Central Works’ Company Co-Directors Stepping Down (Download PDF)
April 10, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
From: Elisa Mikiten, President, Board of Directors
Central Works Co-directors, Jan Zvaifler and Gary Graves, will step down at the end of the 2026 season after an exceptional run of producing original plays for thirty-six years.
Zvaifler was one of the founding members of the company in 1990. She has performed in dozens of memorable roles in the company’s productions, and directed many of them. Local theater critic Charles Kruger claims Zvaifler is “the best comic actress in the Bay Area.”
Graves joined the company in 1994. He has overseen the development of 81 world premieres at the “New Play Theater,” as Central Works is known. He has written and/or directed many, while leading the Central Works Writers Workshop, where many of the company’s projects were developed.
The 2026 Season will be funded by ticket sales, donations, and existing cash reserves. The annual Artist Fund Drive is presently underway, supporting the artists and creators of the current season. The company’s two-play cycle, The Prince Parts 1 & 2 runs July 18 thru September 6. There will be no fundraising for operations beyond 2026.
As it currently stands, the Board of Directors will sunset the company at the end of the 2026 Season. In order for Central Works to continue, a new team of devoted creative and administrative directors would be needed.
Central Works’ legacy includes award winning plays and playwrights whose works were cultivated in Gary Graves’ renowned workshops, and a legion of Bay Area actors, many of whom have gone on to national stages. As Board President Elisa Mikiten says, “It’s been a good run.”
