Aaron Roman Weiner has been named artistic director of Off-Broadway's LAByrinth Theater Company, which is now heading into its 29th season. Weiner, who started as an intern at LAB 19 years ago, succeeds John Ortiz, who will now chair the company's board.
“Over the past two years, as a member of our Leadership Committee and then as my associate artistic director, my admiration for Aaron has grown profoundly,” says Ortiz. “His fierce dedication to the arts was clearly exhibited during countless conference/Zoom meetings, while producing the innovative MFing Hat Plays, leading a multitude of marketing campaigns via social media, and being an instrumental force in replanting new and improved versions of several pillar programs. Aaron has a compelling vision for the theatre LAB can make and a strong belief in the promising ways an artist-driven company such as LAByrinth can bring our communities together.”
“As I step into the role of AD, the title has changed, but my goal is essentially the same: to serve our 117 members," adds Weiner. "It is a great honor to take the reigns from my friend, John Ortiz, who is as gifted a leader as he is an actor. For most of LAB’s history, the position of AD has been a position of service. I am excited to take my turn at the wheel, and also conscious of the fact that I’m only able to take on a full time job in a volunteer capacity because of the privileges I have inherited. The nature of privilege and power are on my mind daily as we work to make LAByrinth an equitable space for all.”
READ: The Sol Project Teams Up With LAByrinth for World Premiere of Bees and Honey Off-Broadway
LAB has also released a new public service announcement, entitled A Brief History of White Supremacy, that features company members Liza Colón-Zayas, Craig ‘muMs’ Grant, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Russell G. Jones, Angela Lewis, John Ortiz, Neil Tyrone Pritchard, Elizabeth Rodriguez, and David Zayas, with LAB friends John Leguizamo and Craig Scott. It was produced and designed by Ari Issler, edited and animated by Sadat Mirxa, and sound mixed by Kieran Meadows.
“In this time of collective urgency to confront racism, we at LAByrinth are passionate about supporting Black Lives Matter and the Movement for Black Lives,” says Weiner. “Like much of the country, LAB paused to take stock of our organization, to question our complicity in systems of oppression. The reflection will continue, as will our artistic response.” Watch the video below.
LAByrinth’s 29th season will include three commissioned world premiere short plays this fall, its 21st annual Barn Series (free reading series featuring all new plays), and a member-driven project to be announced. The season will culminate with the world premiere of Bees and Honey, by Guadalís Del Carmen, produced in partnership with The Sol Project.
