Michael Bobbitt

Michael J. Bobbitt joined OPERA America as President and CEO in January 2026. A nationally recognized arts executive, producer, and artist, his career bridges public policy, organizational transformation, and creative practice. 

Before OPERA America, Bobbitt served as Executive Director of the Mass Cultural Council (Boston) from 2021–2025, Massachusetts’ state arts agency. As the Commonwealth’s highest-ranking public official for arts and culture, he led strategy, operations, and cross-sector partnerships supporting a $29.7B creative economy. During his tenure, the agency secured $60.1M in COVID relief, increased state appropriations from $18.2M to $26.9M, and helped embed arts and culture in statewide health, education, and economic development policy. 

Prior to public service, Bobbitt led two producing theaters. As Producing Artistic Director of New Repertory Theatre (2019–2021), he repositioned the organization around inclusion and community engagement while growing audiences, earned revenue, contributed income, and board giving. From 2007–2019, as Artistic Director of Adventure Theatre MTC (Maryland), he drove significant audience growth, quadrupled fundraising, commissioned more than 50 new works, and pioneered sensory-friendly/autism-inclusive performances that became a national model. 

As a playwright, director, and choreographer, Bobbitt’s credits include works such as Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, Garfield: The Musical with Cattitude, Jumanji, Make Way for Ducklings, and Monster Mash, the Musical, among others. His work has received multiple Helen Hayes nominations, including for the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical. 

Bobbitt studied trumpet and voice in college, later trained in theater (CAP21/NYU Tisch, AMDA) and dance (The Washington Ballet), holds an M.B.A. in arts innovation and a B.A. summa cum laude, and has completed executive education at Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School, and National Arts Strategies. He has taught at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Howard University, George Washington University, and other institutions.