NEA APPOINTS DIRECTOR OF THEATER AND MUSICAL THEATER PROGRAMS

The National Endowment for the Arts has named Ralph Remington—a theater professional, actor, and city politician who has spent much of his career in Minnesota—as the new director for the organization’s programs devoted to theater and musical theater, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Remington is scheduled to assume his new role in March and will serve a two-year term. His responsibilities will include overseeing grant-making activity for stage projects and the NEA’s New Play Development Program.

Tuesday’s announcement came from NEA head Rocco Landesman, who himself hails from the theater world. The former Broadway impresario said in a statement that Remington “is a leader who will bring together the fields of theater, community engagement, and public policy.”

Remington served as a city-council member in Minneapolis from 2006 to 2009. His theater resume includes stints as artistic associate with Arena Stage in Washington, DC, and as producing artistic director and founder of the Pillsbury House Theater in Minneapolis. He has worked as an actor with the Guthrie Theater and Illusion Theater in Minneapolis. Remington is also an army veteran, a certified AIDS/HIV educator, and a union member and organizer, according to his official website.