In June, the American Theatre Wing celebrated the night for which it is best known: the Tony Awards. But, as revealed in the first part of this Q&A series, the annual awards ceremony that celebrates achievement on Broadway represents a fraction of the responsibilities of the nonprofit service organization. “The Wing is the big tent of theater,” explained Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the Wing. “It has commercial theater, not-for-profit theater, regional theater under one roof as one ecology.”
The Wing was founded in 1917 by seven suffragists. Hitchens joined the Wing 13 years ago. As president and CEO, she oversees programs that serve the entire theatrical ecosystem.
But who are the people included in that ecosystem? What exactly does the Wing offer? And, what is the organization’s top priority midway through 2024? Here, Hitchens digs into it all.
