Laura Brueckner to Replace Lydia Garcia as MTC's Literary Manager/Resident Dramaturg

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2016

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES
VETERAN BAY AREA THEATRE PRACTITIONER LAURA BRUECKNER
AS NEW LITERARY MANAGER AND RESIDENT DRAMATURG

MILL VALLEY, CAMarin Theatre Company is proud to welcome Laura Brueckner as its new Literary Manager and Resident Dramaturg. She most recently served as the Editor for Theatre Bay Area and as a Resident Dramaturg for Crowded Fire Theatre Company. Ms. Brueckner’s hiring not only enhances MTC’s position as one of the leading incubators of new plays in the United States, but her long-time Bay Area residency will further strengthen MTC’s collaborative efforts with local theatrical organizations and artists.

Ms. Brueckner offered thoughts on the opportunity to bring her unique skillset to Marin:

“I’m delighted to join the truly special team at Marin Theatre Company. Not only is the company’s mainstage production work top-notch, but its new play development programs demonstrate a genuine commitment to enriching American theatre with exciting new voices. I look forward to getting to know MTC's audiences and contributing to the excellent work here.”

Laura Brueckner has been supporting productions and playwrights with her dramaturgical work for over 20 years, with an emphasis on digital dramaturgy, world premieres, and commissions. During this time, she has been proud to count among her collaborators stellar artists such as MTC Playwright in Residence Lauren Gunderson, Christopher Chen, Mina Morita, Marissa Wolf, Idris Goodwin, Lachlan Philpott, and Dominique Serrand, as well as groundbreaking companies Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Crowded Fire Theater, The New Harmony Project, Playwrights Foundation, and, now, Marin Theatre Company. As an artist, she is committed to theatre as a path of social action, critical inquiry, profound discovery, and tremendous delight. Her journalistic writing on artistic process and audience engagement has been published by HowlRound and Theatre Bay Area; her dramaturgical writing has been published by Berkeley Rep, California Shakespeare Theater, and Crowded Fire. A current member of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, she holds a B.A. in English dramatic literature (magna cum laude) from U.C. Berkeley and a Ph.D. in dramaturgy from U.C. San Diego.

Ms. Brueckner will be replacing MTC’s current Literary Manager/Resident Dramaturg, Lydia Garcia, who in response to the growing national need is expanding her commitment to artEquity on a national scale:

"My journey as an artist has long been inspired by a commitment to attaining greater equity and inclusion in the American theatre, a commitment that has been extraordinarily enriched by my work with Carmen Morgan and the artEquity team. As a proud member of the core artEquity facilitation team, I am honored to partner with arts service organizations like Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and dozens of individual theatre institutions and independent artists to support the growing movement in the arts community to ensure the longevity of the arts and the health of our communities.

As an artEquity facilitator, I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue deepening my relationship with Marin Theatre Company as it joins the new cohort of TCG's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Institute, working in partnership to transform the national theatre field into a more equitable, inclusive and diverse community that reflects the cultural richness of the United States."

While MTC is sad to say farewell to Ms. Garcia, we are honored to support her in her continuing journey towards developing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives for theatres and arts organizations across the country.

MTC’s Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis emphasized his support for Ms. Garcia’s journey, and is excited to welcome Ms. Brueckner to the team:

“Lydia has been a vital part of our company and she will be greatly missed in our offices and rehearsal rooms. But she will continue to help us expand our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and will also hopefully be back to dramaturg future projects.

I could not be more pleased that Laura will be joining us. Her brilliant dramaturgy for numerous companies and productions has long been a source of inspiration to me and I believe she will take our commitment to expanded learning and engagement opportunities for our patrons to new heights. Laura is a greatly respected dramaturg in the local and national playwright communities and she is a powerful addition to our new play development team.”

Ms. Brueckner will be joining MTC Monday September 26th, diving right into its current production, August: Osage County, which has been extended through October 9, 2016.

ABOUT MTC
Marin Theatre Company is the Bay Area’s premier mid-sized theater and the leading professional theater in the North Bay. We produce a six-show season focused on new American plays, and a four-show Family Series. We are committed to the development and production of new plays, with a comprehensive New Play Program that includes productions of world premieres, two nationally recognized annual playwriting awards and readings and workshops by the nation’s best emerging and established playwrights. Our numerous education programs serve more than 8,500 students from over 40 Bay Area schools each year.  MTC strives to create intimate, powerful and emotional experiences that engage audiences to discuss new ideas and adopt a broader point of view. We believe in taking risks and inspiring people to participate in live theater, regardless of personal means.  MTC celebrates the intellectual curiosity of our community, and we believe that theater is an important tool to help build empathy. MTC was founded in 1966 and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

PRESS CONTACT
Sara Waugh, Marketing Director
(415) 322-6022 | saraw@marintheatre.org