Northern Stage Appoints Jason Smoller as Managing Director
Jason Smoller: photo credit Pierre Lidar
Tom O’Connor Consulting Group (TOCG) is pleased to announce that Jason Smoller (he/him) has been appointed Managing Director by Northern Stage (Carol Dunner, Producing Artistic Director) in White River Junction, VT, following our extensive national search.
As shared in a release from the company, Smoller was most recently the Director of Development and Marketing at Irish Repertory Theatre in Manhattan. During the COVID shutdown, he developed the strategy behind the organization’s first-ever online season, reaching 60,000 patrons in more than 20 countries. Smoller also streamlined the theater’s fundraising programs and oversaw its reopening to the public after New York’s 18-month COVID hiatus. Prior to his time at Irish Rep, he worked in fundraising and external relations at The New York Pops orchestra and The Morgan Library & Museum. Smoller is an accomplished oboist and holds a Masters in Orchestral Performance from Manhattan School of Music, as well as an AB in French and Music from Brown University. His first full-time job was at Northern Stage.
“Jason is a talented and passionate leader with the tools to skillfully navigate the unique challenges and opportunities of producing world class theater while also being a wonderful fit for the collaborative team culture at Northern Stage," says Northern Stage Board Chair Jennifer Kaye Argenti. "This rare combination is both exciting and essential and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Jason to the role.”
“I am beyond thrilled to join the terrific team at Northern Stage as their next Managing Director,” said Jason Smoller. “The performing arts sector is at an important inflection point, and I am confident that the company’s high-quality art-making and the community’s genuine investment will ensure that Northern Stage remains a cultural beacon for the Upper Valley. My family and I are excited to be moving back to the area, and I look forward to working with the talented artists who are committed to changing lives, one story at a time.”
“A career in the arts almost always leads to journeys that come from the heart, and in the case of Jason Smoller’s appointment as Managing Director at Northern Stage this is certainly true,” said Cynthia Fuhrman, VP of Executive Search at Tom O’Connor Consulting Group. “While spending years building an impressive list of skills and experience in New York, Jason always remembered his first arts job at Northern Stage. Working with a thoughtful and informed search committee, TOCG was thrilled to be part of bringing Jason back to Vermont to co-lead this treasured regional company with Producing Artistic Director Carol Dunne. We know that under this leadership team, Northern Stage will continue to be an important destination for arts and education in New England.”
About Northern Stage
Northern Stage is a regional non-profit LORT-D professional theater company located in White River Junction, VT. Northern Stage actively engages its audiences with world-class productions and extensive educational and community outreach programs in its new home, the Barrette Center for the Arts. Founded in 1997, the company has offered more than 150 professional productions of new works, classics, and musicals. Now in its 25th Season, Northern Stage serves over 50,000 people. In 2014, the company launched a new play festival that has cultivated seven world premiere productions and three Off-Broadway transfers, including The New York Times Critic’s Pick Only Yesterday. Northern Stage’s breadth of programming supports the company’s mission of “changing lives, one story at a time.” To learn more about Northern Stage, visit www.northernstage.org .
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, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, Next Chapter Podcasts, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, SPACE on Ryder Farm, and more.
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