Meet TTO’s New Executive Director

Giselle Byrd

(she/her)

Giselle Byrd is the new executive director of The Theater Offensive, which presents liberating art by, for, and about queer and trans people of color. She was appointed in December 2023, capping a decade’s experience in talent management, production, casting, script coverage, brand partnerships, and fundraising.

Byrd is the first Black trans woman to lead a regional theater company in the United States.

Before coming to TTO, Byrd worked at the Katz Company in New York, where she managed the careers of actors, musicians, activists, and content creators. Additionally, she created brand strategies and developed partnerships with companies such as OPI, Gucci, Google, The WNBA, GLAAD, Netflix, ViacomCBS, and BET.

As a documentary film producer, Byrd was the first transgender woman accepted in the Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Filmmaker Program. She was also the subject of the 2020 film “Giselle’s Story,” directed by Susan O’Brien. Byrd most recently produced “When We Arrive As Flowers,” starring choreographer Diovanna Òbafunmilayo, alongside Alexandra Billings and her production company, Schmengie. 

Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, Byrd earned her B.F.A. at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she led the student theater group, 3rd Act Productions, and the SCAD Casting Office. After graduating, she moved to New York, where she apprenticed as a casting assistant for Laura Stanczyk Casting before joining The Katz Company. 

Byrd is a Guest Artist at her high school alma mater, the John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School in Augusta, Georgia. In that role she conducts master classes and casts, writes, and directs plays performed in festivals by middle school and high school students.

Byrd serves on the Boards of several LGBTQIA+ organizations, including the Ali Forney Center, the Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, and the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center.

She now lives in Boston, where her love for history thrives and she continues to dive deeper into the origins of her ancestors and trancestors.