The Rural We: Charlie Siedenburg
The press director is celebrating his 20th season at Barrington Stage Company.
If you ever need to know anything about Broadway musicals, we suggest you consult Charlie Siedenburg, the Berkshire Press Director for Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, because he’s seen or worked just about all of them throughout his career. Now in his 20th season with the company, Siedenburg has represented over 200 BSC productions and was named a BSC Associate Artist. His work has led to features in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Associated Press and American Theatre Magazine. Siedenburg started his theater career as a performer before becoming a publicity professional. In 2021, he received a Berkshire Theatre Critics Association Special Award for Exceptional Support of Arts Journalism in the Berkshires. He also teaches theater appreciation for the non-theater major at Wagner College.
I started as a performer in high school, doing community and college theater, and summer stock at the Theatre Barn in New Lebanon. From 1987-95 I worked at the Barn Theatre in Augusta, Michigan, and that’s where I learned PR for the theater. Along with performing, I started doing props and became the props assistant. When I was done with those duties, I would visit my friend who was the box office manager. The next thing I know I’m proofreading the program and ads.
My friend said I should try writing a press release. I began doing publicity there, and ended up as press director, where I worked with actors like Marin Mazzie, Tom Wopat, Lauren Graham and others. My mentor there said “Why don’t you go back to school? You want to teach PR and you’re going to need a degree.” So I finished my degree in Theater/Arts Administration at Wagner College on Staten Island and worked on Broadway and off-Broadway shows for a couple of years. I also worked in PR for the Metropolitan Opera (Live in HD), Hartford Stage, Goodspeed Musicals, Long Wharf Theatre and others.
In 2005, I saw that Barrington Stage was looking for a press director, and when I heard they were going to be producing “Follies,” I knew I had to be there.
The coverage for “Follies” was just unbelievable. I got the first New York Times feature for Barrington Stage, written by Joseph Berger. Sondheim came to the closing performance, which was such a thrill. In fact, he came to all of the Sondheim productions I was involved in.
I love the Berkshires, love the people, working with the press. I’ve made many friends over the years. I also love working with Alan Paul, the artistic director, and how committed he is to new work.
