Timothy
Near

BIO:

Timothy Near received a Bachelor of Arts in drama from San Francisco State University and attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the foreign exchange program. Her career as a professional theatre director began in the early 1980s in Webster Groves, Missouri where she helmed several productions at the Loretto-Hilton Repertory Company and the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. From 1987 to 2008, she served as the Artistic Director of the San José Repertory Theatre where she also directed several productions. Near was the artistic director during the major construction of the Repertory Theatre, which was later named the Hammer Theatre after San José Mayor and arts supporter Susan Hammer and her husband Phil.[SB1]  The arrival of Timothy Near as artistic director in 1987 signaled the theatre’s commitment to producing plays that spoke to the city’s diverse community. The Rep achieved this with modernized versions of the classics, contemporary works, and a commitment to developing new plays while also producing world, U.S., and West Coast premieres.