Ryan Rilette, Producing Artistic Director
Photo by Kevin Berne, Marin Theatre Company
Ryan Rilette starts as Round House Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director on August 1, 2012. He is currently the Producing Director of Marin Theatre Company, a LORT D theater in the San Francisco Bay Area that has a $3.2M budget and produces a combination of classic and new plays. For MTC, he has directed the world premieres of Bellwether by Steve Yockey and Magic Forest Farm by Zayd Dohrn; God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza; Fuddy Meers by David Lindsay-Abaire; Boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb; and In The Red and Brown Water by Tarell Alvin McCraney, the first part of The Brother Sister Plays Trilogy, which MTC co-produced with American Conservatory Theatre and Magic Theater, and which was named “the theatrical event of the year” by the San Francisco Chronicle. During his tenure at MTC, the theatre increased revenue from $1.8M in FY08 to a projected $3.2M in FY12, expanded to six shows per season in the Boyer Theater, established an off-site scene shop, created a $500K Artistic & Operating Reserve Fund, and ended every season with a profit.
Rilette is also currently the President of the National New Play Network, the country’s leading alliance of theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays for the American theatre.
From 2002 to 2007, Rilette served as Producing Artistic Director of Southern Rep Theatre, the leading professional theater in New Orleans, which The Times Picayune has called “the driving force in contemporary drama in the Gulf South.” He led the theater’s post-Katrina rebuilding efforts, including commissioning, developing and producing two plays about the storm and its affect on the region: Rising Water by John Biguenet (which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize) and The Breach by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Catherine Filloux, and Joe Sutton.
He is also the co-founder and former Executive Artistic Director of Rude Mechanicals Theatre Company in New York City, which he ran from 1998 to 2001. He is a former professor at Tulane University and at Loyola University of New Orleans, and holds an MFA in Acting from American Conservatory Theatre.
Danisha Crosby, Associate Producer
As Associate Producer, Ms. Crosby supervises all programming at Round House Theatre – including the production and education departments – and programs the Silver Spring Series featuring performances by DC-area companies and solo artists. She has worked extensively as a teacher, director, and stage manager in the Washington area and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. Previously, she served as Round House’s Director of Production and as Production Manager. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s Degree from the American University. Ms. Crosby also serves on the Advisory Board for the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and is the Vice President of the League of Washington Theatres.
Patricia Jenson, Director of Development
Ms. Jenson joined Round House Theatre in 2011 as Director of Development. She previously served in the same position at the Washington Ballet, and was Managing Director of Theater J for seven years. Her other Washington DC-area credits include working at Arena Stage, Horizons Theatre and the Washington Performing Arts Society. A native of Minnesota, she performed for many years as a professional actor in Minneapolis, but now devotes her free time to community volunteer activities, enjoying the cultural offerings of this area, and serving as an Examiner for the President’s Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Ms. Jenson is a graduate of George Washington University.
Lance Tucker, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Mr. Tucker began working with Round House as Interim Marketing Director in September 2007 before joining the staff full time in January 2008. He served as Director of Marketing at The Washington Opera for eleven years, during a time of tremendous growth and change for the company. He has worked in marketing, development, and public relations for such organizations as Arena Stage, The American Film Institute, OPERA America, The Harlequin Dinner Theatre, Troika Entertainment, and Young People’s Theatre. He has spoken on arts marketing issues at various national conferences and has served as a consultant for organizations across the United States. In addition, he has worked as an actor, director, producer, and acting teacher. Mr. Tucker also served as a judge for the Helen Hayes Awards. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University and The University of Michigan.
Harriet L. Weil, General Manager
Ms. Weil joined Round House Theatre in August 2005 as General Manager. She most recently worked for the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at Maryland where she managed all rentals and maintained the schedule for their eight performance venues. Ms. Weil was part of the Production Management team that opened the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia in December 2001. While there, she was thrilled to have been able to work closely with The Philadelphia Orchestra as they made their new home in Verizon Hall. Prior to the Kimmel Center, Ms. Weil served as the Fiscal Manager in the General Management Department at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In the Washington area, Ms. Weil has worked for The Shakespeare Theatre, Arena Stage, The Washington Stage Guild, Folger Theatre, Studio Theatre, and Olney Theatre Center.