McCarter Theatre Names Shields New Managing Director

McCarter Theatre is pleased to welcome its new Managing Director, Timothy J. Shields. Mr. Shields, a nationally recognized theater executive, was appointed Managing Director by the McCarter Theatre Board of Trustees in September and began work at McCarter on January 5, 2009.

"My acceptance of the position at McCarter Theatre represents something of a homecoming, as I worked at McCarter from 1983 to 1992, and most of my family is on the East Coast," said Shields. "The opportunity to become Managing Director of a Tony Award-winning regional theater with such a great reputation was simply too hard to pass up."

He added, "The unbelievably high level of the productions and presentations that McCarter does for its audiences is work that any arts professional would be pleased to be associated with, and everyone strives to make the work even better. Any organization that has that sort of ambition is one that I'm proud to lead."

Mr. Shields comes to McCarter from Milwaukee Repertory Theater, where he has served as Managing Director since 1998. During his tenure, The Rep's operating budget more than doubled, ticket sales and contributed income reached record levels, and statewide tours of Rep productions in 2006, 2007, and 2008 were re-established.

In addition to his work at Milwaukee Rep, Mr. Shields is currently a vice president of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the national management association of professional not-for-profit regional theaters. He also serves on the board of Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for professional non-profit theater. While in Milwaukee, he was proud to be a board member of the Latino Arts Board and the Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee. He was the co-founder and president for eight years of Theatre Wisconsin, the association of professional not-for-profit theaters for Wisconsin. Before arriving at The Rep, he served as managing director of the Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY, for six years. Other professional experience spans more than 15 years and includes positions at The Children's Theatre Company and School in Minneapolis, MN, and the Denver Center Theatre Company. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama/production from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Emily Mann, McCarter Theatre Center is recognized as one of the nation's premier theater companies and performing arts centers. Renowned for major contributions to the theatrical canon, McCarter premieres have included Edward Albee's Me, Myself & I (commissioned and premiered in 2008), Emily Mann's Mrs. Packard, Beth Henley's Ridiculous Fraud, Christopher Durang's Miss Witherspoon, Steven Dietz's Last of the Boys, Regina Taylor's Crowns, Dael Orlandersmith's Yellowman, Emily Mann's Having Our Say (3 Tony nominations), Athol Fugard's Valley Song, and Stephen Wadsworth's Marivaux trilogy. McCarter has also produced major new productions of Brian Friel's Translations, directed by Garry Hynes; Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics (2003 Pulitzer Prize winner) directed by Emily Mann; August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson; Edward Albee's All Over (2 Obie Awards), directed by Emily Mann; and Electra (3 Tony nominations), directed by David Leveaux. McCarter is supported in part by over 3,000 individuals, corporations and foundations.