TUTA Theatre Announces New Artistic Leadership Team

TUTA Theatre has announced that Aziza Macklin, Aileen Wen McGroddy and Jacqueline Stone will be the company's new Co-Artistic Directors effective November 1, 2022. Together they will plan, program and lead the company's 20th season in Chicago.

Stone, the Artistic Director of TUTA for the last ten years, will be joined by longtime Arts Leaders, Directors, and Educators Macklin and McGroddy, each of whom have served as Company Members in past years. All three will lead the innovative organization to create and oversee artistic programming, educational offerings and community engagement.

In the upcoming year, McGroddy will be the primary lead on programming and directing full productions, Macklin will oversee TUTAlab, a series for new work development and community engagement and Stone will focus on digital programming such as TUTA's 1 Minute Global Project and education. All three will be engaged in planning future seasons, strategic planning, development and new initiatives. In addition, a continued focus on bringing TUTA's work outside of Chicago will remain with each of the three leaders based in different areas of the United States (Chicago, NYC and Denver areas).

"The people who make up The Utopian Theatre Asylum (TUTA) have had such a profound impact on my artistic journey in Chicago since 2017," Macklin shared. "Their creativity, ingenuity, talent, and community are spread all over the world, and I'm so excited that we have been able to pivot and adapt to the many changes since 2020. I'm humbled to step into a leadership role with Jackie and Aileen, two people whose leadership I admire, and I'm looking forward to this season of leading while learning."

"I am delighted to embark on the collaborative leadership of TUTA with these two amazing people. TUTA has a legacy of bold artistic experimentation across the many disciplines that make up theatre, and I look forward to growing the wild imagination and deep curiosity that this company fosters," McGroddy said.

"I am honored by the opportunity to continue to co-lead TUTA, alongside the incredible talents that both Aziza and Aileen bring to the organization. I have witnessed each of them bring countless new and innovative creative ideas to TUTA, with a deep understanding of our mission, vision, ensemble and audiences. Their collective strengths and varied backgrounds as artists allow TUTA to grow in new ways, building on the strength of a 20-year tradition of excellence," said Stone.

The team joins Managing Director Brad Gunter and Creative Producer Helen Lattyak as they embark on TUTA's 20th season in Chicago, planning an upcoming slate of innovative productions, classes and community events. TUTA plans to celebrate the new team with a Punch Bowl Social celebration on Sunday, November 13 at TUTA Theatre, 4670 N. Manor Ave. in Chicago. Attendees will get the opportunity to meet Aziza, Aileen and Jacqueline in person, hear the company's season plans and support 22-23 programming including TUTA's free student ticket initiative. TUTA's mission is to excite the American audience with theatre that is both relevant and challenging in form and/or content. The company is committed to producing theatrical and educational events that bridge all forms of cultural and geographical divides.

About Aziza Macklin

Aziza Macklin is an actor, educator and director. A native of Columbus, Ohio, she received her BFA in Acting from Wright State University in Dayton (2012), and her MA in Performing Arts Administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago (2022). Chicago credits include: Hedda Gabler (TUTA), Avenue Q (Metropolis Performing Arts Centre), Crowns (MPAACT), Anonymous and Women (Cuckoo's Theatre Project) and The Wiz (Emerald City Theatre). Other Chicago credits include Bechdel Fest 7 (Broken Nose Theatre), When They Came, (Piven Theatre Workshop), The Secret of the Biological Clock, (Eclectic Full Contact Theatre), Forecast (For Youth Inquiry), Edge of Life (Glass Apple Theatre), By Definition (BYOT Productions), Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Tubman: Road to Freedom, Chicago: Our Kind of Town, The BFG and Anne Frank: Thinking Myself Out (GreatWorks Theatre Company) Ohio credits include: Blacktop Sky (Know Theatre of Cincinnati), Love and Information (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati) and two years with the Columbus Children's Theatre Touring Company where she played over 40 roles. Aziza holds a passionate love for education and Theater for Young Audiences, moonlighting as a substitute teacher for nearly 7 years. She currently directs multiple shows for GreatWorks Theatre Company and is the Audience Experience Manager at the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts at Northwestern University.

