Bucks County Playhouse announced the appointment of three acclaimed artists — choreographer Shannon Lewis, writer/director Eric Rosen and actor and director John Tartaglia — as new Playhouse Artistic Associates. They join a distinguished roster that includes scenic designer Anna Louizos, playwright John Augustine, actor and director Hunter Foster, director and choreographer Lorin Latarro and actor Mason Reeves.
“Since we came on board 11 years ago, Robyn, Josh and I have worked with so many incredible artists over the 75+ productions we’ve produced here,” said Producing Director Alexander Fraser. “Some have returned again and again, and so we want to celebrate their contributions, and task them with becoming our emissaries in spreading the good word about what we’re doing and help attract new shows and artists to our fold.”
All three artists have creative relationships with the Playhouse. Rosen has directed at the Playhouse three times: “American Jade,” “Tick, Tick … Boom!” and “Anastasia: The Musical.” Lewis and Tartaglia, who choreographed and directed the Playhouse’s record-breaking production of “Mamma Mia!” in 2019, are returning later this year to helm a new production of “Elf: The Musical.” Lewis also choreographed a reimagined staging of “The Rocky Horror Show,” starring Frankie Grande in 2023, 2024 and coming again this fall.
“We’re also privileged to have three celebrated artists on our Board of Directors: Marsha Mason, who has directed two productions, appeared in two and led our Play Discovery Series; Marilu Henner, starring in four productions, and Justin Guarini, four productions,” said Executive Producer Robyn Goodman. “Whether acting, directing or hosting countless galas, Marilu, Marsha and Justin have been terrific champions of our work.”
The Playhouse created the Artistic Associates in 2018 with the appointment of Hunter Foster, who has directed 12 productions at the Playhouse, from the world premiere of “Clue” to Kate Baldwin and Nicholas Rodriguez in “Bridges of Madison County,” and Lorin Latarro. Latarro directed her first show, “A Taste of Things to Come,” at the Playhouse in 2016, and returned to direct Candace Bushnell in “Is There Still Sex in the City” in 2021, both of which then transferred off-Broadway. Anna Louizos has designed 10+ shows at the Playhouse, including two this season: “She Loves Me” directed by Denis Jones and “Elf” with Tartaglia and Lewis. John Augustine starred in Foster’s “Company” in 2016 and has led Playhouse education programs. Mason Reeves, currently starring in “Real Women Have Curves on Broadway,“ began as a Playhouse acting apprentice in 2017 in Foster’s production of “Guys & Dolls.” He returned last year to star in Rosen’s production of “Anastasia.”
“Theatre creates families, and each time any one of these artists return here to work, they bring joy to us, our production team and our entire community,” says producer Josh Fiedler.
Shannon Lewis is a Broadway performer and award-nominated choreographer whose dynamic career spans stage, screen and television. She recently made her Broadway debut as choreographer for the musical “Just In Time,” which opened April 23, 2025, and stars Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin. Directed by Alex Timbers, the immersive production features a live band and audience-in-the-round, highlighting Darin’s hits including “Beyond the Sea,” “Dream Lover” and “Mack the Knife.”
Lewis has performed in 10 Broadway musicals over 25 years and is known for her performance of “I Gotcha” in the Tony Award-winning cast of “Fosse.” . Her extensive experience as a choreographer includes work for NBC’s Saturday Night Live, where she created viral routines for “I’m Just Pete,” “Shrimp Tower,” “Big Boys,” and others. Other work for television includes “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” and NBCUniversal’s Upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall. She has choreographed and directed productions and projects at Carnegie Hall, Jacob’s Pillow, Ballet Jazz Montreal, Signature Theatre NYC, the Alvin Ailey Citicorp Theater, DreamWorks, Roundabout Theatre Company, Bucks County Playhouse and more. She is the founder of Firestart Creative and a 2023 World Choreography Award nominee.
Eric Rosen is a director, writer and producer whose work has appeared on and off-Broadway and in more than 100 productions across major U.S. cities. He currently serves as artistic director of the Cape Playhouse in Massachusetts and previously held that role at Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Chicago’s About Face Theatre, which he co-founded.
