| Long Wharf Theatre News Release Steven Scarpa, Public Relations Manager 203-772-8255 / steven.scarpa@longwharf.org Date: June 12, 2008 CHRISTINA MONTANARI NAMED DIRECTOR OF LONG WHARF DEVELOPMENT OFFICE NEW HAVEN - When Long Wharf Theatre Managing Director Joan Channick began the search for a new director of development to lead the theatre’s fundraising efforts, she didn’t need to look any further than right down the hall. Christina Montanari, a 29-year-old North Haven resident, will be promoted to the position of Director of Development, effective July 1. Christina has been with Long Wharf Theatre for nearly eight years, most recently as Director of Annual Giving, in which position she has overseen the annual fund and the annual Gala. She began her career at Long Wharf Theatre as a development associate in 2000, then serving as assistant to former Artistic Director Doug Hughes and Managing Director Michael Ross, then later for current Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein. Montanari moved back to development in 2005. "Christina's extensive experience in development, her longstanding commitment to Long Wharf Theatre, her collaborative nature, and her buoyant spirit will make her a superb Director of Development," said Channick. Montanari will be charged with leading the theatre’s efforts to raise $35 million to fund an endowment and capital campaign. "This is a really good opportunity. I believe in this place and I care about it. I want to have a collaborative relationship with the rest of the staff and the Board of Trustees," she said. "Theatre is a collaborative art - that is what I love about it. That is what I want to bring to development as well." Montanari is replacing Cornelia Evans, who accepted an offer to return to the health care field as Executive Director of the Griffin Hospital Development Fund, where she will lead the hospital’s fundraising efforts. "In her year and a half at Long Wharf Theatre, Connie has had an enormous impact on this organization … Connie has been a warm and nurturing mentor to our development staff, a strong ally to our trustees, a caring and gracious steward to our donors, and an enthusiastic advocate for this theatre in every way," Channick said. # # # LONG WHARF THEATRE, founded in 1965, is recognized as a leader in American theater, producing fresh and imaginative revivals of classics and modern plays, rediscoveries of neglected works and a variety of world and American premieres. More than 30 Long Wharf productions have transferred virtually intact to Broadway or off-Broadway, including the 2005 production of BFE by Julia Cho, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning plays Wit by Margaret Edson, The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer, and The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn. Long Wharf has received New York Drama Critics Awards, Obie Awards, the Margo Jefferson Award for Production of New Works, a Special Citation from the Outer Critics Circle, and the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. ~ End of Release ~ Steven Scarpa Close window Long Wharf News Home
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