The Southampton Playhouse, a historic cinema that is being revitalized into a state-of-the-art movie theater, announced its leadership team on Tuesday.
Maria A. Ruiz Botsacos, a top executive at Film at Lincoln Center, will come on board as the Southampton Playhouse’s inaugural executive director, while Eric Kohn, best known for his work as a critic and editor at IndieWire, will serve as its newly appointed artistic director. The Southampton Playhouse, which will have four redesigned theaters including an Imax venue, is slated to open in 2025.
Ruiz Botsacos most recently served as vice president, events and special projects at the Film at Lincoln Center, the non-profit behind the New York Film Festival. There, she provided strategy for and oversight of year-round special events. She also handled and developed fundraising opportunities for the organization and served as the liaison to its board. In her role, Ruiz Botsacos will oversee the strategic vision and development of the Southampton Playhouse.
Kohn spent nearly two decades at IndieWire. He then became head of strategy and development at Harmony Korine’s multimedia design collective EDGLRD, where he will continue to produce feature films. At IndieWire, Kohn rose to become the publication’s executive editor and vice president of editorial strategies, as well as co-hosted its popular “Screen Talk” podcast. In his role Kohn will oversee the artistic vision of the theater, develop and implement creative programs, and work aside the leadership team. Kohn is also an adjunct professor at New York University, where he has taught since 2014, and co-founded the Critics Academy workshops at the Locarno and New York Film Festivals as well as the Sundance Fellowship for Film Criticism.
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“We couldn’t imagine a better way to launch our journey of delivering outstanding film, live events, and educational experiences to our community and beyond,” the Playhouse’s board said in a statement. “With Maria and Eric at the helm, the future is in exceptional, thoughtful, and caring hands. They are poised to make the Southampton Playhouse a premier cultural destination.”
The Southampton Playhouse was a single auditorium theater built in 1932. It was purchased this summer by real estate billionaire Aby Rosen and his son Charlie Rosen of RFR Holding in partnership with Alex Black, CEO of Lyrical Media. The ownership group turned into a charitable entity. The mission is to offer cultural experiences within the community through cinema, live performances and local arts and educational programs.