Courtney O’Connor° (Director/Producing Artistic Director) – Courtney joined the full-time staff of the Lyric Stage in 2018 and was named Artistic Director in 2020. She has directed several pieces for the Lyric Stage, including Be Here Now, The Book of Will, Preludes, Rooted, Assassins, Thirst, and Urinetown: The Musical. Courtney was a senior affiliated faculty member in Performing Arts at Emerson College for more than 20 years. In addition to directing for theatres and universities, Courtney has directed multiple site-specific productions at locations including the Senate Chamber of the Massachusetts State House, Mount Auburn Cemetery and Boston’s Old State House (all with Plays in Place). Through her work with the Coyote Theatre Project, she oversaw the creation of more than 200 new 10-minute plays written by youths from Boston. Courtney received the Elliot Norton Award for Assassins and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby and the Alan L. Stanzler Award for Excellence in Teaching.