Cal Shakes names new director
Sarah Williams will be California Shakespeare Theater’s new managing director, the company announced Monday, July 15. She succeeds interim Managing Director Tirzah Tyler and before that Susie Falk, who held the post for 14 years.
Williams is currently the associate managing director at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where she’s helmed a diverse range of projects, including administrating the prestigious and influential Ground Floor program, which incubates new work. She managed the Washington, D.C., tour for “Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of The Temptations,” and she’s produced many of Berkeley Rep’s special engagements, such as the currently running “The Second City’s Left Leaning and Always Right.”
Williams also managed the financing and approval process for the company’s new sevenstory artist housing project in downtown Berkeley, which is scheduled to break ground in October.
She’ll lead Cal Shakes, which has a $5 million budget and 35 fulltime staffers, with Artistic Director Eric Ting, who in his own fouryear tenure has produced vibrant, lively interpretations of the theatrical canon.
“Cal Shakes is committed to redefining what it means to be a classic in the 21st century through the lens of equity, diversity and inclusion,” Williams said in a statement, “and is passionate about building authentic community partnerships.”
Before Berkeley Rep, Williams served as associate managing director at Yale Repertory Theatre. She has also worked with Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and holds a master’s of fine arts degree from the Yale School of Drama.
She’ll assume her new post Sept. 3.