NYTimes.com: One of the nation’s most prominent theaters, Steppenwolf Theater Company, is getting its first new artistic director in 20 years, executives at the Chicago theater announced on Thursday. Anna D. Shapiro, who has directed several acclaimed Steppenwolf productions – including the hit play “August: Osage County,” which transferred to Broadway and won her a Tony Award – will take over next fall for Martha Lavey, Steppenwolf’s longtime leader and an actor in Steppenwolf’s renowned ensemble of performers and artists.
2 comments:
While I am not familiar with the career of Martha Lavey, I am very happy for Anna Shapiro. This past summer I had the honor of experiencing Anna work during tech week for "This Is Our Youth." Anna is a great collaborator and theatre artist. What interests me about this change in leadership is the fact that so many considered it a "surprise." I wonder what exactly happened behind the scenes to trigger Lavey stepping down from the position. I would also be interested to learn more about Steppenwolf's plan to raise $55 million for a theatre expansion. I wonder how much of this initiative impacted the decision to appoint Anna Shapiro. Regardless, this decision by the Steppenwolf Board seems to be justified. Both Anna and Lavey seem completely onboard with the decision, and hopefully it will lead to continued success for Steppenwolf.
Unlike the article about limited job opportunities, it's refreshing to read about an artist that is being rewarded for years of successful work. Even though I'm not interested in directing, I love to aspire to have this kind of a life. Working from the bottom-up and being rewarded for it is like a dream come true. I'm hoping through the training I receive through CMU and the connections I make through the next four years help me reach this goal. I also love speaking to people who are a part of the industry because you see more of the vision of what you want to do. My experience thus far has been very help and it's starting out great. I have high hopes for the future so bring it on!
Post a Comment