KTC Producing Artistic Director Resigns

Know Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director Eric Vosmeier Resigns
Andrew Hungerford is named as the next leader of Know Theatre

Producing Artistic Director, Eric Vosmeier has tendered his resignation to Know Theatre’s Board of Directors. His last day at the helm of the organization will be June 30, 2014, just after the 11th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival and at the end of the company’s 13-14 fiscal year.

Board President Matthew Lafkas says, “Eric has been an asset to Know Theatre and the Board of Directors is grateful for his years of service and dedication. During his time at Know Theatre, he has been a thought leader for the larger theatrical community and the proof can be seen in what he’s programed and created for Know Theatre such as: Calculus: The Musical!, FringeNext, and the Jackson Street Market.”

Vosmeier sums up his reasons, “It’s simply time to move on and make way for someone else to take the reigns at Know Theatre. I believe this place demands a fresh perspective and new ways of thinking. The best way to accomplish this is to step down and allow those different voices the opportunity. I have been absolutely honored to be a part of this phenomenal staff for nearly 8 years, but the time has come to hand the reigns over to someone who can guide the theatre to its next evolution.”

To that end, Vosmeier and Know Theatre’s Board of Directors have hired long-time resident scenic and lighting designer, Andrew Hungerford as the next producing artistic director for Know Theatre. Andrew has been with the company since 2007 and has been instrumental in not only the ongoing increases in the quality of our production department, but has been a sounding board for many of the company’s projects, as well as a partner to Eric in selecting programming over the past several seasons.

Originally from Metro Detroit, Andrew Hungerford has spent the last ten years involved with Cincinnati’s theatre scene. After attending graduate school at UC College Conservatory of Music, he quickly became a frequent designer on Cincinnati’s stages. He has been resident scenic and lighting designer for Know Theatre of Cincinnati since 2007 and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company since 2010.

Hungerford says, “I’ve spent most of my professional career as part of the Cincinnati Theatre scene, and given a lot of my life over the last seven years to Know Theatre. When the opportunity arose to lead Know into its next phase, it just made sense as the next step for both the company and me. There was no way I could turn down the opportunity. As someone who cares deeply about contemporary Theatre, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the regional and national dialogue with a company that I love, in the amazingly supportive artistic community of Cincinnati.”

Along with his design work, Hungerford is a playwright, director, producer, and (infrequently) an actor. He has taken shows to the Edinburgh Fringe on three occasions, and produced work as part of the Cincinnati and Hollywood Fringes. Despite all this time on the road, Hungerford considers Cincinnati as his artistic home.

Vosmeier says, “Andrew is the best person I can imagine handing the reigns over to. He’s been part of the company longer than I have and he’s a superb choice to take what we’ve created during my tenure and to continue to build upon it. I have always valued his opinions, many of which have helped informed mine. I have more confidence in his first day at artistic director than I had in mine, so I think that’s a good sign.”

Lafkas adds, “The Board of Directors and I are simply wowed by Andrew’s talent and his passion for Know Theatre. He has a great vision for the theatre’s future and we’re anxious that he’ll be the next artistic leader. We have great faith that he’ll be able to take what Jay and Jason and Eric have created over the past 15 years and continue to build upon it.”

About Eric Vosmeier:
Eric Vosmeier joined Know Theatre of Cincinnati in 2007 as the Associate Artistic Director charged with producing the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, programming and operations for the Underground bar, and directing for the mainstage season. After a short time Eric was made Managing Director, a position he held for a little over two years. When the previous leadership departed, Eric was offered the position of Producing Artistic Director by the Board and accepted. He has been in this position since October 2009.

During Eric’s tenure as producer of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, attendance has nearly doubled, seeing increases from 4500 theatregoers in 2007 to 8500 in 2013. Eric’s approach to the festival has been artist-centric from the beginning. The approach has distinguished the Cincinnati Fringe, which has become an integral part of the our national reputation among artists. By focusing on creating the best possible for festival for Fringe artists, he was able to steadily increase the quality and quantity of applications and the audience responded in kind. The 2013 Festival broke every single previous sales record.

Eric also created a cadre of new programming for the company as a whole:

– Early on as managing director, Eric inked a deal with the creators of Calculus: The Musical! for the exclusive North American touring rights for the show. Since that time, Calculus has proved to be an amazing asset for Know Theatre, currently accounting for over 10% of it’s operating revenue.

– FringeNext was launched in 2010 for the purpose of creating a high-school artist version of the Festival. The success of FringeNext has driven some of the growth in recent years.

