WESTON, VT.: The Weston Playhouse has announced that Susanna Gellert will be its new executive artistic director. Gellert was selected after a nine-month national search. In mid-July, the founding directors of Weston (Malcolm Ewen, Tim Fort, and Steve Stettle) will open their final season, and Gellert will begin her work, which will include planning for 2019 and beyond.

“From the time we first met Susanna, we were impressed with her creative and thoughtful ideas for the Playhouse and our new second stage at Walker Farm,” said board member Claire Stern in a statement. “Susanna’s deep ties to Vermont and New York will be a significant asset, and we have every confidence that Susanna is exactly the right leader for this time in the theatre’s history.”

Gellert is currently the associate producer and director of the Studio at Theatre for A New Audience (TFANA) in New York and previously served as artistic producer and resident director of Center Stage in Baltimore. Gellert has 15 years of producing experience in New York and regional theatre, including the world premiere of Adrienne Kennedy’s He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box and Shakespeare’s Pericles (directed by Sir Trevor Nunn) at TFANA, My America at Center Stage*. Gellert holds degrees from Yale University School of Drama, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago, and teaches in the New School’s MFA Directing program.

“To lead Weston into the next phase of its journey—with its commitment to artistic excellence, thoughtful innovation, and the development of new artists and ideas—is a dream come true,” Weston said in a statement. “I have a longstanding connection to Vermont and have thought of Southern Vermont as a home away from home for many years. I cherish this opportunity to deepen my own ties to the area while leading a theater that is committed to welcoming and enriching the community of Weston, the region, and the whole nation.”

*A previous version of this story stated that Gellert directed He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box, Pericles, and My America. She actually produced those plays.