Steep Theatre Names New Executive Director

Artistic Director Peter Moore and Board President Ted Lowitz have announced that Kate Piatt-Eckert, who has been serving as Steep Theatre's Business Manger for over a year, will be stepping into the role of Executive Director of Steep Theatre Company.

The company and the board could not be more thrilled to welcome Kate into the position. In just over a year, she has had an enormous impact on the efficiency of the organization and given the company a glimpse of what the future can hold for Steep with a gifted administrator at the helm. Kate will work closely with Peter Moore and Managing Director Julia Siple to achieve Steep's goals for growth and expanded programming. She will support the work of the artistic ensemble that has grown from rag-tag group with a tiny budget to an incredible group of artists with a beautiful theatre and a body of work that is admired throughout the city.

"We have big dreams for the future of Steep, and realizing those dreams hinges on having the right person in place to fully dedicate themselves to Steep's fiscal and organizational development. Kate is that person, and with her in place as Executive Director, our company, and specifically Julia as Managing Director and myself as Artistic Director, can shift more of our focus towards making great theatre. That is an exciting prospect for all involved." (Peter Moore, Artistic Director)

"We are thrilled that Kate accepted our offer to become Steep's Executive Director. Kate is passionate about Steep's place in the Chicago theater world. She has a deep affection for our particular brand of storytelling, she appreciates our history of presenting plays that tell powerful, compelling stories and our tradition of bringing Chicago's finest actors face to face with Chicago's most daring audiences. Having Kate on the Steep team will allow us to expand Steep's reach beyond the select group of theater-goers who have already discovered us." (Ted Lowitz, Board President)

Kate began her career in theatre as a stage manager, and her relationship with Steep began when she stage-managed the company's productions of The Night Heron and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot in 2006. Since then she has earned a Master's Degree in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and established herself as an effective and dynamic arts leader while serving as the Interim Managing Director of River North Dance Chicago.

"Steep produces some of the most beautiful and compelling work I've ever seen on stage, and it is an honor to have the opportunity to work with Steep's incredibly talented ensemble and committed board to bring this work to more people. I have truly found my artistic home." (Kate Piatt-Eckert)

Steep Theatre has become known as a home for hard-hitting, finely tuned ensemble work. With each production, the company has shepherded a growing community of audiences and stakeholders into bold new territories of story and performance. Over the years, Steep productions have been named in TimeOut Chicago's Top Ten Shows of the Year list five times, the Tribune's Top Ten List twice, the Tribune's Best of the Fringe list twice, the Sun Times' best of the year list twice, and WBEZ's Top Ten Shows of the Decade. Steep has received 21 Jeff Nominations and has won the 2009 Jeff Award for Best Ensemble, the 2010 Jeff Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the 2011 Jeff Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Steep was named the 2010 Broadway in Chicago Emerging Theatre Award Winner.

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