Nicki Hunter has been appointed artistic director of the Manhattan Theatre Club, one of Broadway’s major nonprofit theater companies.
Hunter, who is currently the associate artistic director at MTC, takes over the reins from Lynne Meadow, who has held the position for more than 50 years. Hunter is also the latest newcomer to assume the artistic directing role, as the Lincoln Center, Second Stage and Roundabout Theatre have also all seen recent changeover in the roles.
Manhattan Theatre Club, which owns the Samuel J. Friedman Broadway theater, as well as off-Broadway stages at New York City Center, has garnered 31 Tony Awards in the past 50 years and and seven Pulitzer Prizes including for plays such as Martyna Majok’s Cost of Living, Lynn Nottage’s Ruined, David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole, John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, David Auburn’s Proof and August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson.
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“I’m elated and deeply honored to be stepping into the role of Artistic Director of MTC,” Hunter said. “I’m inspired by the unparalleled body of work Lynne Meadow has created for the last 53 years as Artistic Director. She is a titan in our industry. I look forward to building on the theatre’s legacy to see it through to a successful and bold new era, working together with Chris Jennings, our Board of Directors, and the theatre’s dedicated staff. I’m committed to ensuring that MTC remains a premier destination for outstanding live theatre. I will foster an inclusive theatrical home for artists to create — and audiences to experience — entertaining, challenging, and vibrant new work both on and off Broadway.”
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Hunter first joined MTC in 2009 as an intern and has since held several key positions, including artistic associate, line producer and artistic producer before being promoted to associate artistic director.
The theater company has already announced a season of works, including the Broadway premiere of the play Punch, written by James Graham, which is currently running, and the upcoming world premiere of The Balusters, written by David Lindsay-Abaire, and starring Renée Elise Goldsberry, Richard Thomas and Carl Clemons-Hopkins.
Chris Jennings, who had been the executive director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., took over as executive director of Manhattan Theatre Club in 2023, succeeding long-time executive producer Barry Grove and partnering with Meadow. Jennings will now partner with Hunter.
Meadow will assume the new role of artistic advisor when Hunter begins her new position Dec. 1.
In addition to Hunter, Evan Cabnet, who was artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater’s LCT3, an initiative to produce new works, was recently named as new artistic director of Second Stage Theater, replacing Carole Rothman after a 45-year career. Lear deBessonet was named the artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater, succeeding André Bishop after his 33-year tenure. And Scott Ellis is serving as interim artistic director at Roundabout Theatre after the death of Todd Haimes, who had run programming for 40 years.
“I am thrilled that Nicki Hunter has been chosen to be my successor,” Meadow said. “I believe that she has the skills, talent and vision to lead us into an exciting new era and to create a vibrant repertoire for our three theatres. I have treasured 16 years of working closely with her and have been consistently impressed by her ability to identify talent, by her gifted producing instincts, and by her passion for new ideas. She has a deep commitment to our mission and has collaborated both with longstanding MTC artists as well as new talent she introduced to our company. In short, she has played a vital role at MTC and represents the best of a new generation of bold new leadership. I’m excited by the partnership of Nicki and our Executive Director, Chris Jennings, and look forward to the next great chapter of MTC under their direction.”
