Michael Winn Appointed Associate Artistic Director/Director of Equity and Community Partnerships

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) announced today that Michael Winn will serve as the Associate Artistic Director/Director of Equity and Community Partnerships in a new role that brings new play development, equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice, and the community together. Winn has served as the Director of Community Partnerships and Inclusion for four years at CTC.

Through his leadership, he has developed deep and meaningful relationships with the community, led CTC's work to realize its ACT One vision (the theatre's goals for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion to achieve increased representation and participation of the LGBTQIAP+ community, BIPOC communities, socio-economically challenged families, and people with disabilities in the audience, staff, artists and volunteers Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion | Children's Theatre Company (childrenstheatre.org) and led efforts to make CTC a more inclusive and equitable organization.

"I am honored to serve the audience, the staff, and the artists of Children's Theatre Company in this new and exciting position," stated Michael Winn. "Over the past four years, I have experienced the deep commitment this staff has in our platform of justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and access. I look forward to our continued growth."

Winn will serve as a key member of the artistic team and lead CTC's robust new play development program. He will ensure the organization's dynamic new play development process brings in both emerging and established playwrights, composers, and creative teams to create extraordinary new work for multigenerational audiences. Michael will also work on season planning, strategic planning, scouting for new projects and the support of our creative teams as they produce new work. This newly created role more closely aligns CTC's ACT One and artistic initiatives. Winn will also continue his work to initiate, develop, and grow deep, mutually beneficial community partnerships to increase equitable inclusion of diverse audiences, artists, staff, and businesses building those relationships to sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships.

Artistic Director Peter C. Brosius stated, "We are thrilled that Michael Winn will be bringing his extraordinary insights and experience into our new play development work, season planning, and deepening our connection to artists and our community. We look forward to Michael's leadership in all aspects of our artistic work as well as continuing the powerful work he has done building community partnerships and creating a more equitable and welcoming home for staff, board, artists, and audiences."

Managing Director Kimberly Motes stated, "I am thrilled that Michael will assume this expanded role which brings together his work as an artist with his expertise in equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice as well as building mutually beneficial community partnerships. Michael has accomplished so much in the last four years to deepen our work to be a theatre for all people, all families reflective of our community. Michael is beloved in our organization, and this is an exciting next step bringing these core aspects of the organization together."

About Michael Winn: Michael Winn joined CTC in 2018 as the Director of Community Partnerships and Inclusion. Prior to joining CTC, Winn served as the Community Engagement Manager for Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. He is Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Playwrights' Center. He was a 2016 cohort member of ArtEquity National Facilitator Training as well as a member of ArtEquity 2020 BIPOC Leadership Circle, and the recipient of the 2015/16 TCG Audience Revolution Travel Grant. Michael Winn is an alumnus of the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at The Juilliard School, and holds a B.A. in History from Stillman College, an HBCU.

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) is the nation's largest and most acclaimed theatre for young people and serves a multigenerational audience. It creates theatre experiences that educate, challenge, and inspire for more than 250,000 people annually. CTC is the only theatre focused on young audiences to win the coveted Tony Award for regional theatre and is the only theatre in Minnesota to receive three Tony nominations (for its production of A Year with Frog and Toad). CTC is committed to creating world-class productions at the highest level and to developing new works, more than 200 to date, dramatically changing the canon of work for young audiences.

CTC is the most significant provider of accessible theatre education opportunities in the region. Every year, thousands of children experience theatre for the first time at CTC. Our student matinees and education programs demonstrably benefit the community, from the intergenerational conversations sparked by our world premieres, to the sequential skill-building that happens in our Theatre Arts Training, to the pre-K focus of our Early Childhood Initiative. ACT One is CTC's comprehensive platform for access, diversity, and inclusion in our audiences, programs, staff, and board that strives to ensure the theatre is a home for all people, all families, reflective of our community. childrenstheatre.org

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