Rosen’s original musical “Venice,” written with Matt Sax and named Best Musical of the Year by Time magazine, premiered at Kansas City Rep and Center Theatre Group before a production at the Public Theater featuring Leslie Odom Jr. and Uzo Aduba. His musical “Winesburg, Ohio” won Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Musical and Philadelphia’s Barrymore Award for Best Musical. His play “Dream Boy” also received the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Play. Rosen’s production of “Clay” by Matt Sax inaugurated LCT3 at Lincoln Center Theater following acclaimed runs at Center Theatre Group and About Face/Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago. He received the Helen Hayes Award for outstanding direction for “Indecent” by Paula Vogel. His short film “Netuser,” starring Denis O’Hare, was recently released on Tiny Scripted. He is currently developing a new musical with composer Rodney Bush about the historic rivalry between Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde, as well as a scripted series to be released by Audible.
At About Face Theatre, Rosen helped launch the Youth Theatre program in 2000, a pioneering arts initiative for LGBTQ youth. Rosen holds a Ph.D. in performance studies from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in New York City with his husband, actor Claybourne Elder, and their son, Bo.
John Tartaglia, a Tony Award nominee for “Avenue Q,” is an Emmy-winning performer, writer and director. At the Playhouse, he directed the 2019 record-breaking production of “Mamma Mia!” His Broadway credits include “Beauty and the Beast” (Lumiere) and “Shrek the Musical” (Pinocchio) He has appeared on “Sesame Street,” “Julie’s Greenroom,” and starred in and created the Emmy-winning “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock” for Apple TV+. He also created Disney’s “Johnny and the Sprites” and starred in “Splash and Bubbles” and “Word Party” for the Jim Henson Company. Tartaglia’s directing credits include “The Secret Silk” (Princess Cruises), “Shrek the Halls” for DreamWorks, and “Because of Winn Dixie” at Arkansas Repertory Theatre. He has directed numerous productions at the St. Louis MUNY and Carnegie Hall. He serves as creative supervisor for “Fraggle Rock” and hosts “Sunday Funday with John Tartaglia” on SiriusXM’s On Broadway channel.
Bucks County Playhouse is honored to welcome these dynamic artists into its artistic family and looks forward to their visionary contributions in seasons to come.
ABOUT BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE
Steeped in theatrical history dating back to its founding in 1939 by a roster of theatrical royalty, Bucks County Playhouse is celebrating the 13th anniversary of its 2012 reopening and restoration. With more than 75,000 patrons walking through its doors each year, the Playhouse continues to lead the economic resurgence of New Hope and the surrounding community. In 2014, Tony Award-winning producers Alexander Fraser, Robyn Goodman and Josh Fiedler assumed leadership of the Playhouse, helping it reclaim its reputation for attracting top-tier Broadway and Hollywood talent. Productions of Company, starring Justin Guarini, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee were named to The Wall Street Journal’s “Best of Theatre” list in 2015. In 2018, the Journal again recognized the Playhouse—and Artistic Associate Hunter Foster—for its acclaimed production of 42nd Street. The following year, the publication hailed the Playhouse as “one of the best regional theaters on the East Coast.” Box office records have been repeatedly broken by signature productions including Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Steel Magnolias (directed by Marsha Mason), Million Dollar Quartet, 42nd Street, and Guys & Dolls (all directed by Foster), as well as Mamma Mia! (directed by Artistic Associates John Tartaglia and choreographed by Shannon Lewis). A brief pause during the pandemic did not diminish the theater’s momentum. Bucks County Playhouse continued producing both onstage and onscreen throughout 2020, culminating in a live summer season in 2021 that welcomed an increasing number of first-time audience members. The 2023 season featured standout productions such as Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick… Boom! (directed by Artistic Associate Eric Rosen, who returned in 2024 to helm the audience and critical favorite Anastasia: The Musical); Bridges of Madison County, directed by Foster; and The Rocky Horror Show, starring Frankie Grande. Irving Berlin’s White Christmas became the highest-grossing show in Playhouse history. In 2024, more than 40% of the audience were first-time attendees, drawn to record-breaking productions of Grease! and Anastasia: The Musical. The Playhouse continues to attract some of the most talented creative teams in professional theater—artists who relish the opportunity to work on the historic stage where Grace Kelly, Robert Redford and Jessica Walter began their careers.
