Shakespeare & Company

Adam Davis Named Managing Director

After an extensive national search, Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts, announced this week that Adam Davis, long-time managing director of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and former company manager of the La Jolla Playhouse, has been named as Shakespeare Company's new managing director.

"We are incredibly excited to have Adam Davis joining the Shakespeare & Company team," Artistic Director Allyn Burrows said in a press release. "To have someone with his experience, vision, and sense of humor will be a major asset to our organization and arts community. He's also a Massachusetts native who's excited to bring his family back home, and we're glad to be a part of that move."

“It's an honor to join Shakespeare & Company, with it's 40-year history of theatrical excellence, innovative training, and award-winning educational programming," Davis said in the release. "I'm looking forward to bringing my energy and experience to the Kemble Street property, and working toward making our physical home worthy of our performances on stage. There are so many opportunities to revitalize our campus, and further strengthen our relationship with the Berkshire community.”

A native of Weymouth, Massachusetts, Davis has fulfilled leadership roles in theater management for more than 15 years. He comes to Shakespeare & Company from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission where he was managing director of productions in charge of programming and day-to-day operations for more than 230 events annually. During his tenure at the commission he had a major impact on the county-owned John Anson Ford Theatre, a historic venue in the Hollywood Hills presenting a culturally diverse summer season of music, dance, theatre, and family offerings.

Davis supervised and strategized fundraising for a $67 million renovation of the Ford, completed in 2016. He also launched two free programs to extend the Ford brand: The Ford on the Road to create awareness of the arts in underserved communities, and JAM Sessions that brought together Ford artists and members of the public in arts engagement activities. He produced the L.A. County Holiday Celebration, an annual event at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center of Los Angeles featuring 600 performing artists from the county's myriad cultural communities. The show is televised live and Davis received an Emmy award for the 54th edition of the celebration in 2013.

Earlier in his career, Davis served as theater operations manager of the Center for the Arts, a three-theatre complex at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, and company manager at La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California. While on the West Coast, he contributed to the work of regional organizations as a board member of California Presenters, and participant in the Southern California Leadership Network. Davis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater from Principia College in Elsah, Illinois. Davis is in the process of relocating to the Berkshires, and will be full-time at Shakespeare & Company as of April.

"We're thrilled that our nationwide search to fill this position produced a candidate as exceptional as Adam," said Board Chair Ken Werner in the release. "The Board is looking forward to working with him and Allyn to realize our shared vision for the Company.”

Shakespeare & Company recently announced its lineup for the 2017 summer season, which includes three Shakespeare plays—Cymbeline, The Tempest, and A Midsummer Night's Dream—plus two Edith Wharton comedies, Roman Fever and the newly adapted The Fullness of Life. Additional titles include 4000 Miles by Amy Herzog; Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage; and God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza. In celebration of the Company's 40th Season, the summer program will also include a special event series, "Storytellers and Songwriters." Tickets for the 2017 performance season are on sale now. For more information on the summer performance season, or the Company's year-round programming, call the Box Office at 413-637-3353 or visit www.shakespeare.org.

February 22, 2017

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