Eugene J. Hutchins '96
Eugene J. Hutchins '96 has been named managing director of East West Players, the nation’s longest-running Asian American theater and the largest producer of Asian American theatrical works.
From the press release:
The artistic future of East West Players will be supported with the implementation of a refined co-leadership model. Eugene J. Hutchins, named late last year as EWP’s Managing Director, is the organization’s first managing director in 18 years.
“We conducted a nationwide search for the managing director position and retained Glick Davis to conduct the search,” shares EWP Vice Chair Dr. Nayan Shah.
“The Board sought an experienced, collaborative, and strategically oriented leader with a track record of financial and operational management and building sustainable organizations. Eugene brings 25 years of experience in theater and performing arts management to EWP. We are excited by his collaborative, artist-centered approach to co-leading EWP with our new Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal.”
Hutchins’ multifaceted nationwide career encompasses opera, theater, the choral arts, and dance, as well as a background that includes directing, choreographing, producing, and stage managing in spaces from intimate black box spaces to large scale performing arts centers to site-specific works. Hutchins draws from his previous experiences working as a managing director for Theatre West and Barak Ballet.
EWP Managing Director Eugene Hutchins says, “I am thrilled to be named East West Players' new Managing Director at this extraordinary time on the eve of our 60th season. I remember with fondness attending EWP’s productions as a college student at UCLA. I look forward to partnering with our new Artistic Director, Lily Tung Crystal, and engaging all our stakeholders, including our patrons, supporters, and partners, as we work together to advance our mission of elevating the Asian American experience on stage and in our communities.”
Lily Tung Crystal and Eugene J. Hutchins will lead the historic organization into its 60th Anniversary Season, set to begin in 2025.
East West Players (EWP) is one of the nation’s longest-running theaters of color and the largest producer of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) creative work. Since its founding in 1965, it has produced more than 230 shows and has received regional and national accolades, including being honored as one of America’s Cultural Treasures by the Ford Foundation. EWP leads the Asian American theater movement, using its platform to advocate for comprehensive and intersectional diversity, equity and inclusion practices through world-class theater. EWP invests in the future of Asian American artists by offering career development classes for both seasoned and emerging artists, as well as its arts education programs.
Our Proud Partners
