Ted Chapin Named Chairman of the Board of American Theatre Wing

Theodore S. Chapin, President and Executive Director of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, has been elected as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Theatre Wing. A member of the Wing's Board since 1996, Chapin has previously served as Secretary and Vice President. He succeeds outgoing chair Sondra Gilman and President Doug Leeds, who completed four-year terms.

Current officers at the Wing also include Vice Presidents Michael P. Price and Jane Safer, Treasurer David Brown and Secretary Alan Siegel. Four new members will join the board of directors: actress Kate Burton; James Higgins, a principal and Chief Administrative Officer of New Vernon Capital Group; Bruce Redditt, Executive Vice President of the Omnicom Group; and Sally Susman, Senior Vice President & Chief Communications Officer, of Pfizer Inc.

Additionally, Executive Director Howard Sherman's contract has been renewed throughJune 2011. Sherman joined the Wing on an interim basis in August 2003 and was named as Executive Director in November of that year.

"I'm honored to lead the board of an organization with such a rich history of service to the theater community," Chapin said in a statement. "The Wing has grown a great deal in the past few years, and I look forward to having us all realize the many opportunities available to us as we, in turn, create more opportunities for students, aspiring and working professionals, and the general public to learn more about the inner workings of theater."

In addition to his position at R&H, Chapin has been chairman of the Advisory Committee for New York City Center's Encores! series since its inception, and serves on the boards of Goodspeed Musicals, Connecticut College and City Center. He served as a Tony Awards nominator for two seasons, and is currently a member of the Tony Administration Committee. His career began as production or directorial assistant for the Broadway productions of Follies, The Rothschilds, and The Unknown Soldier and His Wife, as well as Bernstein's Mass at the Kennedy Center and Candide in San Francisco. His book Everything Was Possible: The Birth of The Musical "Follies", a chronicle of that legendary musical's journey to Broadway, was published by Alfred A. Knopf fall 2003 and in paperback by Applause Books spring 2005.