August 05, 2025

128. Artistic Director Mini-Series: Curating with Care & Clarity with Patricia McGregor

1 hour 1 minute

What does it look like to lead a major cultural institution with courage, care & a commitment to transformation? In this episode of our Artistic Director Mini-Series, Jennifer chats with director, writer, community organizer & Artistic Director of New York Theatre Workshop, Patricia McGregor, about how her full identity shapes her leadership. She shares how she curates using a funnel model rooted in collaboration & grounds her programming in rigor, risk & relevance. From building an “artistic compass” to reframing fundraising as a meaningful invitation, they also discuss burnout, tools for leading with purpose while centering people & why leadership isn’t about holding power, but holding space. Whether you’re stepping into leadership, shaping your practice, or dreaming of systemic change, this episode offers grounded inspiration & tools to lead artfully & live your values out loud.

About Patricia: Born in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Patricia McGregor (she/her) is the Artistic Director of New York Theatre Workshop. Throughout her tenure at NYTW, she has championed visionary artists, producing five world premieres & countless workshop sharings. She secured key funding to innovate community engagement & education programs. Centering virtuosity & accessibility, Patricia has renewed NYTW's standing as a place of belonging for adventurous artists & audiences alike. A renowned director & writer working in theatre, film, dance & music, she has twice been profiled by The New York Times for her direction of world premieres. Her productions include The Refuge Plays (Roundabout Theatre Company, NYTW); The Last of the Love Letters (Atlantic Theater Company); Ugly Lies the Bone (Roundabout Theatre Company); Blood Dazzler (Harlem Stage); Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole (co-writer/director; Geffen Playhouse, People’s Light, upcoming NYTW); Sisters in Law (Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts); Shakespeare: Call and Response, Krapp’s Last Tape, What You Are, A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Measure for Measure (The Old Globe); Skeleton Crew (Geffen Playhouse); Good Grief (Center Theatre Group); Hamlet (The Public Theater); Place (BAM); The Parchman Hour (Guthrie Theater); brownsville song (Lincoln Center Theater); Indomitable: James Brown (Apollo Theater); Holding It Down (The Met); A Raisin in the Sun, The Winter’s Tale & Spunk (California Shakespeare Theater); Adoration of the Old Woman (INTAR Theatre); Four Electric Ghosts (The Kitchen); & the world premiere of Hurt Village (Signature Theatre Company). McGregor also served as a director for HBO’s emerging writer’s showcase & as tour consultant to Raphael Saadiq & J. Cole. She was associate director of Fela! on Broadway & directed The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway for many years. She co-founded Angela’s Pulse with her sister, choreographer & organizer Paloma McGregor. McGregor attended SMU, where she was a Presidential Scholar, & the Yale School of Drama, where she was a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow & artistic director of Yale Cabaret.