Artistic Director
This year marks Jerry’s first full season as Artistic Director. Mr. Manning joined Seattle Rep in 2001 as Associate Artistic Director overseeing casting and artist relations; in 2008, he was named Producing Artistic Director. Seattle directing credits include boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb; Thom Pain (based on nothing) by Will Eno; Autobahn by Neil LaBute; Drunken Stallion by Chris Haddad; Swine Maiden and Jump Start by Tina La Plant; Critical Mass by Scott Auguston; works in the 365 Days/365 Plays project by Suzan-Lori Parks; Stone in His Pockets by Marie Jones; Another Day in Baghdad by David A. Tucker II; Waiting by Jenny Mercein; John Lennon’s Gargoyle, Bliss and Washington My Home by Bryan Willis; and Past/Perfect by Jenny Mercein, Kelly Conway, and Glenn Allen.
Other directing credits include work at New Dramatists, New York Theatre Workshop, the Kennedy Center, The Studio Theatre, Source, Adirondack Theatre, Washington Stage Guild, and Signature Theatre. Jerry has directed perhaps four-dozen readings and workshops of new plays around the country. As a producer, Mr. Manning has been on staff at Seattle Rep for 10 seasons, at New York Theatre Workshop for seven seasons, and at Arena Stage for eleven seasons.
From 1995 through 2000 Jerry served as an artistic associate for New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) where he functioned as the company’s literary manager and casting director. Jerry started his career in theater at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and over the span of eleven seasons there he worked in fundraising, literary management, and casting.
Jerry has done extensive casting work in film and television including Ken Burn’s The Civil War, Forrest Gump, The Pelican Brief and many others. He has conducted workshops at graduate theater departments (UW, University of Montana, Yale, et al). For many years, Mr. Manning was a site reporter for the National Endowment for the Arts.
