URTA Announces New Leadership -- Tony Hagopian Named Third Executive Director of the Institution

	Tony Hagopian, URTA

The University Resident Theatre Association's board of directors announces the appointment of Tony Hagopian to the position of executive director. Joining Hagopian on the new leadership team will be Christy Hamilton as managing director. The team will work to drive the organization's continued growth.

Hagopian has served as URTA's business and communications director since 2012, where he was responsible for doubling the size of the Artist Engagement Service over that period, and helped launch a number of new initiatives including the URTA Candidate Awards. Last spring, Hagopian was the staff lead during URTA's collective bargaining with Actors' Equity Association.

Hamilton has been URTA's operations and development director for four years, spearheading changes to the URTA Auditions & Interviews, as well as the creation of the URTA Umbrella, an employee retirement plan available to small nonprofit theaters nationwide. Prior to joining URTA, Hamilton worked for The Actors Company Theatre and Second Stage Theatre in New York.

A product of the URTA Auditions himself, Hagopian received his MFA from Temple University. He spent two decades performing on and off Broadway, at major regional theaters, and on film and TV. In 2016 he produced the world premiere of Alex Moggridge's Simon Dawes Becomes a Planet in New York. He has frequently taught workshops as a guest artist at numerous colleges and universities, and for the last two years has led URTA's audition outreach to undergraduate theater programs.

"I'm honored to have been chosen as the next executive director of URTA," said Hagopian. "The growth of the organization over the last few years, powered by our dynamic new staff and exceptional board leadership makes this a very exciting time. I look forward to exploring new avenues in which URTA can support quality professional theatre training."

In March, URTA lost its longtime executive director, Scott Steele, after a brief battle with cancer. "This transition has been a somber time for us. We treasured Scott and will miss him deeply. But we're very excited for what's to come," Hamilton said.

Hagopian and Hamilton officially began their new roles in April.

The University Resident Theatre Association was founded in 1969 with the mission of supporting excellence in professional theatre training. Fifty years later, URTA is still setting the stage for emerging theatre artists and professional advancement. More than 1,000 candidates attend The URTAs each year, auditioning or interviewing for more than 50 MFA programs. The Artist Engagement Service processes nearly $3M in payroll annually, representing hundreds of projects across the country. URTA maintains a presence at leading festivals and conferences, offering continuing education workshops and programming to students and faculty alike. To learn more about URTA and its programs and services, visit the URL below.