David Binder, Tony Award-winning producer whose credits include Broadway and festivals such as David Bowie's High Line Festival, will be succeeding BAM Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo
David Binder will be BAM's new artistic director, succeeding longtime Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo in 2019, announced Brooklyn's world-renown multi-arts center yesterday.
"David is a cultural omnivore in the truest sense, with a broad artistic sensibility and curiosity," said BAM President Katy Clark in a statement. "And he is energized by the scope and scale of BAM, its long legacy, and the incredible challenges of engaging multiple audiences with integrity."
David Binder is a Tony Award-winning producer whose credits include Broadway, off-Broadway, and festivals, across genres and disciplines, both locally and internationally. This June, he will be serving as the guest artistic director of LIFT, the London International Festival of Theatre, which features artists from around the world.
On Broadway, Binder produced Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which won four Tony Awards. He also produced the record-breaking production of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, starring James Franco and Chris O'Dowd, which was the first Broadway show to be filmed by NT Live. His Tony Award-winning revival of A Raisin in the Sun starring Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald has been widely recognized for its lasting impact on who comes to Broadway.
In New York, Binder produced the High Line Festival, curated by David Bowie, which featured performances by Arcade Fire, Laurie Anderson, Meow Meow, and, in his American stand-up comedy debut, Ricky Gervais. He also produced the Dutch New Island Festival on New York's Governors Island, 10 days of site-specific performance, music, theater and dance from the Netherlands.
Binder will be taking over for BAM's long-time Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo who announced last May that he will be stepping down after 35 years. As executive producer, Melillo has overseen BAM's programming in theater, dance, music, visual art and multi-disciplinary arts. Prior to 1999, Melillo served as BAM's producing director. He joined the institution in 1983 as founding director of the Next Wave Festival—BAM's signature annual contemporary arts showcase.
During the transition period, Binder will be on site on a part-time basis starting immediately, working alongside Melillo during his final months at BAM while preparing for the 2019—20 season.
"I am especially pleased to note that David's arrival signals a major step forward in realizing BAM's plan for a more holistic artistic vision," said Clark. "The new title of Artistic Director reflects a complete alignment of all of our programming areas—live performance, cinema, education, community, humanities, digital, visual art, and the archives—under one curatorial team, led by David in close collaboration with VP of Education and Community Engagement Coco Killingsworth and Associate VP of Cinema Gina Duncan."
