Vivienne Benesch, Artistic Director

Vivienne Benesch is in her third season as Producing Artistic Director at Playmakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill. For 12 seasons, she served as Artistic Director of the renowned Chautauqua Theater Company and Conservatory, presiding over their transformation into one of the nation’s best summer theatres and most competitive summer training programs. She directed more than 15 productions there, including an acclaimed re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet featuring the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Theatre, Opera and Dance companies. She has helmed productions of The May Queen, Three Sisters, Love Alone, RED and In The Next Room for PlayMakers; directed extensively for The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey; and directed The Heidi Chronicles for Trinity Repertory Company. A graduate of Brown University and NYU’s Graduate Acting Program, she has worked as an actress on and off-Broadway and in film and television. Vivienne is the 2017 recipient of the Zelda Finchandler Award given by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.