CEDAR CITY, Utah, Sept. 6, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials with the Utah Shakespeare Festival have announced a new artistic director and executive managing director.
The artistic director will be John DiAntonio, who is currently the producing artistic director at Creede Repertory Theatre, in Creede, Colorado. DiAntonio brings seven years of executive leadership experience with a rotating repertory company in a rural destination setting.
The executive managing director will be Michael Bahr, who has been serving as USF’s interim managing director since November of 2022, and who previously served for more than 21 years as USF’s education director.
DiAntonio will join USF’s leadership team later this year with the newly appointed Bahr. DiAntonio will join USF’s leadership team later this year with the newly appointed Bahr. Derek Charles Livingston, currently serving as the Festival’s interim artistic director, will continue as artistic associate and director of New Play Development.
“John has a great love for Shakespeare, experience with rotating repertory, and embraces the complexity and sustainability of theatrical processes,” Bahr said of DiAntonio, in a released statement. “He will be a great asset to our present ensemble of artists, artisans, staff members, volunteers, and the community. I’m thrilled that he is joining our artistic team, building on the legacy of the past and illuminating our bright future.”
Pittsburgh native DiAntonio discovered theater at age 16 through improvisation and the works of Shakespeare. He received his BA in Theatre and Psychology from Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his MFA in acting from the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver, with additional training in classical acting from the British American Drama Academy in London.
He and wife Caitlin Wise DiAntonio, an actor who came up through USF’s education programming as a participant in its annual Shakespeare Competition, lived in New York for six years before John DiAntonio began his leadership career with CRT.
Before this, he was a freelance actor, director, playwright, and teacher. Under his leadership, CRT has achieved both artistic and financial success,” the USF statement says.
“What an honor to join the extraordinary artists of the Utah Shakespeare Festival,” DiAntonio said in the prepared statement. “I cannot wait to connect with the Cedar City community, recruit more theater lovers, and bring the magic of the Bard to the stage as we embark on the 63rd season.”
Southern Utah University President Mindy Benson said she is pleased Bahr accepted his new position.
“He has a long history of audience development, creative programming, and cultivating connections to art not only within the community and on campus but with patrons, donors, and those with whom he works daily,” Benson said in the statement. “As a result, I have confidence and optimism about the future of the Festival.”
For more information about the festival or the plays scheduled for the 2024 season, visit bard.org.
