement a new collective leadership model, we needed a Co-Managing Director who is a true collaborator and an innovator in the field. Kit’s trailblazing work at Long Wharf has been the talk of the American theater, and it’s exactly the type of bold visionary transformation that we’re after. I cannot wait to partner with Kit as we realize an ambitious future for Williamstown Theatre Festival in the years to come.”

To learn more about upcoming productions and ways to get involved with Long Wharf Theatre, visit https://longwharf.org/. To learn more about Williamstown Theatre Festival and its upcoming programming, visit https://wtfestival.org/.

About Williamstown Theatre Festival

For seven decades, the Tony Award-recognized Williamstown Theatre Festival has brought emerging and professional theater artists together in the Berkshires to create a thrilling summer festival of diverse, world premiere plays and musicals, bold new revivals, and a rich array of accompanying cultural events.

Artists are drawn to Williamstown Theatre Festival to make great theater in an environment conducive to artistic risk-taking. Matthew Broderick, Audra McDonald, Dominique Morisseau, Mary-Louise Parker, Susan Stroman, Uma Thurman, and Blair Underwood are just a few of the luminous theater artists who have worked at the Festival. Many others, including Sterling K. Brown, Ty Burrell, Charlie Day, Paul Giamatti, Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, Brie Larson, Chris Pine, and George C. Wolfe, began their careers at the Festival.

Productions and artists shaped at the Festival fill theaters in New York City and around the world. Recently, Williamstown Theatre Festival was represented on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally by The Sound Inside, Grand Horizons, The Rose Tattoo, The Visit, Fool for Love, The Elephant Man, Seared, Selling Kabul, Unknown Soldier, the 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning Cost of Living, and Lempicka.

Learn more about Williamstown Theatre Festival at www.wtfestival.org.