NORRISTOWN, PA.: Theatre Horizon has named Nell Bang-Jensen to be its new artistic director, effective immediately. Bang-Jensen succeeds co-founder Erin Reilly, who is transitioning to a new fundraising role at Theatre Horizon. Bang-Jensen will oversee the artistic programming and general operational strategy of the theatre.

“Nell Bang-Jensen is a bold theatre artist with exceptional leadership skills,” said Reilly in a statement. “I’m thrilled to take on a new role at the company, and fully in support of Nell’s vision for community-building through theatre, an ethos perfectly aligned with Theatre Horizon’s values.”

Bang-Jensen has been making theatre in Philadelphia for the past 10 years and has produced and directed for many of the region’s major theatre institutions, including FringeArts, Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Wilma Theater, Pig Iron Theatre Company, and Painted Bride Art Center. Her projects include The Caregivers, which premiered at Pig Iron last year and was co-created with Philadelphians who work as home health aides and hospice workers. She’s currently working on Boy Project, a play made with 12- to 15-year-old boys about masculinity, which will be produced as part of FringeArts. The play was awarded a 2019 National MAP Fund grant. She’s the recipient of a Next Stage Director’s Fellowship from the Drama League, a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, and was a participant in Theatre Communication Group‘s  Leadership U[niversity] program, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. She’s also co-founder of Hatch, an arts residency in Harrisville, N.H., that provides female-identifying and non-binary artists with time and space to create new theatre. Bang-Jensen is a graduate of Swarthmore College and is a senior lecturer at the University of the Arts and a visiting faculty member at Carleton College.

“Since its founding 15 years ago, Theatre Horizon has been a deeply beloved home for artists and audiences alike,” said Bang-Jensen in a statement. “It’s a true joy to join a team that is so fiercely committed to its values. I’m excited by Theatre Horizon’s dedication to artistic rigor and belief in theatre as a way to reimagine community.”