The ConWorks press release
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 6, 2005
CONSOLIDATED WORKS NAMES NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Seattle, WA, Sept 6, 2005 Consolidated Works announced today that it has hired Corey Pearlstein as its new artistic director. Pearlstein is a seasoned producer, director and administrator with an extensive body of work across the performing arts. He has developed new works with Tony-nominated actors and emerging artists of all types.
Pearlstein, who will take the artistic helm at Consolidated Works on September 26, is coming to ConWorks after serving as producing artistic director at The Theatre Outlet in Allentown, Pennsylvania. His nationwide career has included stints in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C and Boston, as well as prior work in the Pacific Northwest.
"We can't wait to start working with Corey he has done amazing projects from coast to coast and approaches his work with incredible enthusiasm,” said Robb Krieg, president of ConWorks' board of directors and a member of the search committee. "Corey has demonstrated a strong balance of artistic and administrative know-how,” Krieg added, "and he's an ideal artistic director for ConWorks as the organization grows from its youth into its adolescence.”
Pearlstein has great experience building young arts organizations by focusing on organizational stability and strong artistic vision. As producing artistic director of The Theatre Outlet, he attracted nationally recognized dance, theater and music arts while restructuring the company to a multidisciplinary format. He simultaneously developed the season's programming and led the organizational planning, acquisition and building of a performance venue in a converted silk mill. During this time, Pearlstein produced 43 Plays for 43 Presidents, Marx in Soho, The Nina Variations, Side Man, and is presently producing Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
While comfortable working with established artists such as Obie-winning playwrights Amiri Baraka and William Mastersimone and Tony-nominated actress Tsidii LeLoka, Pearlstein is equally at home and passionate supporting the work of emerging artists. Some of his recent collaborations include developing and producing the world premiere of And My Name Ain't Peaches, an urban choreopoem with Atlanta-based playwright Lisa McCree and Charles Anderson of Philadelphia's Dance Theatre X; directing Trigger Kids, a solo performance by Portland, Oregon-based Joe Von Appen and developing Ritalin Chic with Von Appen, which will premiere at this year's Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
Kindall Goble, board president of The Theatre Outlet, said of Pearlstein, "Corey has the capability, talent, vision and energy of three Artistic Directors. We are happy for Corey as he moves onward and upward to a major arts organization, and are grateful for the leadership and groundwork that he has provided for us. We will miss him.”
Pearlstein is not new to the Pacific Northwest. From 200-2003, he served as Managing Artistic Director for the award-winning Lord Leebrick Theatre, a midsize professional theater in Eugene, Oregon. During his tenure he had regular directorial duties and was also responsible for the expansion of the company's programming to include dance, spoken word, performance art and musical performances.
Tres Pyle, formerly of Seattle's Printer's Devil Theatre, who served on the board of the Lord Leebrick Theatre, said, "Corey is enthusiastic, deeply engaged, and genuinely respectful. The depth of relationships he established in this community during his three years here is testimony to the mark he has made on the artistic and cultural life of Eugene.”
As an administrator and fundraiser, Pearlstein has demonstrated effectiveness developing and supporting the organizations he has managed, including securing major corporate sponsorships, in-kind donations, foundation grants and individual gifts.
"Corey has a rigorous commitment to developing whatever an arts organization needs to support its artists and audiences,” said Krieg. "His experience shows he knows how to manage the financial, marketing and operational aspects to express his vision.”
Pearlstein was chosen to take the artistic lead at Consolidated Works after a national search that produced over 50 applicants. A search committee reviews resumes and conducted interviews over the course of two months before recommending Pearlstein to the full Consolidated Works board, who unanimously approved his appointment.
Pearlstein said, "I see Consolidated Works as a company on the cutting edge of arts and culture. Its multidisciplinary platform embraces a new model for the American arts center that encourages artistic risk and exploration. ConWorks provides a creative home for both established and emerging artists in Seattle and the region. For the public, it is a place to access and experience the unfiltered spectrum of this expression. It is placed like ConWorks that define the cultural life and inimitable character of a city. I am honored to lead the company in the advancement of its exceptional mission and see tremendous opportunity for its artistic and institutional growth.”
CONSOLIDATED WORKS is the urban multidisciplinary contemporary arts center in South Lake Union that is actively committed to developing and presenting work by artists engaged in the exploration of theater, visual art, film, music, and other arts disciplines. An art center with social gathering places intermixed with development and presentation space, ConWorks uses its programs and its facility to encourage artists, audiences, and community partners in the process of multidisciplinary discovery. In its five years Consolidated Works has developed programs in administrative and event support for arts organizations, artist residencies, and hosted critically acclaimed series combining visual and performing arts and dialogue among artists.
More information about Consolidated Works and its new leader may be found at www.conworks.org.