Robert Barry Fleming (they/them) is the Executive Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville, KY. They have a varied portfolio and a wealth of experience as an artistic leader/administrator, producer, director, choreographer, performing artist, teacher and coach. Their directing/choreography credits include Laura Kaminsky’s transgender journey contemporary opera As One (KY Opera); the world premiere of Jonathan Norton’s I Am Delivered’t (Dallas Theatre Center/Actors Theatre of Louisville co-production); the world premiere of Grace, a new musical by Nolan Williams, Jr., and Pulitzer Prize nominee Nikkole Salter (Ford’s Theatre) which was honored as a Broadway World Winner for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography of a Play or Musical; the Humana Festival of New American Plays Professional Training Company’s production of Vivian Barnes, Jonathan Norton and Gab Reisman’s Are You There? Robert’s original ballet suite Hydra for Program 4 mixed repertory (Louisville Ballet); The world premiere of Idris Goodwin’s Ali Summit (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Once On This Island (Actors/Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park co-production), Native Gardens (Cleveland Play House), NEXT TO NORMAL (Tantrum Theater), The Royale (CPH), Destiny of Desire (OSF), Caroline Or Change (Tantrum Theater), and Between Riverside And Crazy (CPH).

Robert formerly served as Director of Artistic Programming at Arena Stage and Associate Artistic Director at Cleveland Play House. Arena Stage world-premieres commissioned, developed and/or championed under their watch include the 2017 Best Musical Tony-winner, Dear Evan Hansen, Mary Kathryn Nagle’s Sovereignty, John Strand’s The Originalist, Katori Hall’s Blood Quilt, Karen Zacarías’ Destiny of Desire and the 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner, Sweat by Lynn Nottage. Robert was an Associate Producer for the Off-Broadway premiere of The Two Character Play by Tennessee Williams, starring Amanda Plummer and Brad Dourif. Robert is a proud member of the Professional Non-Profit Theatre Coalition (PNTC) planning committee endeavoring to evolve our relationship with governmental support for the arts as well as, our SDC, AEA, and TCG collectives working in solidarity for an equitable and sustainable praxis for our arts ecosystem.