The term “Off Broadway” may assume a vertical dimension as Jenny Gersten’s vision for the High Line takes shape. In January, Gersten officially started as executive director of Friends of the High Line (FHL), the nonprofit responsible for the elevated park, which connects New York’s West Village neighborhood to the future Hudson Yards development. In addition to management and fundraising, the role will have her focusing on the High Line’s cultural programming, to which Gersten brings a wealth of performing arts experience. The native New Yorker was most recently artistic director of the renowned Williamstown Theater Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and associate producer at Manhattan’s Public Theater prior to that.
Gersten’s joining FHL is the latest step in an important pivot for the organization. Cofounder Robert Hammond announced that he would step down as executive director last February (cofounder Joshua David is staying on as president of the organization). Construction of the third and final phase of the High Line, which will be integrated into Hudson Yards, should be complete by the end of this year. RECORD spoke with Gersten about the organization’s shift from capital investment to operations, and how airborne performance can see the High Line into this new era.
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