NORTH SHORE MUSIC THEATRE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
JON KIMBELL
ASSUMES NEW ROLE, NEW CHALLENGE
-- Kimbell named Artistic Director Emeritus --
Beverly, MA -- Jon Kimbell, Artistic Director and Executive Producer at North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT), has announced that he will be assuming the new role of Artistic Director Emeritus beginning in the season of 2008. In this new position, Mr. Kimbell will transition the day-to-day artistic responsibilities to a new Artistic Director, providing him the opportunity to focus on the development of new works, an area of musical theater that he has dedicated himself to during his 25 year tenure at the Theatre.
“It has always been my vision to establish North Shore Music Theatre as a leading institution in the development of new musicals,” Mr. Kimbell said. “After 25 years, I have seen many of my goals come to fruition and now it’s time for me to take on a larger national role in finding new talent and helping to further develop the musical theater art form.”
According to Mr. Kimbell, he will be very involved in the search for a new Artistic Director and will work closely with the NSMT Board of Trustees and staff to ensure a smooth transition. “It is crucial that we initiate the search immediately because planning for our 2008 season has already begun and the Artistic Director will play an integral role in determining the artistic choices for next season,” explained Mr. Kimbell.
Mr. Kimbell also announced that John La Rock, Associate Producer at NSMT, has been named Producer, overseeing the daily and long-range programming and production of all staged events and programs at NSMT. With NSMT since 1998, Mr. La Rock has been responsible for supervising the seven-show subscription musical season, new musical development commissioning and programs, mainstage education productions in conjunction with the Education Director, programming of the Celebrity Concert Series and, in collaboration with Jon Kimbell, long-range artistic programming. An active member of the theater community, Mr. La Rock has served for three years on the selection committees for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s annual Festival of New Musicals in New York and for the Stages Festival of New Musicals in Chicago.
He is a founding member of the Boston-based New Opera and Musical Theater Initiative (NOMTI), and serves on the board of StageSource, the greater Boston alliance of theatre artists and producers. Before joining NSMT, Mr. La Rock spent ten years at the Houston Grand Opera, where he helped produce over seventy operas. “The training and experience I have received working with Jon for the past 9 years have been extraordinary,” said Mr. La Rock. “I am honored to be entrusted by Jon to carry his mission for North Shore Music Theatre forward into the future.”
“I am very excited about this new opportunity and I look forward to working with John La Rock and the new Artistic Director in continuing to build on the tremendous accomplishments we’ve achieved since I first started here in 1983,” remarked Kimbell. “No one creates in a vacuum, and musical theatre is the most collaborative art form. I commend my dedicated Board of Trustees for allowing me to take the risks necessary to help this Theatre grow over the past 25 years. It has been a privilege and an honor to work side by side with such dedicated and talented Board members, theatre artists, staff and volunteers. I believe we have collectively created an outstanding performing arts organization for New England and one which is recognized nationally for its artistic excellence.”
During his career, Mr. Kimbell has directed or produced most major musicals, much of the Shakespeare canon and, as a passionate believer in the development of new theater works, the premieres of 41 plays and musicals. In addition, he has co-authored and directed the most popular production in NSMT’s history, A Christmas Carol, which in 2007 will celebrate its 19th season. He has dedicated himself and North Shore Music Theatre to inviting diverse communities to experience the uniquely American art form of musical theater through choice of productions, the way in which those productions are developed and performed, and an unwavering commitment to making all that NSMT does accessible for all people. Mr. Kimbell was awarded the Town of Danvers Drum Major of Justice Award in 2007 for his dedication to diversity, and NSMT received the Actors’ Equity Association’s Rosetta LeNoire Award in 2003 for the theater’s outstanding commitment to non-traditional casting.
Among his many accomplishments, Jon received Salem State College’s Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the New England Theater Conference’s (NETC) Major Award for Outstanding Achievement in the American Theater. Jon is also a two-time recipient of the Annual Moss Hart Award for his direction and musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and for his 2005 production of the new musical Abyssinia. Jon also received NETC’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to New England Theater in 2005, as well as the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston’s Award for Arts Management Excellence.
He is a founding member of the National Alliance for Musical Theater, which was created in 1986 to encourage the development of new musicals, and served for several years on the Selection Committee for the Alliance's Festival of New Musicals. He currently serves on the Boards of the National Music Theatre Network, concentrating on the New York Music Theatre Festival, and the Bow Street Trust, and is a member of SpeakEasy Stage Company’s Board of Visitors. Mr. Kimbell also serves as president and treasurer of the Council of Stock Theaters (COST), a national organization which functions as a bargaining collective for theaters operating under common union affiliations. Prior to joining North Shore Music Theatre, Mr. Kimbell was the Producing Director of Theatre by the Sea in Portsmouth, NH, and Producer of the Prescott Park Arts Festival, now in its 32nd year.
Finding innovative ways to incorporate the arts into lifelong learning has also been a priority for Mr. Kimbell. Under his leadership, NSMT implemented high-quality education programs to nurture and inspire new generations of artists and patrons for the performing arts. Through performances, education outreach, classes and special projects, NSMT, under the direction of Education Director Burgess Clark, currently reaches nearly 90,000 students every year- from special needs populations, to underserved communities, to pre-professionals in training programs. Working with such organizations as Brooksby Village in Peabody, MA and the Beverly Council on Aging, NSMT has expanded its educational programming to adults and seniors by developing cross-generational classes for elders and elementary students.
“Jon’s commitment to the American theater, to taking musical theatre to new heights both nationally and regionally, and his dedication to reaching out to others to share his knowledge and expertise, make him a unique individual,” said Kevin Bottomley, Chairman of the NSMT Board of Trustees and President of Danversbank. “The Board of Trustees, the staff, the patrons and the community have all been the beneficiary of his extensive talents. We are all extremely proud of the legacy he has created.”
Operating since 1955, North Shore Music Theatre’s mission is to increase the awareness, significance and celebration of musical theater and the performing arts through superb entertainment and education programs. A unique theater-in-the-round located in Beverly, MA, NSMT is the largest non-profit producing theater in New England, with approximately 350,000 patrons annually. NSMT has gained a national and regional reputation for artistic achievement, specifically in the areas of developing new works and providing outstanding theater arts and education programs. NSMT has received numerous industry awards including The Elliot Norton Award, The Rosetta Le Noire Award from Actors’ Equity, and The Moss Hart Award. NSMT annually produces a six musical subscription series, a production of A Christmas Carol and an acclaimed concert series. With its celebrated Theatre for Young Audiences program and year-round classes for children and adults, NSMT has become one of the region’s leading providers of theater arts and education.
February 14, 2007
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