NEW YORK CITY: New York Stage and Film (NYSAF) has announced that Ian Belknap will be the comapny’s next artistic director, following an extensive search process facilitated by Culture Change Lab. Belknap will assume the role full-time beginning on Nov. 11, taking over from interim artistic director Liz Carlson, who led the organization through a period of strategic restructuring in the wake of the pandemic. Additionally, NYSAF has announced that producing associate Isabelle (Fereshteh) Sanatdar Stevens has been promoted to associate artistic director.
“For the last several years, I have been developing new work for television and film, during which my love for the theatre never wavered,” said Belknap in a statement. “It’s thrilling for me to lead New York Stage and Film as their mission to develop new work across these mediums matches my passion and incessant curiosity to explore how theatre, film, and television can overlap, inform, and inspire each other. I’m particularly thrilled to be in collaboration with Isabelle Fereshteh Sanatdar Stevens as associate artistic director.”
Belknap is a former artistic director of Tony-winning theatre The Acting Company (TAC). Described by The New York Times as producing with “curatorial inspiration,” Belknap has directed, produced, or commissioned a wide range of dramatic literature, from new plays by Marcus Gardley, Rebecca Gilman, Nambi E. Kelley, Lisa Peterson, and Betty Shamieh to reinterpretations of William Shakespeare, Sean O’Casey, and John Steinbeck. He has also worked in television and film, developing content for major studios and networks, and he has extensive experience building partnerships with academic communities. Raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Ian lives in New York City with his wife, Lauren, and their daughter, Thea.
Isabelle (Fereshteh) Sanatdar Stevens is an Iranian and Irish American writer, performer, and creative producer, who has served on the NYSAF artistic and producing team since 2022. Sanatdar Stevens’ creative work has been supported and recognized by New Rep Theatre Company, the Kennedy Center, the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights’ Conference, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Fresh Ink Theatre Company, and more. She is proud to be Boston University’s 2024-25 Whitney Young Jr. fellow for social justice. They are presently completing their third and final year in BU/BPT’s Playwriting MFA. With NYSAF, they have supported the development of new works by Ngozi Anyanwu, Heather Christian, Margaret Cho, Delta Rae, Sopan Deb, Beth Henley, Princess Lockerooo, Amber Ruffin, Lauren Yee, Breaking the Binary Theater, The Movement Theatre Company, and many more.
Added Carlson in a statement, “I have worn many hats at NYSAF over the past 16 years—apprentice, artist, artistic producer, interim artistic director—so it gives me great joy to know that this exceptional organization is in the inspired hands of Ian and Isabelle as I step into the next chapter of my career. These two passionate individuals bring a deep knowledge of creative development, community engagement, and operational management that is sure to make our 40th anniversary and beyond some of our best years yet.”
Founded in 1985, New York Stage and Film is a nonprofit company dedicated to both emerging and established artists in the development and production of theatre and film by creating community, supporting process, and uplifting original artistic voices. Dozens of notable works trace their developmental roots to NYSAF, including the Tony winners Hamilton, Hadestown, Side Man, and The Humans; Broadway productions such as American Idiot, Junk, and Bright Star; and Pulitzer winners and finalists such as Doubt, The Wolves, and Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music. As of 2022, its budget was around $1.4 million.
