Public Theater taps Willingham

Patrick Willingham, a classic professional at Blue Guy Prods., remains named the completely new professional director of Off Broadway's Public Theater. Willingham will begin his stint within the Public on November. 28, altering interim professional director Joey Parnes, who also offered round the search committee for your new co-leader in the prominent downtown institution. Willingham spent lots of his career with Blue Guy Group, becoming prexy and chief operating office because the organization exapnded from an Off Broadway performance-art curio with a global franchise. He initially grew to become an associate of Blue Guy in 1994 as company manager in the Gotham version right before being upped to gm for just about any four-year tenure because position. He's also labored with Maria Prods. and Jujamcyn Theaters, most recently becoming consultant for Montreal's Cirque Eloize. Within the Public, Willingham works alongside Public a.d. Oskar Eustis in the top leadership publish including the operational oversight from the multi-stage downtown venue -- presently under restoration while programming there remains ongoing -- together with the annual Shakespeare neighborhood program. Willingham would also spearhead efforts to acquire approaching Public Theater fare onto Broadway, where Public shows including "Hair," "The Merchant of Venice" and "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" have moved lately. Willingham might be the permanent alternative for Andrew Hamingson, who early this year walked reduced the professional director publish carrying out a tenure of under three years, stating personal reasons that have been freely left cloudy. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com