Chris Jennings joins MTC as its new Executive Director with over 30 years’ experience as an arts leader and theatre producer within both the non-profit and commercial sectors.

Prior to MTC, Jennings was the Executive Director at the Shakespeare Theatre Company (2012 Recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award) in Washington, D.C., where he produced and commissioned over 100 productions in his 19 seasons. Additionally, he toured productions to the UK, China and the Middle East. He oversaw the construction and opening of a new $90 million theatre, Sidney Harman Hall. He has developed commercial partnerships and high-profile international collaborations that The Washington Post hailed, observing that STC had “seized the crown as the region’s best importer of high-end drama.”

During his tenure, STC launched District Shakespeare, a model accessibility program providing every 10th grader from all 53 D.C. schools the opportunity to experience Shakespeare live on stage.

He has served on the boards of the Theatre Communications Group, Theatre Washington, D.C. Downtown BID, THE ARC Community Center, D.C. Arts Collaborative, and the Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association, and is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (where he has served on AEA and SSDC Negotiating Committees).

Jennings has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, Mid Atlantic Arts Council, Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. He previously served as General Manager of Trinity Repertory Company (1999–2004) and Theatre for a New Audience (1997–1999). Jennings has also held positions with Yale Repertory Theatre and Dougherty Arts Center.

A recipient of an Arts Administration Fellowship from the NEA, Jennings earned his BFA in Theatre/Music from the University of Miami and his MFA in Theatre Management from the Yale School of Drama.