– Also in 2010, Know Theatre launched the Jackson Street Market – an artist service initiative designed to leverage Know Theatre’s resources on behalf of the local artist community with the goal of providing opportunity for local artists to stay local and create work for Cincinnati audiences. Over the years, JSM has served a number of organizations and individuals such as: Pones, INC Laboratory of Dance, Art on the Streets, Higher Level Art, The Requiem Project, and more. It has also incubated and helped launch the perpetually successful True Theatre and Over-the-Rhine Improv, which still regularly perform at Know Theatre.

– Several improvements/capital investments to Know Theatre’s facility have occurred under Eric’s watch, including the addition of the marquee onto the building’s façade, new seats and seating risers in the theatre, new LED theatrical lighting, a new sound system, and within the next month some renovations to the Underground lobby/bar space.

– Finally, Eric invested in the future of the organization by continually pressing for increases in staff salaries, the addition of health insurance to staff compensation packages, and by creating a first draft of a strategic plan which lays a path for Know Theatre’s continued artistic growth.

– Mainstage productions during his tenure have included: 4 world premiere works; dozens of CEA/Acclaim/LCT awards for shows such as Angels in America, Adding Machine: A Musical, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, When the Rain Stops Falling, Skin Tights Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, and many more.

Vosmeier adds, “I look back on what we’ve done with a great deal of pride. But while that work has strengthened Know Theatre and solidified our place in the regional arts scene, I am most proud of the staff we gathered to run this place. Alex, Doug, Kristen, and Nick (and everyone who has been on staff in the past 8 years) have made possible everything that we have accomplished. I am very proud of them and the work they make for our audiences. They are the reason that Know Theatre has survived economic hardships. They are the reason for the Festival’s success. They are the reason that we’ve been able to continue growing and getting better – because they keep growing and getting better. They are my friends and my family and I don’t imagine I’ll ever have the luck of having such dynamic individuals working with me again.”

Eric will remain in his position of producing artistic director until June 30, 2014. This will allow him to see through one more Fringe Festival and complete a transitional process with Andrew during the first half of 2014. Eric says, “The last transition of leadership was a little rocky and I think held Know Theatre back from its potential as we played catch-up immediately following. Andrew and I hope to avoid any such pitfalls this time around by creating a longer transition period and allowing for a holistic approach to this process. I want to ensure that we’re able to appropriately transition our institutional memory, internal best practices, and community relationships.”

Eric does not yet have plans for what he’s doing next, but he’s excited about what his future holds. “I’ve got a few ideas cooking and I’m working on possible projects for the short term. But at the moment I’m focused on making sure this transition process is a successful one and working to ensure that we’re executing everything we need to through the end of the season. I look forward to seeing this process through and handing Andrew an organization that has forward momentum from his first day in this position. Transitions are a great opportunity to evaluate, improve, and build capacity and that’s what I’m focusing on just now.”

More about our next producing artistic director, Andrew Hungerford:
Andrew holds a B.A. in Theatre and a B.S. in Astrophysics from Michigan State University. He received his MFA in Lighting Design from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Andrew’s writing and performance experience round out an approach to design that aims to serve the theatrical experience as a whole. If the lighting isn’t helping the story be told, for example, he feels that he isn’t doing his job.

Andrew was the 2006 recipient of the USITT Lighting Design Award sponsored by Barbizon. His lighting design for the opera Ariodante was included in the 2007 US entry to the Prague Quadrennial. Andrew was a 2009 finalist for the TCG*NEA Career Development Grant for Designers. Other awards include: • 2013: LCT Awards– Lighting & Scenic Design, When the Rain Stops Falling. Know Theatre • 2012: LCT Award–Projection Design, Gruesome Playground Injuries (w/ Doug Borntrager). Know Theatre. • 2011: Acclaim Award–Production Design (lighting, scenery, and puppets), The Dragon. Know Theatre. • 2010: Wilde Award–Lighting Design, K2. Performance Network Theatre.

Andrew is in his seventh season as scenic and lighting designer at Know Theatre of Cincinnati and fourth season as scenic and lighting designer for Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. He also spent eight seasons as lighting designer for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. Other credits include: Portland Stage Company (Portland, ME); Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Madison, NJ); The Flea Theater (New York, NY); The Theatre @ Boston Court (Pasadena, CA); Stanford Summer Theatre (Palo Alto, CA); Performance Network Theatre (Ann Arbor, MI); and The Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca (Italy).

Know Theatre of Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Know Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Know Theatre is supported by the National Theatre Company Grant from The American Theatre Wing, dedicated to supporting the most promising emerging theatre companies from around the country. Know Theatre of Cincinnati also receives support from The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation. Our mission is to create evocative and explosive live entertainment.

We value a playful artistic community where artists can collaborate and grow.