New Haven's Long Wharf Theatre has announced its new Artistic Director. Jacob Padron, 38, has a lengthy resume as a director and producer at some of the most prestigious theater companies in the country, including Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater and Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage.
Padron also teaches artistic production at the Yale School of Drama.
In a statement, Long Wharf's Board of Trustees called Padron "the future of American theater" and a "theater generalist," a term Padron proudly owns.
"I think it's about having a skill set in kind of all the different pots of what it means to make theater. So you sort of understand the language of the stage, you understand how to speak with artists," he told Connecticut Public Radio. "But you also understand how to read a budget and how to understand the business affairs of running an institution."
Padron says one of the things that attracted him to Long Wharf was the vibrant artistic community in the New Haven area.
"I think continuing to fortify that community, continue to inspire and be inspired by that community, I think is going to be really exciting as we think of the future of our company," he said.
Padron replaces former artistic director Gordon Edelstein, who was fired in January after the New York Times published an article in which multiple women alleged unwanted sexual contact dating back at least a decade.
Jacob Padron's first day is February 1.
