Alexander Fraser will step down as producing director of the Bucks County Playhouse in June 2026. It will mark the end of his 12-year tenure at the popular theater.
Fraser arrived in New Hope Borough in 2014 and was joined by producers Robyn Goodman and Josh Fiedler. He is credited with helping to restore the playhouse’s reputation.
“When I arrived, I found a beautifully restored theater with almost no audience and a skeptical community,” Fraser said in a statement. “Who knew this would turn into the job of a lifetime?”
Fraser will resume work as a theater producer, with a focus on new project development for musicals and nightclub experiences, as well as consulting.
Goodman and Fiedler will also depart to focus on upcoming Broadway productions.
Since 2014, the theater’s annual operating budget has grown from $2 million to $12.1 million, with annual visitors now exceeding 100,000, according to the playhouse.
The average audience capacity also expanded from 34% to 64% at the theater on the Delaware River.
“We watched Alex, Robyn and Josh elevate the production standards to Broadway heights and sold-out shows,” said Kevin Daugherty, president of Bridge Street Foundation and former board chair. “It was the consistent quality of these shows that led to New Hope’s resurgence as a travel destination.”
The playhouse’s board of directors, with the support of Fraser, Goodman and Fiedler, has hired Management Consultants for the Arts to conduct a national search for the next artistic leader.
“I’ve seen New Hope change a lot over my last 27 years as mayor… but nothing like what’s happened since Alex came to town: front and center in this community, bringing a vision of what we could be, along with a big sense of humor,” said New Hope Borough Mayor Larry Keller.
The new hire will join Managing Director Teresa Sanpietro and Executive Director Nicole Hackmann.
“We are forever in debt to Alex, Robyn and Josh for their tireless work in building a community around 11 seasons of extraordinary productions,” said Gayle Goodman, chair of the playhouse’s board of directors. “They’ll be a tough act to follow… but they leave a strong foundation and a stellar opportunity for our next artistic leader.”
The Bucks County Playhouse was founded 1939 after artists converted a former mill. The playhouse closed in 2010 and reopened in 2012 after being put under new ownership and being renovated through the efforts of the Bridge Street Foundation and the former Bucks County Playhouse Conservancy.
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