ROBERT BARRY FLEMING (Director) ​​is the Executive Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville, KY. He has a varied portfolio and a wealth of experience as an artistic leader/administrator, producer, director, choreographer, performing artist, teacher and coach. His directing/choreography credits include the world premiere of Grace, a new musical by Nolan Williams, Jr., and Pulitzer nominee Nikkole Salter (Ford’s Theatre) which was honored as a Broadway World Winner for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography of a Play or Musical; the Humana Festival of New American Plays Professional Training Company’s production of Vivian Barnes, Jonathan Norton and Gab Reisman’s Are You There? The world premiere of Idris Goodwin’s Ali Summit (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Once On This Island (Actors/Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park co-production), Native Gardens (Cleveland Play House), Next To Normal (Tantrum Theater), The Royale (CPH), Destiny of Desire (OSF), Caroline Or Change (Tantrum Theater), and Between Riverside And Crazy (CPH) Robert’s original ballet suite Hydra for Program 4 mixed repertory (Louisville Ballet). Upcoming directing: Laura Kaminsky’s transgender journey contemporary opera As One (KY Opera).

 Robert formerly served as Director of Artistic Programming at Arena Stage and Associate Artistic Director at Cleveland Play House. Arena Stage world-premieres commissioned, developed and/or championed under his watch include the 2017 Best Musical Tony-winner, Dear Evan Hansen, Mary Kathryn Nagle’s Sovereignty, John Strand’s The Originalist, Katori Hall’s Blood Quilt, Karen Zacarías’ Destiny of Desire and the 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner, Sweat by Lynn Nottage. Robert was an Associate Producer for the Off-Broadway premiere of The Two Character Play by Tennessee Williams, starring Amanda Plummer and Brad Dourif.