Roberta Pereira has been named the new Barbara G. and Lawrence A. Fleischman Executive Director of the Library for the Performing Arts.
Pereira succeeds the library's Interim Executive Director Linda Murray, who will now return to her post as the Anne H. Bass curator of the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, and associate director for the Library for the Performing Arts’ collections and research services. Pereira will officially join the library in January 2024.
“I am honored and excited to be joining The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. I have spent my career working to make theatre and the arts accessible to all, which is at the heart of the Library’s mission as a public institution. The breadth and volume of performing arts history that live within the walls of the Library for the Performing Arts is incredible—to know that all of this is available to anyone is inspiring. There’s nothing else like it, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the team that is dedicated to helping even more people access these world-class collections. I am excited to build upon this powerful legacy and continue serving the next generation of New Yorkers and creatives. I’m also an avid reader and a regular at the Library’s St. Agnes branch, so to say this is a dream job for me is an understatement,” said Pereira.
Originally from Brazil, Pereira is an Olivier-winning, Tony nominated theatre maker, who currently serves as the executive director of The Playwrights Realm, where she guided the world premiere of Sarah DeLappe's The Wolves, and Terrence McNally's Tony nominated play Mothers and Sons, as well as the Olivier-winning revival of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along (which just opened its Broadway transfer). Pereira is a programming consultant for the Miranda Family Fellowship, a founder of Dress Circle Publishing, and a cofounder of the Artists Anti-Racist Coalition.
“We are a public institution dedicated to sharing knowledge with all and to nurturing the next generation of scholars, artists, and performers. Roberta is a proven leader and visionary voice in the arts whose unique career aligns perfectly with our mission. We are thrilled to welcome her and excited to see what she will accomplish as the head of one of the greatest performing arts research libraries in the world,” said Brent Reidy, The New York Public Library’s Andrew W. Mellon director for the research libraries.
