Who

The Brooklyn Academy of Music's executive producer, Joseph Melillo is a gatekeeper for emerging talent at the venerable arts institution. He's also an associate professor in the theater department at Brooklyn College.

Backstory

Melillo grew up in Brooklyn, the son of a butcher, and started working with the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1983 when BAM's legendary director, Harvey Lichtenstein, recruited him to head up the first Next Wave Festival. (The fest has since hosted dozens of artists including Philip Glass, Merce Cunningham, and Robert Wilson.) Melillo worked alongside Lichtenstein for a decade and a half as BAM's programming director; it was Melillo's job to find new talent to bring to BAM's stage, a task that often took him off the beaten path. (He once traveled to sub-arctic Russia to find folk artists whose artistic traditions had never been staged outside their communities, and brought them to BAM for their American debut.) When Lichtenstein stepped down as director in 1999, his job was essentially divided in two: Karen Brooks Hopkins was assigned responsibility for the BAM's administrative and business matters while Melillo was placed in charge of the institution's creative direction.

Of note

Some wondered if Melillo would continue along the path that Lichtenstein had established or would take BAM in new directions and seek out new work. He's managed to do both, offering up some familiar names—Mark Morris, David Lang, Michael Gordon, John Jasperse—as well as engage new talents. One new collaboration getting attention these days: Melillo recently teamed up with director Sam Mendes and London's Old Vic theater (where actor Kevin Spacey is artistic director) to produce several new shows at BAM in 2007 and 2008.

Trophy case

In 2004, Melillo was awarded an honorary O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire).

Habitat

Melillo lives on East 9th Street.