Irvington Mayor Brian Smith and the village trustees have appointed Gregory Allen as the new Theater Manager of the Irvington Town Hall Theater (ITHT). The new hire, found through an extensive search conducted by the Irvington Town Hall Theater Commission, fills the vacancy left by retiring Pamela Rapp. The mayor announced the appointment at the April village meeting. He noted that more than 70 applicants sought the chance to manage this historic theater, a cornerstone of the village. Allen began work on the upcoming 2014-2015 season last month in May with Rapp before she departed.
Gregory Allen comes to ITHT after more than seven years as the Managing Director of the Westminster Arts Center at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. He has been in the entertainment industry for over twenty five years as an actor, director, writer, and producer, having performed on television, film, and stage. His early ‘claim to fame’ was touring the country as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle as well as working on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. He is an award-winning author of several books including two children's book on autism, has had over ten shows on which he has served as writer, composer, lyricist, or producer, Mr. Allen has been the recipient of musical grants from BMI, ASCAP, and the Watershed Foundation, and is a member of the Dramatist Guild.
“We are proud of the caliber of applicants for this exciting and valued position.” stated Michael Cornman, Chairman of the Irvington Town Hall Theater Commission. “We have had the good fortune of having the expertise of a consummate professional Theater Manager, with Pam Rapp at the helm for the last thirty years. Now we look forward to a vision for the Irvington Town Hall Theater for the future, with a talented and creative manager who will be able to expand upon Pam’s outstanding work and bring us into new directions in the performance arena.”
Allen’s extensive arts background will be an asset as he brings new and diverse programming to the ITHT and works with the wonderful organizations that already call ITHT 'home'. As a contributor to many online sites including Huffington Post and Broadway World, he interviewed several Broadway and television performers such as Mandy Patinkin, Robert Klein, Gerald McCullouch and Jim Brochu. He is also excited about the Best of Film Series at ITHT as he has recently acted as associate producer on several indie films including writing the screenplay for one.
"I am so thrilled to work in the village of Irvington in this beautiful space with the ITHT Commission," Allen said. "I'm excited to build on the amazing foundation that has been laid by Pamela Rapp and others while bringing some new and different ideas to the community "I'm grateful to the commission for this opportunity and look forward to the 2014-2015 season".
Allen previously served as Artistic Director for 4th Wall Theatre for six years. In addition to an extensive arts background, he brings 13 years experience in project management and technology at one of the top financial-services firms in New York. Greg lives in Northern New Jersey.