JASON NEULANDER is the founder and Artistic Director of Salvage Vanguard Theater, having received both his BA and MA from Brown University in 1991 and 1993 respectively.  Since riding his motorcycle to Austin, Texas, in 1993, he has directed and produced more than fifty world premiere theater projects at SVT, including The Death of a Cat by C. Denby Swanson (finalist 2005 PEN Award), Americamisfit by Dan Dietz (“#1 Theater Event of 2005”  --The Austin Chronicle), and the opera Genghis Khan (“#1 Music Event of 2005” –Austin American-Statesman), which he co-authored with composer Graham Reynolds. His directing work has been staged at Salvage Vanguard Theater in Austin; Annex Theatre in Seattle; Sledgehammer Theatre in San Diego; and The Public Theater in New York, among others. The Austin-American Statesman has said of him:  "Neulander aims to change the world. ... Unlike most of his artistic compatriots, he is winning."  In 2004 and 2005 he was voted “Best Theatre Director” in the Austin Chronicle “Best of Austin” readers’ polls.  His production of the opera MotherBone, which he conceived and directed, was featured in American Theatre and Texas Monthly and won the 2002 Frederick Loewe Music Theatre Award.  In the past two years, his productions were nominated for more than 40 local theater awards, including both the B. Iden Payne and Austin Critics Table Awards for Best Production of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical (Genghis Khan and Americamisfit); and Best Production of a Drama and Best Direction of a Drama (The Death of a Cat).  His ongoing project The Intergalactic Nemesis is currently touring the nation, with a pending commercial run in New York. His production of The Death of a Cat will open at 59E59 in New York in January 2008.
            In addition to his work as an artist, Neulander also has a long track record as a community leader.  Not only does Neulander run and manage nearly every aspect of Salvage Vanguard Theater, but he also has started a number of community initiatives designed to increase the visibility of Austin’s vibrant “fringe” theater scene.  In 2002, he founded the “Independent Theatre Conspiracy”, a collective of eight small and medium sized theaters with the goal of cross pollinating audiences and reaching audiences formerly untapped by these companies.  Also in 2002, Neulander became a founding member of Austin’s Performing Arts Research Coalition group, along with staff from Ballet Austin, Austin Lyric Opera, Zachary Scott Theatre, and the Paramount Theater, as part of a national initiative funded by Pew Charitable Trusts to study the performing arts’ impact on communities.  Neulander is a past vice-president of the board of directors of the Austin Circle of Theaters and in 2004 and 2005 served on the City of Austin’s Arts Commission, chairing the Funding Guidelines Committee. He is a graduate of the Austin Chamber of Commerce 2003-2004 “Leadership Austin” program.