TimeLine Theatre Company Names Mica Cole as New Executive Director

TimeLine Theatre Company announced today that it has named Mica Cole as the company's new Executive Director, effective May 16.

A Chicago native raised on the South Side, Cole brings nearly two decades of experience as an arts administrator and changemaker, including as a national consultant providing executive coaching and strategic planning for cultural institutions working to embrace an antiracist leadership paradigm. She previously served for eight seasons as the Repertory Producer at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and in Chicago as Executive Director of Free Street Theater and Director of Education and Engagement at Writers Theatre, among numerous other leadership achievements.

Cole will become the co-equal leader of TimeLine alongside PJ Powers as Artistic Director, guiding the company's strategic and financial direction, Board and staff development, productions, and its many other organizational goals.

Cole's appointment is part of a planned leadership expansion for the company, as former Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman takes on the new role of Director of New Home Development, focusing on managing TimeLine's new home development project in Uptown.

To assist with these transitions over the next few months, TimeLine's General Manager Dan McArdle has been named Interim Managing Director.

"I am honored and excited to serve alongside PJ and the entire TimeLine company during this most auspicious moment-as the work onstage is thriving and the company is cementing its commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access with a new home in one of Chicago's most diverse neighborhoods," Cole said. "I'm deeply inspired by that commitment and by the theatre's thoughtful and ongoing reflection on what it means to embody the values of antiracism. I look forward to building upon TimeLine's 25-year legacy of fiscal responsibility, thoughtful stewardship and to the deepening of its mission and continued expansion of programming and community engagement."

"I'm ecstatic to welcome Mica to TimeLine and to partner with-and learn from-such a visionary leader who will raise the bar for what TimeLine is and can become," Powers said. "I've admired Mica for years, and she lights up any room she enters. Her warmth, generous spirit, compassion, depth of listening, and sense of humor infuse all who engage with her. I can't wait for the full TimeLine community to get to experience how inspiring Mica is, and I'm elated to work alongside her for the exciting work ahead. Mica's depth of experience will advance our ability to grow, help guide TimeLine into its new home in Uptown, expand our position as artistic and civic leaders, as well as further TimeLine's commitment to being an antiracist, equitable, and inclusive organization."

Cole's appointment concludes an extensive national search facilitated by Arts Consulting Group and guided by a TimeLine search committee comprised of Powers, Board President John Sterling, Board members Michelle T. Boone and Anne Voshel, Company members Anish Jethmalani and Ron OJ Parson, and Staff members Tiffany Fulson and Kellyn Henthorn. In accordance with TimeLine's governing by-laws, the Board of Directors and team of artistic Company Members collectively made the final decision to approve Cole's appointment.

"Our entire Board of Directors is thrilled to have Mica joining TimeLine," Sterling said. "She fits our 'wish list' criteria for a new Executive Director like a key fits its lock. We have elevated our organization in a myriad of ways adding Mica to our leadership. I cannot wait to watch and experience what is in store for TimeLine's next chapter."

Sterling continued: "We also are forever grateful for the amazing work Elizabeth Auman has done over the past 14 years and know her work as Director of New Home Development will enable us to open a marvelous theatre that is of its community in Uptown. We are also grateful to Interim Managing Director Dan McArdle, who has been tirelessly working to make all of these transitions seamless. We could not be more fortunate to have Mica join us to build on this legacy of leadership."

"I'm grateful for the tireless work of the search committee that has led to the hiring of Mica," Auman said. "The opportunities and challenges ahead of us during the next decade are exciting and require an expanded team and new perspectives. I have followed Mica's career for years, and I'm delighted that she's chosen to join TimeLine at this transformative time."

BIOGRAPHIES

A Chicago native raised on the South Side, Mica Cole has worked as an arts administrator and changemaker for nearly two decades. Most recently, she has been a national consultant providing executive coaching and strategic planning for cultural institutions working to embrace an antiracist leadership paradigm. Cole is a consultant with artEquity, a nonprofit organization that provides tools, training, and resources for individuals and organizations working at the intersection of art and activism. She co-led its BIPOC Surviving Predominantly White Institutions Series and the BIPOC Leadership Circle-both aimed at providing resources and mentorship to leaders of color. Prior to her work as an organizational consultant, Cole served eight seasons as the Repertory Producer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. As a senior leader at OSF, she played a key role in guiding the company's equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, many of which now serve as foundational organizational models for institutions around the world. Cole has produced more than 80 shows, including a dozen transfers and national co-productions of new plays with theatres such as American Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, South Coast Rep, Arena Stage, Portland Center Stage, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. She worked in Chicago as the Executive Director of Free Street Theater and as the Director of Education and Engagement at Writers Theatre. Cole served on the advisory committee for the Latinx Theatre Commons and is a founding member of the Black Theatre Commons. She is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Elizabeth K. Auman joined TimeLine Theatre in October 2007 and since then has overseen a quadrupling of the company's budget; the largest capital improvements in the company's history; extended runs of multiple shows; the expansion of TimeLine's programming to additional venues, most recently Relentless at Goodman Theatre and Oslo at the Broadway Playhouse; and multiple awards for excellence in arts management, including the 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Prior to TimeLine, Auman spent 15 years at Victory Gardens Theater, 12 as General Manager. During that time, she helped guide Victory Gardens through major transitions and accomplishments, including budget growth from $1.2 million to $3 million, receiving the Tony Award for Regional Theatre in 2001, an $11.8 million capital campaign, and the move to the Biograph Theater in 2006.

Dan McArdle joined TimeLine as the company's first General Manager in 2014. Prior to TimeLine, he spent three seasons as Managing Director of The Neo-Futurists, producing more than 750 public events, overseeing numerous production extensions, expanding local touring efforts, and initiating new ticketing policies to stimulate financial security. McArdle holds an MFA degree in Arts Leadership from DePaul University, where he combined coursework with a full-time fellowship at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. In Chicago, he also has held positions at Lookingglass Theatre, Theatre Seven of Chicago, and Goodman Theatre.

ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY

TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Currently entering its 25th season, TimeLine has presented 82 productions, including 10 world premieres and 38 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program, which brings the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 58 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.

The company has long been bursting at the seams of its current leased home located at 615 W. Wellington Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview East neighborhood, where the theatre has been in residence since 1999. In December 2018, TimeLine announced the purchase of property at 5033-35 North Broadway in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood to be the site of its new home. Plans feature an intimate black box theatre seating up to 250 audience members, expanded area for the immersive lobby experiences that are a TimeLine hallmark, new opportunities for education and engagement, room to allow audience members to arrive early and stay late for theatergoing experiences that extend far beyond the stage, and more. TimeLine is working with HGA as architect for its new home project, which is expected to be completed in early 2024.

TimeLine Company members are Tyla Abercrumbie, Will Allan, Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Wardell Julius Clark, Behzad Dabu, Charles Andrew Gardner, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Anish Jethmalani, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, and Maren Robinson.

Major corporate, government and foundation supporters of TimeLine Theatre include the Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Arts Consulting Group, Bayless Family Foundation, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, City of Chicago, Crown Family Philanthropies, Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Forum Fund, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Laughing Acres Family Foundation, MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, National Endowment for the Arts, Polk Bros. Foundation, Pritzker Traubert Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, United States Small Business Administration, and Walder Foundation.

For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com or Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@TimeLineTheatre).

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