South Coast Repertory hires general manager

South Coast Repertory has a new general manager. Lori Monnier, 36, will step into the general manager position — a part of the theater’s executive management team — at the Costa Mesa theater on Feb. 26 and is excited to be able to make the move to Southern California.

“I’m just really excited about this as an opportunity for me, and my husband also, who works in the field of theater and entertainment, and we were always interested in the opportunity to move to California,” Monnier said in a telephone interview from her office in Pittsburgh.

Monnier works as managing director of the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre in Pennsylvania, where she is a self-professed jack of all trades. She is responsible for a small staff, which means she oversees the financial management, artistic direction and economic development of the theater.

Those skills will be put to good use at South Coast Repertory come February, the theater’s managing director Paula Tomei said.

“The fact that Laurie has 13 years of experience working in theaters like South Coast Repertory, as well as having been in positions that are similar at those theaters … made her a really logical choice,” Tomei said. “She knows the field, the people, how the theater runs in general — her biggest challenge coming in will be learning about South Coast Repertory.”

South Coast Repertory’s general manager is responsible for overseeing the theater’s accounting, operations and patron services as well as negotiating with actors and designers.

But one of the most exciting parts of joining South Coast Repertory is its Theatre for Young Audiences, something that is close to her heart, Monnier said.

The new hire will end a nationwide search for a new general manager, which started in December when former manager Nicki Genovese left for the Public Theater in New York City.

Monnier has worked in the theater industry for about 15 years, the last seven working on the administrative side. She has a bachelor’s degree in theater and a master’s in theater management from Yale School of Drama.