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She said she believed the shift would help Long Wharf become more anti-racist, in keeping with the cityвЂ™s new cultural equity plan, which called attention to вЂњinequities that prevent people from participating in arts and culture in every corner of our city.вЂќ вЂњWe really are being mindful that this is a period of exploration and experimentation, but I wouldnвЂ™t be surprised if we ultimately decided to have something like an anchor space and then continue producing in some other creative spaces as well, in some kind of hybrid model,вЂќ she said.ДЄdriane Jefferson, New HavenвЂ™s director of cultural affairs, said Long Wharf was one of the most important nonprofits in the city, and that its move would strengthen both the organization and the city. She said that the theaterвЂ™s pandemic performances in city parks demonstrated that new locations could attract new audiences, and that by moving around New Haven, Long Wharf is seeking to become вЂњa theater that is much more widely in our community, and, we hope, valued by our community.вЂќ вЂњWeвЂ™re going into this with excitement,вЂќ Alexander said. But they all said the crises faced by the theater were catalysts, not causes, for the move.

The theaterвЂ™s leaders said they have not yet decided whether they will remain itinerant long-term, or whether this will be a short-term phase. Its staff is less than half the size it was - about 30, down from 65 before the pandemic the annual budget, which had been about $6.5 million before the pandemic, is now a little over $5 million. Long Wharf, which in 1978 won the Tony Award for regional theater, survived the pandemic with significant support from the federal and state governments. вЂњWe believe you can produce theater anywhere,вЂќ Ingui said.

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Long Wharf plans to stage at least two more shows at its current location - a new play called вЂњDream Hou$e,вЂќ by Eliana Pipes, which the theater describes as being about вЂњthe cultural cost of progress in America,вЂќ and вЂњQueen,вЂќ by Madhuri Shekar, about вЂњbrilliant women confronting inconvenient truths.вЂќ The theater is still talking with its landlord about whether it might continue producing in the building later this year, but by the fall of 2023 the leadership expects to present full productions at other locations in and around New Haven - possibly in rented theaters, and possibly in spaces not traditionally used for theater. вЂњWe have been blessed with some longtime givers who have created a strong endowment for us, and we are projecting budgets that will work.вЂќ вЂњThereвЂ™s no sense that weвЂ™re hanging on by a thread or that we have to live on a shoestring,вЂќ Alexander said. They said that the new arrangement should not only reduce its costs but also expand its reach to audiences who, because of geography, transportation or economics, have not found their way to the waterfront district from which the theater takes its name. The theaterвЂ™s leadership, including not only PadrГіn but also the managing director, Kit Ingui, and the board chairwoman, Nancy Alexander, all said that they believe the institution is financially stable, and that it would benefit from the flexibility of its next phase. The theater, which has been among the nationвЂ™s leading regional nonprofits, also faces the same challenges as its peers: demonstrating to patrons, artists and donors that it can move forward following the lengthy pandemic shutdown, and that it is committed to shifting priorities in response to industrywide calls for more diversity, equity and inclusion. As the company remade itself, it faced a real estate quandary: whether to renew its expiring lease at the New Haven Food Terminal, just off Interstate 95, where it has been performing for 57 years. The move is the latest chapter in a time of extensive change at the theater, which in 2018 fired its executive director, Gordon Edelstein, a day after The New York Times reported sexual misconduct allegations against him.

The leadership of the nonprofit theater is framing the move as an opportunity to reach new audiences and reimagine its operations, and the city is supporting the change, which it says will help the organization better serve the community. New HavenвЂ™s Long Wharf Theater will move out of its longtime headquarters and embrace itinerancy as the company seeks a fresh start after a period of extraordinary upheaval.

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