MICHAEL RADER
Executive Producer
Michael Rader is a stage director and producer, currently in his fourth season as Executive Producer of Theatre Aspen. A nationally recognized arts leader, he is known for guiding organizations through periods of ambitious growth. His career spans commercial theatre, major nonprofit institutions, and international entertainment. Prior to Theatre Aspen, he served as Producing Artistic Director of the historic Cape Playhouse, where he led a major institutional renaissance, strengthening its national profile and earning recognition as one of the “50 BestSmall Stage Theatres in America.” His career includes senior artistic leadership with Cirque du Soleil, further shaping his multidisciplinary approach to storytelling and production. Select directing and producing credits include A Christmas Story, The Musical (National Tour), The Testament of Mary with Adriane Lenox, You Are Not Alone with Betty Buckley and Lea DeLaria, the Off-Broadway benefit production of William Finn’s Elegies: A Song Cycle, and production at institutions including Sacramento Music Theatre, The Human Race Theatre, The York Theatre Company, The Actors Studio Repertory Theatre, and The ZACH Theatre, among others. Rader holds an MFA in Directing from Pace University and is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Love to Nellie, Auggie and Stephen.
