Biography
Bonnie J. Monte has been the Artistic Director of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey since 1990, and during her tenure, has led the company into a new era, garnering national recognition for her highly successful revitalization of the institution. Her leadership has resulted in unprecedented programmatic expansion, critical acclaim, steady budgetary growth and the accomplishment of a major capital campaign resulting in a new performance space, the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre.
In addition to her leadership of The Shakespeare Theatre, Ms. Monte has directed over 50 highly acclaimed productions for the company, and has created a number of original translations/adaptations of classics including Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Marivaux's The Triumph of Love, Pirandello's Enrico IV, Ostrovsky's Artists and Admirers, Maeterlinck's The Blue Bird, Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days, and Carlo Goldoni's The Servant of Two Masters. She has also created original work for the company's educational touring company. In her 35 years in the professional arena, Ms. Monte has worked with many of the nation's leading playwrights, including Tennessee Williams.
Ms. Monte has been actively involved in the training of new talent for the American stage through numerous training programs, and has also engaged in residencies at universities across the nation. She has been on the faculty of Drew University and The New School in Manhattan. In addition to numerous awards and honors, she has a conservatory degree in directing from The Hartman Conservatory, a B.A. from Bethany College, Bethany, West Virginia, and Honorary Doctorates from Drew University and the College of Saint Elizabeth. She is originally from Stamford, Connecticut.
