John Dias is a highly respected dramaturg with extensive experience working on a broad range of new plays and classics. As a senior staff member at Hartford Stage Company, the Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, and now as the artistic director of the Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, NJ, Dias understands the needs and realities of large and mid-sized arts organizations. Prior to coming to Two River Theater, he co-founded and led Affinity Company Theater, a production company dedicated to bringing daring new works from around the world to New York, and the Playwright's Realm, an off-Broadway theater company dedicated to producing new plays by emerging artists. Dias has been a Tony Award nominator and a consultant for the National Endowment for the Arts and numerous other organizations. He served as the Center's panel chair in theater in 2012, and as a theater panelist in 2010.