York Theatre Company has announced two new additions to its leadership team: Joseph Hayward will step into the role of interim producing artistic director, and Debra Walton will serve as interim associate artistic director.
Hayward has worked as York Theatre Company's associate producing director for four years. He served as associate director for several York productions before moving on to direct shows of his own, including How to Steal an Election, Liz Callaway…Their Story Goes On, and more.
Walton has starred in numerous productions at York, including Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, Storyville, and the upcoming Welcome to the Big Dipper. She made her directorial Broadway debut as associate director for Thoughts of a Colored Man. Now, through her production company Little and Loud Productions, she is working on a revival of Micki Grant’s Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope.
The appointments come in the wake of the abrupt departure of former Artistic Director James Morgan last month. Morgan resigned after public allegations (that have since been deleted) from former Associate Artistic Director Gerry McIntyre, who himself resigned after, he says, getting yelled at in response to raising concerns about a lack of diversity at recent York programming. In a statement released after the resignation, Morgan blamed his speaking "at a raised volume" on after effects of a 2022 stroke, while acknowledging he "was being defensive."
"I'm honored to step into the role of interim producing artistic director and continue serving the company I love,” Hayward says in a statement. “I’m indebted to Jim Morgan and our founder Janet Hayes Walker, whose visions built this remarkable institution, now in its 55th year. And in the great tradition of our marvelous Musicals in Mufti series, we will honor the past and reimagine it for today. An exciting new chapter begins, and we welcome one and all to the ‘new’ York Theatre Company.”
"I don’t take stepping into this role at this moment lightly," Walton said in a statement. "I do it with very specific goals in mind. The York has been my artistic home for several years, and I look forward to helping expand its vision. Creating a space that cultivates stories celebrating and reflecting our community."
“We are excited to announce the appointment of these two highly talented and innovative individuals to build on the York’s extraordinary body of work,” added W. David McCoy, York Board Chairman. “Their appointment is in the best tradition at The York of giving highly talented artists the opportunity to succeed, while continuing the company’s long-standing commitment to diversity in all its forms, showcased beautifully in its many productions such as Lost in the Stars, Blind Lemon Blues, Midnight at the Never Get, Storyville, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, Hallelujah Baby, Texas in Paris, and many others.”
Hayward and Walton join a leadership team that also includes Executive Director Marie Grace LaFerrara and General Manager Dominick Balletta. The York Theatre Company Board of Directors includes McCoy, Jim Kierstead, Riki Kane Larimer, Molly Pickering Grose, Gerald F. Fisher, Bernard Carragher, Timothy F. Collins, Alan Govenar, Laurence Holzman, Katherine Huang, Joan T. Mischo, Charlotte Rosenblatt, Joan Ross Sorkin, and Claudia Zahn.
Visit YorkTheatre.org for more information.
