Robert J. Farley (Artistic Director)
Robert J. Farley is the co-founder of the Georgia Ensemble Theatre and Conservatory and has been the Artistic Director since its inception in 1992.
He has been a vital part of the Atlanta theatre scene for a quarter century,
beginning in the late 80’s as Artistic Director of the Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff Arts Center.
While at the Alliance, he directed the area premiere of
Driving Miss Daisy
which went on to become the biggest hit in the history of theatre in the Southeast.
He has directed many shows here at GET including recent productions of
Inherit the Wind,
Arsenic and Old Lace,
Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and
Ring of Fire,
the Johnny Cash Musical Show.
He is as excited as can be to direct
The Man Who Came to Dinner
for Georgia Ensemble.
In recent years Mr. Farley's work has been seen elsewhere including the Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota,
and here in Atlanta at Theatrical Outfit and Theatre in The Square where he staged the award-winning production of
A Man for All Seasons
in 2009. He directed John Steinbeck’s
The Grapes of Wrath
for Gainesville Theatre Alliance, and a revival of
Driving Miss Daisy
in Hilton Head, South Carolina last spring.
He has had the humble good fortune to be the recipient of several awards and honors in recent years.
These include a Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contributions to the American Theatre from the Pasadena Playhouse (the State Theatre of California),
and, with co-founder Anita Allen-Farley, Public Broadcasting Atlanta’s Lexus Leaders of the Arts,
and the Leitalift Foundation’s Visionary Leaders Award.
Last September, Mr. Farley was honored as a significant Arts Leader for his body of work in the metropolitan Atlanta community by
Kennesaw State University with the 2011 Flourish Award during a ceremony at the Cobb Energy Center.