As artistic director—a new title signaling BAM’s intention to unite its curatorial streams—Binder will lead BAM’s programming, including live performances, cinema programs, education and humanities initiatives, visual art events, digital projects, and artistic partnerships. He will work closely with senior programmers and will guide the institution’s curators in additional areas. Binder’s artistic purview will extend to new BAM spaces currently under construction, the BAM Karen and BAM Strong.
BAM President Katy Clark said in a statement, “David exemplifies the values that we strive to realize every day at BAM, and he has the ambition and collaborative spirit to lead our institution forward. I can't wait to see what we will all do together.”
Binder added, “I am thrilled and deeply honored to join BAM as its artistic director. BAM’s impact on Brooklyn, on New York, on the arts across the country and around the world is immeasurable.... I look forward to forging a relationship with those audiences and to begin planning the 2019—20 season.”
On Broadway, Binder produced Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which won four Tony Awards. He is the original producer of Hedwig, having mounted the original production in 1997. Binder produced Of Mice and Men, starring James Franco and Chris O’Dowd, which was the first Broadway show to be filmed by NT Live. His Tony Award-winning revival of A Raisin in the Sun starred Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad, and Audra McDonald. Other credits include Moisés Kaufman’s 33 Variations; De La Guarda; and Fuerza Bruta.
In addition to the Tony Award for Hedwig, Binder has received four Tony nominations, an Emmy nomination, and a Golden Globe nomination. He has been honored by Performance Space 122 and is the recipient of the Robert Whitehead Award for Outstanding Achievement in Commercial Theatrical Producing.
