Great Barrington Public Theater is excited to announce that Associate Artistic Director Judy Braha will now join Jim Frangione at the helm as Artistic Director of Great Barrington Public Theater.
Founder & Artistic Director Jim Frangione says, “We at Great Barrington Public Theater are thrilled that Judy Braha will assume the role of Artistic Director alongside myself. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to help advance the interests of the theater as we move into the next phase of growth as the region’s premiere developmental theater. Judy brings a tremendous amount of experience and value to our company and has, in just a few short years, grown and greatly enhanced GB Public Theater’s signature program, Berkshires Voices, where playwrights develop their work, leading to public readings and in some cases workshops and full productions. I look forward to working more closely with Judy to select the next generation of plays to be presented under the GB Public banner. It’s a “Bear” of a job! But we feel great about the direction of our theater.”
Judy Braha joined the GB Public artistic leadership team in 2023 as the Associate Artistic Director after 2 years directing for the company. She has since then been collaborating with Founder and Artistic Director Jim Frangione on the selection of new work for readings and full productions in the summer season. Her impressive portfolio of credits and accomplishments strengthened Great Barrington Public’s creative programming and offered new perspectives to the body of works and events produced each year.
Judy Braha has been a career director, actor, teacher and artist for social justice for over four decades with directorial credits in theaters and universities throughout New England. She is well known for having led the M.F.A. Directing Program at Boston University’s School of Theater, retiring in 2022 after 29 years of service at BU.
Judy’s work frequently takes on issues of human rights, with titles including To Kill A Mockingbird; Emilie, La Marquise du Chatelet, Defends Her Life Tonight; Othello; I Am Lear, a devised piece on aging; and Golda’s Balcony. Among her credits, she also is a longtime member of the Society of Directors and Choreographers, and a founding board member of Stage Source, a New England theater resource which was committed to connecting theaters, artists and their communities.
“Judy has the strength of commitment, leadership and passion for theater and how it affects communities that fit hand-in-glove with our founding mission and core beliefs,” Founder and Producing Director Deann Halper Simmons explains. “Her artistic integrity, sense of stage esthetic and ability to make important choices that craft life from the script continues to be a great asset to our company and growth.”
Managing Director Serena Johnson adds, “Judy’s distinguished artistic voice has significantly contributed to the exceptional growth of GB Public in recent years. We are truly excited to have her stepping into this leadership role in the 2026 season.”
Great Barrington Public Theater is the premiere destination for new plays in the Berkshires and is committed to its mission of prioritizing local artists in the area and keeping theater and the arts accessible to the community. Updates on Great Barrington Public Theater’s Off Season Programming can be found at the GB Public Theater website and by signing up for our newsletter.
Great Barrington Public Theater was founded by Jim Frangione and Deann Simmons Halper to create opportunities for theater artists in the Berkshires and neighboring regions. Great Barrington Public Theater recognizes the many excellent playwrights, actors, directors, designers, administrators and technicians living in the Berkshires and surrounding areas. Our objective is to bring a mix of new and contemporary plays to the stage in a variety of formats; to generate and foster creative and rigorous opportunity for local theater artists, while engaging our theatergoing public with readings, workshops, and fully-staged productions, involving local talent as often as possible and keeping ticket prices affordable.