About Aileen Wen McGroddy

Aileen Wen McGroddy is a Chinese- and Irish-American theatre director, educator and producer of live events. Her work is imaginative, inclusive and playfully experimental, coming from a robust background in physical theatre and a deep commitment to hospitality. She grew up outside of New York City, went to college at the University of Chicago (2010) and lived and worked in Chicago until moving to Providence, RI for her MFA in Directing from Brown-Trinity (2022). She is currently a 2050 Fellow at New York Theatre Workshop and the BOLD Resident Director at Northern Stage. She is currently directing A Christmas Carol at Trinity Rep. Past work includes: The Chinese Lady (Kitchen Theatre and Geva Theatre Center); The Late Wedding, The Dumb Waiter, Summer and Smoke and The Tempest (Brown-Trinity); Throwback Island, On The Y-Axis, Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies and Yogurt (Writing is Live); Or, and Dani Girl (Winnipesaukee Playhouse); Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical and The Snowy Day (Emerald City Theatre); Montauciel Takes Flight (Lifeline Theatre); Ulysses (The Plagiarists); A Hero's Journey, The Hunting of the Snark, Robin Hood and The Pied Piper (The Forks & Hope Ensemble); The Whiskey Radio Hour, Wake: A Folk Opera, Kodachrome Telephone and Sign of Rain (The Whiskey Rebellion); Gentle, The Edge of Our Bodies, Music Hall, The Anyway Cabaret (TUTA); The Nose and Reika and the Wolves (Mudlark Theatre and YASI at Trinity Rep); and In This Final Century (Theatre-Hikes). She has directed readings for The Bushwick Starr, Clubbed Thumb, The Yale Drama Prize, Northern Stage and Babes with Blades. She has assisted at The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, Trinity Rep, Court Theatre, The Actors' Gymnasium, The Hypocrites and The House Theatre of Chicago.

About Jacqueline Stone

Jacqueline Stone is a theatre director, educator and arts leader. She is currently the Producing Artistic Director of Breckenridge Backstage Theatre in Breckenridge, CO. Prior to this position, she spent the last ten years serving as the sole Artistic Director at the acclaimed TUTA Theatre in Chicago, delivering bold international productions and professional actor training programs. Highlights at TUTA include directing the world premiere of Hedda Gabler (as well as adapting), Off-Broadway (59E59 Theaters) and Chicago premieres of Adam Rapp's The Edge of Our Bodies, world premiere of The Anyway Cabaret and U.S. premiere of The Silent Language. She's performed in over twelve highly regarded productions including smash hit productions of Uncle Vanya, The Wedding, Baal and Alice. From 2016-2020, Stone served as the Artistic Director of Emerald City Theatre Company, Chicago's largest professional theatre for young audiences. Highlights include Chicago premieres of Fantastic Mr. Fox, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and The Snowy Day, world premieres of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Peter Rabbit and Mother Goose's Garden, and Junie B. Jones and Ramona Quimby. Other select directing credits include The Second City, Broadway in Chicago, Piven Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, Chicago Immersive, Chicago Dramatists, Mudlark Theater and Akvavit Theatre. Stone is the co-founder of Sirens, the longest running all-female improv ensemble in the country. She has created and performed in over two hundred original shows with them around the country.

Jacqueline has taught acting and improvisation at The Second City - Chicago for ten years and Columbia College Chicago for five years. She served as Education Director of Emerald City Theatre for twelve years, building and fostering new acting programs for thousands of young people across Chicago. Other select teaching credits include The Faculty of Dramatic Arts (Belgrade, Serbia), University of Chicago, Duke University, UCLA, Miami Improv Festival, and Chicago Improv Festival.

About TUTA Theatre

TUTA was established in 1995 in Washington, D.C. by co-founders Zeljko and Natasha Djukic, who brought a unique sense of artistic expression from their European homeland. In 2002, they relocated the company to Chicago. In the ensuing decade, TUTA has presented numerous U.S. premieres of foreign plays from France, Russia, Austria, and Serbia. TUTA has produced seven world premieres, eight U.S. premieres, four Midwest premieres and a number of modern re-imagining of classics. TUTA's productions have been listed on Chicago critics' 'Best of the Year' list seven times in the past ten years and have been produced nationally (in LA and Off-Broadway in NYC) and internationally (in Serbia with The National Theatre in Belgrade). During the 2018-2019 season, TUTA produced the U.S. premiere of Radio Culture, by Maxim Dosko for a six-month run, resulting in the longest consecutively running production in TUTA's history. In 2020, TUTA produced the world premiere of Hedda Gabler, which was cut short due to the city mandates in the wake of Covid-19. TUTA regularly hosts professional training programs for artists focusing on the unique process of the company.

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