Goodspeed Musicals Appoints Gretchen Wright as General Manager
Tom O’Connor Consulting Group (TOCG) is pleased to announce that Gretchen Wright (she/her) has been appointed General Manager by Goodspeed Musicals (Donna Lynn Hilton, Artistic Director; David B. Byrd, Managing Director) in East Haddam, CT, following our extensive national search, led by Tom O’Connor, President of TOCG, and Harold Wolpert of My Purple Crayon Consulting.
Gretchen obtained an MFA in Theater Management along with an MBA from Yale University, and a BA (Phi Beta Kappa) from Duke University. She has held management positions at Alliance Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, and most recently served as Interim Managing Director at fellow Connecticut Flagship Producing Theatre Westport Country Playhouse. In addition to steering administration and operations efforts at some of the east coast’s most noted theatres, Gretchen has vast experience in development, board relations, and in human resources. Her post as an Associate Consultant at Organizational Performance Group, Inc. led to projects centered around strategic planning, organizational culture, and HR processes.
“We are delighted to welcome Gretchen to the Goodspeed team,” says David B. Byrd, Managing Director at Goodspeed Musicals. “No stranger to producing excellent theatre in the state of Connecticut, we look forward to her contributions and thought partnership as we continue producing the highest quality musical theatre in the region.”
"I’m thrilled to join the collaborative and talented team at Goodspeed during such a pivotal time in the American Theater,” says Gretchen. “I look forward to nurturing and supporting the organization’s values and evolving operations under Donna Lynn and David’s inspiring vision and leadership."
“Gretchen is the perfect person to partner with Goodspeed Musicals' energetic leadership and round out their expert senior management team,” says Harold Wolpert, Principal of My Purple Crayon Consulting, who co-led the search with Tom O'Connor, President of TOCG. “She brings her immense and varied talents to support Goodspeed's forward progress at a transformative moment for the company during a challenging time for our field. It was truly a pleasure to work with Donna Lynn, David and the Goodspeed team to find a General Manager who will have a great impact on the company.”
About Goodspeed Musicals
Goodspeed Musicals has achieved international acclaim and is the first theatre in the nation to receive two Tony Awards for outstanding achievement in musical theatre. Under the leadership of Donna Lynn Hilton, Artistic Director and David B. Byrd, Managing Director, Goodspeed Musicals is dedicated to the celebration, development and advancement of musical theatre. Goodspeed creates powerful, world-class productions of enlightening new and established works to delight, inspire and challenge audiences on its two stages – The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn., and The Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. From Goodspeed, 21 musicals have gone to Broadway (including Man of La Mancha, Annie, Shenandoah and Holiday Inn) and 85 new musicals have been launched. Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals, GoodWorks commissioning program and the Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove at Goodspeed are distinguished cornerstones of the organization that highlight its commitment to nurture creators and the creative process. Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre.
Goodspeed Musicals’ mission is to share the joy of musical theatre; to delight, inspire, and challenge audiences; to nurture creators; and to build and support a broad, diverse, and inclusive community. This season, Goodspeed will offer more than 326 performances from April to December of new and newly revived musicals. Performances will be offered on their main stage of the historic Opera House in the bucolic village of East Haddam.
About Tom O’Connor Consulting Group
Tom O’Connor Consulting Group (TOCG) is a NYC-based consultancy that supports arts institutions and leaders with two integrated services: organizational strategy and executive search. Consulting specialties including marketing, strategy, assessment, and organizational development. Founded in 2015, TOCG is a fully remote company with team members spanning the country and the globe.
Select clients have included Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Carnegie Hall, Cincinnati Opera, Huntington Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, Next Chapter Podcasts, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and more.
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