Media Release -
Gary English Steps Down as Artistic Director and Department Head

Longtime CRT Artistic Director and Founder, Distinguished Professor and UConn Dramatic Arts Department Head Elects to Pursue New Artistic Opportunities

Storrs: After an unprecedented three consecutive five-year terms, Gary English has decided to step down as Head of the UConn Dramatic Arts Department and Artistic Director of Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT), a professional resident company he founded in 1993. Mr. English has instead elected to pursue a number of artistic and commercial opportunities beginning with a workshop of his new play, The Olive Grove, at the Clarence Brown Theatre in Tennessee in January 2009. <Full Article>

Artistic Director’s statement
As we move toward the climax of the presidential election, many believe this may be a moment in history when dramatic changes in the direction of our national personality take place. For the last several years, clouds formed over our cultural psyche and this has been expre ssed dramatically on stage and in film. Moral certainty seems elusive as we witness the carnage of Iraq and the Sudan coupled with the random natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the recent flooding throughout the Midwest. Films such as The Departed, There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, and Michael Collins suggest a world where institutions are corrupt or inept and violence is ubiquitous. There seems no recourse for the average person caught up in an inexorable and darkening political and economic decline. <Full Article>

"Uncommon Sense" Series
CRT is more than a professional theatre, it is a center for the intellectual and cultural life of our community. CRT's new "Uncommon Sense" Series is a collection of events, all free and open to everyone, that investigate a variety of aesthetic and academic topics through performing art. For regular updates on all "Uncommon Sense" Series events, sign up for CRT’s electronic newsletter here, or call (860) 486-4799 for information. <Find out more>

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Connecticut Repertory Theatre
CRT, part of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut, is the professional producing arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts. CRT stages an array of the best in theatre, from classic plays and musicals to premieres of the latest contemporary work, featuring some of the nation's finest theatre professionals on stage with the department's most promising students. The synergy between professionals and advanced student artists creates extraordinary theatre and a unique learning environment.