Hartford Stage has been led by Artistic Director Melia Bensussen and Managing Director Cynthia Rider since the summer of 2019. The theater’s mission is to enlighten, entertain, and educate by creating theatrical programming of the highest caliber that has a transformative impact on audiences, the community, and its field. Under Bensussen’s artistic vision, the theater has reimagined classics including Eugene O’Neill’s Ah, Wilderness! which reopened the theater to great acclaim following the pandemic and brought more work celebrating the Latine heritages in the region, including Quixote Nuevo, the virtual American Voices New Play Festival, Kiss My Aztec!, and Espejos: Clean. Hartford Stage has presented various world premieres including the Broadway successes Anastasia and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (winner of four 2014 Tony Awards), and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful (winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama). Hartford Stage’s vast education programs engage students of all ages from across the state through student matinee performances, in-school programs, theatre classes, and youth productions.

The Hartford Stage Strategic Plan

Created by a committee of the Board as well as the executive and senior leadership team, the Strategic Plan is a mission- and values-driven plan which serves as a foundation document for the direction of Hartford Stage. This plan outlines values, priorities, actions, and indicators of success, spanning from 2023-2028.

Hartford Stage believes in the transformative power of theater. This strategic plan will help guide the organization to fulfill its mission.