Syracuse Stage

MELISSA CRESPO has been named associate artistic director at Syracuse Stage, effective Sept. 1. Crespo brings a wealth of experience to Syracuse Stage, having directed plays, musicals, and opera. She is also a playwright and likes to promote and develop new work. Crespo has directed three times at Syracuse Stage in recent seasons. In 2019, she directed the popular, successful comedy “Native Gardens,” which drew recognition from American Theater magazine. The entire creative team was women of color, a rare occurrence in professional regional theater and a first for Syracuse Stage.

KYLE BASS, current associate artistic director at Syracuse Stage, will transition to a new role as the theater’s first resident playwright and will remain a member of the theater’s senior artistic staff. The newly created position of resident playwright is the latest of numerous administrative and artistic positions Bass has held since first joining Syracuse Stage in 1994. Bass was named associate artistic director in 2016. In that capacity he has been at the forefront of Syracuse Stage’s efforts to develop and produce new work. Away from Syracuse Stage, Bass is an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre at Colgate University.