Fin Coe and Stephanie Shum Named The New Colony's New Co-Artistic Directors

The Board of Directors of The New Colony is pleased to announce the appointment of Fin Coe and Stephanie Shum as the company's new Co-Artistic Directors. Coe and Shum succeed Founding Members and Co-Artistic Directors Andrew Hobgood and Evan Linder, who will step down in January 2018 at the conclusion of the company's ninth season.

"We are so pleased to welcome of Fin Coe and Stephanie Shum as our new artistic leaders," comments The New Colony Board President Emilee Lales. "We are fortunate they will gift us with their outstanding artistry, numerous relationships within the Chicago theater community, a detailed knowledge of the company's history and an infectious enthusiasm for telling new and original stories on stage. We are grateful to our outgoing Co-Artistic Directors Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood for their visionary work the past decade - and we are extremely excited by the fresh, inclusive and creative vision that Stephanie and Fin will use to take us into our second decade. The entire board and staff looks forward to working with them in their new roles.

Comments Fin Coe, "I am a longtime admirer of Andy and Evan's work with The New Colony, a company that immediately captured my imagination when I first moved to Chicago. It's been an honor to get to know and work with the company, and then join this artistic family. The New Colony is the place where you're going to find a play that must surely have been written just for you, and you alone, and that's something incredibly special. I'm thrilled that I can now use the experience and skills I've acquired since I saw my first show here to help keep the vision and the artistic dream growing and thriving."

Adds Stephanie Shum, "I'm thrilled to be a part of The New Colony's future in this new capacity alongside one of my dearest collaborators and the company's dedicated board and inspiring ensemble. I count myself very lucky to call The New Colony home and I look forward to charging into our tenth season in fierce support of furthering our mission and new works process."

About Fin Coe and Stephanie Shum

Fin Coe is an incoming Co-Artistic Director of The New Colony, after having previously been in The Writer's Room, the cast of Merge and the company's Ensemble. He served as the Executive Director for Pretty/Windy from 2010-2014, the Associate Artistic Director for Halcyon Theatre from 2014-2017, a Co-Founding Producer of the Chicago Nerd Comedy Festival from 2013-2014 and has worked with a number of other organizations on the development of new work in comedy and storefront theatre in Chicago. Fin has received training from Case Western Reserve University, the iO and The Second City, and has performed with A-Squared, Redmoon and Halcyon, among other theatres. He was most recently onstage in The Wild Boar at Silk Road Rising.

Stephanie Shum is an incoming Co-Artistic Director of The New Colony where she is an Ensemble Member and has held the position of Managing Director for five years. She is also a company member and Associate Producer with Red Tape Theatre, serves on the board of the League of Chicago Theatres and previously worked as Marketing Manager at Lookingglass Theatre. As an actor, she has performed with The New Colony in Merge, Kin Folk, reWILDing Genius and Kate and Sam Are Not Breaking Up, and has also worked at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, American Theater Company, Redtwist, Walkabout, Victory Gardens, Silk Road Rising and The Goodman, among others. She will next appear at 16th Street Theater in Harbur Gate. Stephanie holds a BComm from McGill University and has trained at the School at Steppenwolf.

About The New Colony

The New Colony develops NEW ART and NEW ARTISTS in order to educate and build NEW AUDIENCES. Founded in 2008, The New Colony has established itself as "one of Chicago's essential off-Loop companies" (Chicago Tribune) having developed and produced over 25 world-premiere plays and musicals garnering four Joseph Jefferson Awards, the 2011 Broadway in Chicago Emerging Theatre Award, and Best Overall Production at the 2012 New York International Fringe Festival. The New Colony is a resident company of The Den Theatre located in Wicker Park.

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