Between her junior and senior years, Mangu-Ward also served as a producer for the Harvard-Radcliffe Summer Theatre program, which culminates in performances at the Loeb Experimental Theatre, affectionately referred to as “the Ex” among the drama crowd.

“We got to hire forty other people. We got to pick the shows, directors, designers, how to use the space and the money,” Mangu-Ward says. The program offered a chance to produce theater on a large scale; the season’s budget was $25,000.

“The Oresteia,” her current project, is shaping up to be one of Mangu-Ward’s favorite experiences at Harvard so far.

“It raises a lot more questions about what is theatre and what is art and it’s definitely the most talented group of people that I’ve worked with,” she says.

Next year Mangu-Ward will relocate to New York City, where she will attend Columbia’s Graduate School for Theater Management and Producing.

—Steven A. McDonald