The Westport Country Playhouse today announced it has hired Michael Barker, a California theater professional with roots at Yale University, as its new managing director.
Michael Barker: Yale alumnus. Contributed photo
Barker, 36, comes to Westport from Mill Valley, Calif., where he was the managing director of Marin Theatre Company. He will assume the Playhouse post in early September, an announcement from the board of trustees said.
He succeeds Michael Ross who left in June after seven years to return to Baltimore and Center Stage, the State Theater of Maryland. The six-month search reviewed more than a dozen candidates, the Playhouse said.
Barker will partner with Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director, to lead the not-for-profit, professional theater, currently in its 86th season.
“I’m thrilled that Michael Barker will be coming to the Playhouse to partner with me as managing director,” said Lamos.
“His leadership skills, his business acumen, and his inspired support for theater artists and their communities convinced the trustees of our search committee and me that he would be the perfect person to build a bridge to the future of this historic Playhouse.”
As managing director, Barker will work closely with the theater’s board of trustees, as well as the staff of the artistic, administrative, marketing, development, production, and finance departments, to oversee a $4.2 million annual budget, the announcement said.
Barker served since 2013 as managing director of Marin Theatre Company, where in partnership with its artistic director he led a staff of 23 administrators, artists, and production personnel.
He successfully reorganized the company’s marketing department, focusing resources on digital and social media to reach more diverse audiences. He served as a primary fundraiser and community advocate, and with the board of directors adopted a plan to eliminate a long-term structural deficit, the announcement said.
Previously, Barker was general manager of Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach, Calif. He was managing director for the Los Angeles classical theater ensemble The Antaeus Company, which received, during his tenure, numerous Ovation awards (including best production) and the LA Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Season.
Before moving to California, Barker was associate managing director at Yale Repertory Theatre and managing director of Yale Summer Cabaret, where he produced the first annual Carlotta Festival of New Plays. He was Seattle Repertory Theatre’s 2008 Managing Director Fellow.
Barker holds an MFA in theater management from Yale School of Drama and an MBA from Yale School of Management.
At Yale, he was the recipient of the Daniel and Helene Sheehan Scholarship for theater management and a Kosciusko Scholarship for outstanding students of Polish descent.
He currently serves as vice president of the board of the Yale School of Management Alumni Association.
Prior to graduate school, he was associate director of marketing for Court Theatre in Chicago, and also worked with Goodman Theatre, American Theater Company, Sansculottes Theater Company, and The Playground Theater.
Barker is married to Heidi Hanson, a costume designer and graduate of Yale School of Drama. They have a son Lawrence.
