Elizabeth Bradley, general manager and chief executive officer of the Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Canada, has been appointed head of the School of Drama. She replaces Peter Frisch, who resigned from the post after serving as the school's leader since 1995.

The Hummingbird Centre, formerly the O'Keefe Centre, is Canada's largest theatre and is the performance venue of the Canadian Opera and the National Ballet of Canada. The theatre has a $10-million budget, and operates without any form of subsidy.

Under her leadership the past 10 years, the centre has revitalized its programming, reaching out to diverse and new audiences. Her many accomplishments include attracting a $5-million gift from Hummingbird, Ltd., for theatre renovations and successfully leading a lobbying effort for tax relief for not-for-profit theatres.

"We are happy to have Liz join us at Carnegie Mellon," said Martin Prekop, dean of the College of Fine Arts and head of the national search committee for Frisch's successor. "She has a strong background in theatrical management and production, and an international reputation that will enhance our flourishing drama program."

Over the past 25 years, Bradley has held a variety of theatrical positions, including head of programming at the O'Keefe Centre, where she presented international artists, such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Jose Carreras, Laurie Anderson, the Joffrey Ballet, Sankai Juku and the Lyon Opera Ballet.

She was also the director of communications for the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, director of planning/acting and general manager at the Canadian Stage Company and director of subscriptions and marketing at the Theatre Plus Toronto. She has also worked in production at the Shaw Festival.

Bradley was associate producer of the Broadway production and United States tour of "The Mikado," which was nominated for two Tony Awards. She won two Toronto Theatre's Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Best Production of a Musical. "B-Movie, the Play," an original comedy produced by Bradley, was a mainstage attraction at the Edinburgh Festival.

She is chair of the Arts and Culture Grants Committee of the Toronto Community Foundation, a member of the Culture Committee for Toronto's 2008 Olympic bid and serves on the executive committee of Arts Toronto.

"It is a privilege to be invited to join an institution noted for innovation and progressive engagement in many diverse sectors," Bradley said. "I look forward to joining the committed and distinguished faculty at Carnegie Mellon's School of Drama, and to working with them to further the school's goals of continuing excellence."

Bradley has a fine arts degree from York University.

Joelle Park
(06/13/01)