SUSAN MEDAK SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT OF THE LEAGUE OF RESIDENT THEATRES Berkeley Rep’s Managing Director to lead national theatre organization BERKELEY CA, APRIL 25, 2005 Susan Medak, managing director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre, was sworn in today as the new president of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT). LORT is the principal collective bargaining association for nonprofit theatres in the United States; it works to establish and maintain stable and equitable labor relations between theatres and unions. Ms. Medak served as vice president of LORT for the last three years, and was secretary of the organization from 1989 through 1997. She has also been a member of its national negotiating committee for contracts with Actors Equity Association, Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and United Scenic Artists. “Susie Medak is one of the smartest and most successful managing directors in the American theatre, and has demonstrated her leadership time and again,” said Michael Maso, outgoing president of LORT and managing director of Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company. “She is my valued colleague and great friend, and I can’t think of anyone to whom I would rather hand off responsibility for LORT at this time.” Susan Medak has served as Berkeley Rep’s managing director since 1990, leading the administration and operations of the theatre. In addition to her work with LORT, she serves as treasurer of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), a national service organization. Ms. Medak has served extensively with the National Endowment for the Arts’ Theatre Program panel, as well as on NEA panels in three other areas: Overview, Prescreening and Creation & Presentation. She has chaired panels for both the Preservation and Heritage and the Education and Access programs, also serving as an onsite reporter for many years. She has been a site reporter and chaired two theatre panels for the Massachusetts Arts Council. Closer to home, Ms. Medak is vice president of the Downtown Berkeley Association. She is a commissioner of the Downtown Business Improvement District and the founding chair of the Berkeley Arts in Education Steering Committee for Berkeley Unified School District and the Berkeley Cultural Trust. Before coming to Berkeley Rep, Ms. Medak worked at The Guthrie Theater in Chicago; Milwaukee Repertory Theatre; Northlight Theatre in Evanston, Illinois; and The People’s Light and Theatre Company in Malvern, Pennsylvania. She resides in Berkeley with her husband and son. Founded in 1968, the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre has established a national reputation for its ambitious programming and dynamic productions. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tony Taccone and Managing Director Susan Medak, Berkeley Rep seeks to engage its audience in an ongoing dialogue of ideas. Through its bold choice of material and vivid style of production, Berkeley Rep reflects a commitment to diversity, excitement and quality. The company is especially well known for its presentations of important new dramatic voices and its fresh adaptations of seldom-seen classics. In 2001, Berkeley Rep opened The Roda Theatre, a 600-seat proscenium theatre that complements the 400-seat Thrust Stage, and the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, housed in the Nevo Education Center. The addition of these two buildings has transformed what was once a single stage into a vital and versatile performing arts complex. For photos, interviews, etc. contact: Terence Keane, Director of Public Relations 510.647.2917, tkeane@berkeleyrep.org BACK TO TOP