Melissa Huber, Director of Artistic Planning, has been with the International Festival since 2003. Her duties include building and managing the programming budget, liaising between artists’ production and personnel needs and the Festival’s resources, as well as designing and implementing many of the Festival’s programming initiatives for families.
As the Festival takes over the theaters, open spaces, and courtyards in an around New Haven, Melissa manages the transfer of artistic and programmatic ideas into on the ground performances. She has developed and deepened relationships with organizations and individuals whose partnerships are critical to the Festival’s programs. She coordinates performance venues, equipment, schedules, and personnel to realize the artistic product of artists from all over the world and the greater New Haven region. Her work also serves to foster the growth of emerging artists and arts lovers in New Haven through the Festival’s Fellowship Program for high school students and Neighborhood Festival Programming.
In addition to her work with the Festival, Melissa is a founding member and Managing Director of Prospect Theater Company in New York City, a company dedicated to re-interpreting classic plays and musicals to collaboratively create new works. A recipient of American Theatre Wing’s 2013 National Theater Company Grant, Prospect has produced over 30 full-scale productions, as well as numerous “dark nights” events (including many readings and workshop performances of new plays and musicals). Over the past decade, Prospect has presented the New York and/or World Premieres of more than 20 new musicals and plays. New works developed through Prospect have received multiple nominations for Innovative Theatre Awards and Drama Desk Awards and Nominations. The 2012 production of Working received a Special Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble. Notable other productions from the past decade include: Tamar of the River, Unlock'd, With Glee, The Hidden Sky, The Underclassman, The Blue Flower, Illyria, West Moon Street, Honor, Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge, and Jasper in Deadland.
Melissa holds an AB in History from Princeton University and an MFA in Theater Management from the Yale School of Drama where she received The Morris J. Kaplan Award. Prior to joining the Festival, she worked at the Guthrie Theatre in Minnesota, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Magic Theatre in San Francisco, Yale Repertory Theatre and Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara.
Phone: (203) 498-3715
Email: mhuber@artidea.org
Twitter: @missyhuber
