NEW YORK CITY: Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) has announced that Adriana Borzellino, who was hired as transition manager and interim managing director in August 2022, has been named EST’s new managing director, effective as of Oct. 1.
“Adriana has been such a wonderful addition to the administrative team at EST, and I am thrilled to welcome her permanently to the position,” said EST members council chair Lynnette Freeman in a statement. “She has been a constant support, and advocate for members’ needs and inquiries throughout major moments of change in the organization, and she has remained steadfast, level-headed, kind, and innovative. I am excited to continue to work with Adriana and continue to build with someone who I not only respect, but who has demonstrated great care for the members in her decision making, and thereby has my greatest trust.”
Borzellino has spent more than 20 years working in the nonprofit space, with most of that time focused on supporting youth and arts-based nonprofits. She enjoys lending her expertise to strengthen and solidify operations so that organizations can execute on their missions and elevate their artistry. She currently serves on the Girl Scouts of Greater New York (GSGNY) Highest Awards committee. Originally from Reading, Pa., she graduated college from Drexel University with a dual major in sociology and communications and currently resides in Brooklyn.
“I first came to EST two years ago in a temporary position to help bridge a gap, but/and the passion and overall verve to move the mission and vision forward was palpable and evident even then,” said Borzellino in a statement. “What stood out more than anything though was knowing that when you come to EST, you join a group of dynamic and committed people at all levels who love what they do: staff, members, board, and artists and friends of the theatre. It’s an exciting time for EST as a theatre, and I’m excited to be part of continuing that forward.”
Founded in 1968, Ensemble Studio Theatre’s mission is to develop and produce original, provocative, and authentic new work. EST’s primary programs include Youngblood, a collective of emerging professional playwrights; the EST/Sloan Project, a partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that commissions, develops, and produces new works about science and technology; and the Marathon of One-Act Plays, a landmark New York theatre festival since 1977. As of 2023, the theatre had a budget of approximately $2.1 million.
