Natalie Dreyer, former director of curriculum and collaborative learning at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, has been appointed executive director at Next Stage Arts in Putney, beginning in September. This hire coincides with the cultural and arts organization's launch of its new five-year strategic plan, developed with extensive input from many community members and education, business and cultural partners.
“Natalie is the right person to manifest the central principles of our strategic vision for the next five years,” said board co-chair Heather Brubaker. “Also, she has that Next Stage magic: a special mix of clarity of vision, warmth and deep commitment to community that has characterized all of Next Stage’s leaders.”
During her four-year tenure at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Dreyer has led a network of over 100 teaching artists and designed and grown programs like a creative arts camp and a multidistrict arts integration initiative. Prior to that, she worked for seven years at the Trinity Repertory Co. in Providence, Rhode Island.
Dreyer is a graduate of DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where she majored in vocal performance and Spanish, and holds a Master of Education in integrated teaching through the arts from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.