Executive Producer Barry Grove to Leave Manhattan Theatre Club

After 48 years, Manhattan Theatre Club Executive Producer Barry Grove has announced his departure from the nonprofit theatre company.

His last day with the company will be June 30, with his final productions including Broadway's The Collaboration and Summer, 1976, as well as Off-Broadway's The Best We Could and King James.

Grove began work with MTC in 1975, when he assumed the mantle of managing director at the age of 23. Over his near half a century with the company, he rose to the role of executive producer, forming a long-term partnership with Artistic Director Lynne Meadow that has led to seven Pulitzer Prizes, 28 Tony Awards, and 50 Drama Desk awards for the company.

Outside of MTC, Grove taught at both Columbia and Yale and served on the boards of the Tony Awards, the Broadway League, and the League of Resident Theaters. In announcing his departure, Grove explained that his departure is not necessarily a retirement, but a redirection of his life.

"I am stepping down to spend more time with my wife Maggie and extended family, and I will continue to explore teaching, mentoring, and consulting projects," says Grove. "MTC and the theatre world have been my village, my Anatevka, my Grover’s Corners, and my Brigadoon. Every night and on matinee afternoons, the streets and sidewalks are swarming with literally tens of thousands of theatregoers. They come here, leaving their technology behind and hopefully checking their cares and concerns at the door. And as they sit shoulder to shoulder with loved ones or strangers on either side, they do so with the sure and certain knowledge that they are about to experience something magical. I can’t tell you how happy and humbled I am to have been part of this village.”

Meadow adds, “It has been my joy and honor to partner with Barry for so many decades. He has sustained MTC with dedication and vision, executing growth, working as a force in creating our reputation for excellence, and fostering integrity in every aspect of our work. In 1973, when I offered him the job of managing director, he turned me down. I’ve never been one to take ‘no’ for an answer so I went back and asked him again a year later—from the moment he said ‘yes,’ he has organized, supervised, led, and inspired. He has led us through our triumphs and our crises and has been by my side for decades as a believer, advisor and executive. His impact was a gift, making my dream a reality and creating opportunities for hundreds of gifted artists.”

Information on his replacement will be relayed at a later date.