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Tom Ross (Artistic Director) inaugurated the company with Barbara Oliver in 1992 and served as its Managing Director and Producing Director before being hired for his current position after a national search. Previously, he worked for eight years at the New York Public Theater as Executive Assistant to Joseph Papp and Co-Director of Play and Musical Development. In New York, Tom wrote the book adaptation of the NY Drama Desk nominated musical Up Against It! based on Joe Orton's screenplay for The Beatles with songs by Todd Rundgren.
Since moving to San Francisco in 1991, Tom has produced seven Solo Mio Festivals featuring over 140 solo performers including Spalding Gray, Eric Bogosian, Danny Hoch, Claire Bloom, Dick Gregory, David Sedaris, John Waters and Marga Gomez. For Aurora Theatre Company, Tom has directed many productions including The Birthday Party, Marius, Blue/Orange,Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero (which transferred to the Napa Valley Opera House), Emile Zola’s Therese Raquin, Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things, John Osborne’s The Entertainer, Conor McPherson’s The Weir, and Pinter’s The Homecoming. He has produced, authored and directed eight productions of A Karen Carpenter Christmas for both The Marsh and Transmission Theaters in San Francisco and in Seattle. In 1999, he received the $50,000 Person of Promise Award from the Alafi Family Foundation.
As an independent producer in San Francisco, Tom has presented Angelina Reaux, John Kelly, Reno and with RaW MATERIALS Larry Kramer’s Indecent Materials, and the David Cale shows Somebody Else's House and Lillian.
Tom is the recipient of several Bay Area Theatre Critic’s Circle and Goodman Awards. He has served on Theatre Bay Area’s Service Committee and is a member of The Berkeley Cultural Trust, where he chairs the Nominating Committee.
Julie Saltzman (Managing Director) joins Aurora Theatre Company direct from Chicago where she served as the Producing Director at American Theater Company (ATC). Prior to joining ATC she served as Managing Director at Seanachai Theatre Company. She has also worked as Associate Producer, Production Manager, Stage Manager, and Production Assistant at theatres throughout Chicago including Seanachai, Shapeshifters Theatre, Strawdog Theatre Company, Eclipse Theatre Company, and Victory Gardens and at regional theaters including Colorado Shakespeare Festival and Utah Shakespearean Festival. Julie holds a Bachelors of Arts in Theatre from Loyola University and a Masters of Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago.
