East West Players’ Appoints Lily Tung Crystal as Artistic Director
Tom O’Connor Consulting Group (TOCG) is pleased to announce that Lily Tung Crystal has been appointed Artistic Director by East West Players’ (Eugene J. Hutchins, Managing Director) in Los Angeles, California, following our extensive national search led by Cynthia Fuhrman.
As shared in a release from the company, “The East West Players Board is excited to introduce Lily to the East West Players community and to welcome her back to LA, her first hometown,” shares EWP Board Chair Rose Chan Loui. “The Search Committee was gratified to see how many qualified candidates applied for the artistic director position, as it demonstrated how much progress we have made as a community in developing AAPI talent. We were particularly pleased to see the number of outstanding Asian American women among the applicants. Out of this impressive field of candidates, Lily stood out for her impressive portfolio of artistic work, her cohesive vision for EWP, and her strong leadership and management skills. We know she will be greatly missed by Theater Mu and the Minnesota community, but we are thrilled for EWP to be her new artistic home.”
In the company’s statement Tung Crystal shared “I’m humbled and honored to be given the opportunity to lead the nation’s largest Asian American theater company and longest-running theater of color,” says Tung Crystal. “My life’s work has centered on the intersection of art and social justice; increasing representation of Asian American and other marginalized artists on stage, and in TV and film; and telling more Asian American stories. I’m looking forward to working with East West Players’ Managing Director Eugene J. Hutchins and its talented, committed, and welcoming staff, board, and artists to continue that work nationally in collaboration with artists and organizations across the country, including Theater Mu.”
“It was such a privilege to support East West Players on this important search,” noted Cynthia Fuhrman, TOCG’s VP for Executive Search. “EWP holds such a unique place in the theatre ecology, and the board and staff at the theatre are so dedicated to the company– past and future – that it was inspiring to be part of the conversation that led to this exciting appointment. Lily will be a transformative leader and I’m excited to see her work in the coming years.”
To read more about Lily Tung Crystal’s appointment as Artistic Director, read this exciting feature in the Los Angeles Times from May 15, 2024.
About East West Players’
As the nation's longest-running theatre of color founded in 1965, East West Players (EWP), is the nation's premier Asian American theatre. EWP's mission is to raise the visibility of the Asian American experience by presenting inventive world-class theatrical productions, developing artists of color, and providing impactful youth education programs. The organization's objectives are to promote positive images of Asian Americans, increase access, inclusion, and representation for Asian American artists in Los Angeles' creative economy, and lead the Asian American theater movement toward greater cultural diversity and artistic expansion.
EWP's activities include producing three to five theatrical works each season, with at least one premiere, on their mainstage at the David Henry Hwang Theater in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles. They also offer an artistic development program called Counter-Culture, consisting of community conversations, readings, and workshops of new works that explore current societal issues. In addition to their mainstage productions and artistic development initiatives, EWP provides educational programs that supplement arts education in schools. EWP provides services to over 11,000 youth annually through two signature programs: Theatre for Youth is a touring production that travels to schools and community centers in Los Angeles each year and Partners in Education and Arts Collaboration is a free after-school education program for upper-elementary and middle school students hosted at Title I schools. EWP partners with other arts organizations in Los Angeles County to expand its audience base and collaborate on shared artistic programming such as Pasadena Playhouse, Robey Theatre, Fountain Theatre, and Center Theatre Group.
About Tom O’Connor Consulting Group
Tom O’Connor Consulting Group (TOCG) is a NYC-based consultancy that supports arts institutions and leaders with two integrated services: organizational strategy and executive search. Consulting specialties including marketing, strategy, assessment, and organizational development. Founded in 2015, TOCG is a fully remote company with team members spanning the country and the globe.
Select clients have included Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Carnegie Hall, Cincinnati Opera, Huntington Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, Next Chapter Podcasts, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and more.
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