People

Leadership

Mark Cuddy
Artistic Director

MARK CUDDY is celebrating his 25^th season as Artistic Director of Geva Theatre Center. During his tenure he has worked alongside talented and dedicated staff, artists and trustees to build Geva into a regional theatre powerhouse. Geva boasts one of the largest audiences of any professional regional theatre in the Northeast, and has a reputation for excellence in education programming and new play production. Having just completed a nine million dollar facility renovation including the purchase of fourteen new artist lofts, Geva is now focusing its future on engaging the Rochester region in meaningful theatrical experiences that unite and strengthen our community through the celebration of our shared humanity. Mr. Cuddy has directed over fifty productions here, and has appeared as Georges in Geva’s 2019 production of La Cage aux Folles, and in the 2018 world premiere of Heartland. Mr. Cuddy is a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Rochester Fringe Festival, and served on the Board of Directors of the national organization for non-profit theatres, Theatre Communications Group. Mr. Cuddy has also served as Artistic Director of Sacramento Theatre Company, Producing Director of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and on the directing staff of the Denver Center Theatre Company. He received his B.A. in Theatre/Honors from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he was a Commonwealth Scholar. He resides in the Highland Park neighborhood with his wife, theatre and visual artist Christina Selian. Their older son, Maximilian, is writing his doctoral dissertation in Sociology at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Their younger son, Augustus, is an actor in New York City.

Christopher Mannelli Executive Director

CHRISTOPHER MANNELLI joined Geva in 2016 from Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, a Tony Award-winning institution dedicated to new plays and playwrights, where he has served as Managing Director. During his five-year tenure he led the reorganization of the institution and was responsible for the strategic planning, fundraising and audience development initiatives that created the theater’s new business model. Under his leadership, Mr. Mannelli oversaw numerous award-winning productions, increased contributed income, and launched innovative membership and audience engagement initiatives. Prior to his work with Victory Gardens, he served as Deputy Director at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, one of the largest nonprofit theatres in Chicago. He oversaw operations and helped to produce the theatre’s “World Stage” international programming, including Chicago Shakespeare’s first ever tour to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Before moving to Chicago, Mr. Mannelli was the Managing Director for HotCity Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri. In this capacity, he was instrumental in the company’s financial and programmatic growth, which included educational outreach programs, new play initiatives and several collaborations with prominent arts organizations. He has served on the board of directors of the League of Chicago Theatres, as a steering committee member for Enrich Chicago (a group of arts organizations in Chicago working collectively to address racial equity), as a board member for the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce and the community board of Emerald City Theatre. In 2017 he was appointed to the New York State Council on the Arts’ Theatre advisory panel where he has served for the last two years. He currently serves on the board of directors for the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), Rochester Downtown Development Corporation, Washington Square Park Community Association and on the corporate board for the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center. Mr. Mannelli grew up on Long Island and began his career as an actor and a musician, touring nationally and internationally. He holds a B.A. in opera performance from the SUNY Geneseo School of Performing Arts, an M.F.A. in Arts Leadership from DePaul University, and an Executive Scholars Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.