Wratchford

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF), a nationally recognized incubator for new plays, announces the appointment of Amy Wratchford as its managing director. Wratchford steps into the full-time role after serving as CATF’s interim managing director since Nov. 2024. She brings two decades of nonprofit theater leadership experience with organizations throughout the East Coast.

Wratchford has spent the last five years as president of the consulting firm, the Wratchford Group, with the vision to transform nonprofit arts organizations to create a more stable, thriving, empowering and equitable industry. Her consulting work was focused on interim leadership, board training and financial stabilization plans. Between 2021 and 2025, she served in interim leadership capacities for Virginia Stage Company, Barter Theatre and Virginia Repertory Theater, among others. Wratchford previously served as managing director of the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Va., for over 10 years, helping the organization grow from a budget of $2.7 million to $4.2 million and eliminate $1 million in debt. She also served as managing director of Synchronicity Theater in Atlanta and spent over a decade in New York City as a producer, director and actor.

“CATF is delighted to welcome Amy Wratchford to the leadership team of the festival,” says Artistic Director Peggy McKowen. “Amy is a caring leader who brings thoughtful ideas and joyous energy to the work. She is an extraordinary collaborator grounded in the values of the festival.”

“Working with Peggy, the staff and the board for the past several months has been inspiring,” Wratchford said. “CATF’s vital position as the only theater producing a full season of new plays in repertory, combined with Peggy’s vision for the future, both in the voices we uplift and the way in which we produce, sealed the deal for me. I look forward to continuing and deepening the work that CATF has been committed to for the past 35 years.”

“Amy brings a wealth of experience to CATF. She also brings a special strength and boundless enthusiasm,” said CATF board president Ann Harkins. “This is an important step in sustaining CATF’s future.”

The Contemporary American Theater Festival, founded in 1991, has premiered and produced over 150 new plays, making it one of the nation’s most important platforms for contemporary drama. Each summer, the festival attracts thousands of theatergoers to Shepherdstown, West Virginia, to experience new works by some of the country’s most compelling playwrights.