Indiana Repertory Theatre announces new future Margot Lacy Eccles Artistic Director

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) announced Benjamin Hanna will serve as the Theatre’s new future Margot Lacy Eccles Artistic Director. Hanna is currently the Associate Artistic Director and will step into the role on July 1.

He will be taking over for Janet Allen, who has spent the last 40 years as Artistic Director. IRT announced Allen’s retirement plans in June 2022.

“It was important for IRT to consider the whole field when contemplating its next leader.” Board Chair Mark Shaffer said. “After engaging with a nationally diverse and impressive pool of candidates, Hanna emerged as the best fit due to his talent, passion and inclusive leadership style. The board unanimously supports his dynamic vision, and we look forward to supporting Ben through the transition and celebrating Janet’s tremendous tenure at the IRT.”

Hanna will bring to light new playwrights’ work, expand offerings for student and multigenerational audiences and develop partnerships.

“I am deeply honored to serve as IRT’s next artistic leader,” Hanna said. “In our next chapter, I envision a theatre that is nationally celebrated, revered for producing challenging new works of the highest caliber and is known as a leader in modeling equity and inclusion. I aspire to break down historic barriers to the Theatre and welcome new audiences by building community-responsive programming. I am committed to using theatre’s transformative power to strengthen our cultural community, build spaces of belonging for historically marginalized voices, and to serve as a vital catalyst for conversation, education, empathy-building, and civic engagement.”

Before the IRT, Hanna served on staff at the Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation’s leading African American theatre, and the Tony-Award winning theatres Children’s Theatre Company and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Hanna is the recipient of multiple awards, including a Theatre Communications Group Leadership University Award funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Richard O Morris Award for Exemplary Staff Service at the Indiana Repertory Theatre and the Trailblazer Award from University High School in Carmel, Indiana.