MINNEAPOLIS: The Guthrie Theater has announced that its managing director, Jennifer Bielstein, has been elected president of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT). The professional theatre association has 72 member theatres in 29 different states and the District of Columbia. Bielstein succeeds Timothy J. Shields of McCarter Theatre Center in the position.
Bielstein has previously served as LORT vice president, chair of the LORT Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and LORT secretary, and has worked on multiple negotiating teams for the league. Bielstein joined the Guthrie Theater in April 2016. She was most recently managing director of Actors Theatre of Louisville for 10 seasons. In Louisville she served on the boards of Theatre Forward, the Louisville Downtown Development Corporation, Greater Louisville, Inc., the Arts and Cultural Attractions Council, and as a review panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. Bielstein is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with degrees in business administration and theatre, Stanford Graduate School of Business’s Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders in the Arts, and Bellarmine University’s Masters in Business Administration program.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve in the role of LORT president,” said Bielstein in a statement. “I look forward to working with colleagues across the country to learn from each other, to strengthen the work we do in our local communities and to increase the impact we have on the national field of theatre.”
LORT is responsible for arranging agreements with Actor’s Equity Association, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and United Scenic Artists and successfully completed negotiations with all three unions this summer.
LORT members meet semi-annually to discuss and exchange information on development, marketing, public relations, and technology. More information can be found by visiting www.lort.org.
The Guthrie Theater was founded in 1963 as a center for performance, production, education, and professional training. The Guthrie will host the LORT member meeting in the Spring of 2019.
