Writers Theatre Announces New Managing Director and Director of Institutional Advancement

Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, announces the promotion of Jon Faris to Managing Director and Carly Magill to Director of Institutional Advancement. Lauren Sale also joins the Writers team as Director of Education.

"This is an incredibly exciting time at Writers Theatre," says Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma. "As we kick off our 25th Anniversary and our first full season in our new building, we are thrilled to welcome a new member of our senior team, and to recognize the commitment of two amazing staff members with well-deserved leadership promotions. We look forward to this team-along with the rest of our amazing staff-helping to lead this organization forward in the years ahead."

Writers Theatre General Manager Jon Faris has been promoted to Managing Director, where he will work in close collaboration with Halberstam and Lipuma to provide strategic leadership for Writers Theatre. He will collaborate in the general management and day-to-day operations of the Theater, including hiring and contracting all artists, annual budgeting, facilities maintenance, and managing other special projects.

Faris joined Writers Theatre in 2005 and managed the design and construction of the new theatre center designed by Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects. Previously, Faris was The Managing director of Uma Productions and worked at Steppenwolf Theatre Company as the Coordinator of The School at Steppenwolf and as the assistant to Artistic Director Martha Lavey and Executive Director David Hawkanson. A graduate of Northwestern University, he has guest lectured on arts management at Northwestern University and serves on the alumni advisory board for NU's Theatre Management Module program.

Writers Theatre Associate Director of Institutional Advancement Carly Magill has been promoted to Director of Institutional Advancement, where she will oversee the planning and execution of fundraising efforts, including securing resources from major donors, individuals, corporations, foundations, government agencies, and through benefit fundraising events for annual and reserve funds.

Magill joined Writers Theatre in 2012 and attended DePaul University's M.F.A. Arts Leadership program, combining coursework with a full-time fellowship position at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. There she coordinated the annual Gala which raised over $1 million, participated in the collective bargaining process with Actors' Equity Association, helped present CST's performances of the international production Being Harold Pinter by the Belarus Free Theatre and managed the 2011 Short Shakespeare! tour. Prior to her tenure at CST, Carly served as an Account Executive at a Minneapolis PR and advertising agency and also served as Managing Director of a small theatre company dedicated to new work which, under her leadership, premiered a production at the Guthrie Theatre's festival of emerging artists.

Lauren Sale has been named Director of Education, coming to Writers from Florida Repertory Theatre where she served as Education Director. She will take over the development,

execution, and oversight of Writers Theatre's education programs that reach over 10,000 students in the Chicagoland area annually. She will also be responsible for the implementation of in-school residency programs, an annual touring production, and onsite programming including student matinees, workshops, and a teen Youth Council, as well as collaborating in the artistic programming and implementation of audience engagement events in conjunction with the annual season.

Originally from North Carolina, Lauren is a graduate of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London with an MA in Applied Theatre (Drama Education and Drama in the Community). Lauren has over ten years' experience as a Teaching Artist and Education Administrator and earned her BFA in Theatre Performance from Niagara University. While working in London, Lauren was at the Young Vic Theatre as Schools and Colleges Administrator. There she organized and facilitated schools' visits to the theatre and all in-school residency programs. With Tender Education and Arts, Lauren coordinated and facilitated The Choice and Responsibility Project, an initiative that integrated drama and theatre in elementary and high schools across London to explore healthy relationships. As a director, she worked with Hampstead and Stagecoach Theatre Arts (London) and Camp Echo Lake (New York) directing and devising performance with young people. In Chicago, Lauren has worked as a teaching artist delivering performing arts and arts integration programs in theatres and schools across Chicago. Her credits include projects with Writers Theatre, Auditorium Theatre, Adventure Stage Chicago, Actors Training Center, Dream Big Performing Arts, and Stagecoach Park Ridge.

ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE

For 25 years, Writers Theatre has captivated Chicagoland audiences with inventive interpretations of classic work, a bold approach to Contemporary Theatre and a dedication to creating the most intimate theatrical experience possible.

Under the artistic leadership of Michael Halberstam and the executive leadership of Kathryn M. Lipuma, Writers Theatre has grown to become a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence, being called the top regional theatre in the nation by The Wall Street Journal. The company, which plays to a sold-out and discerning audience of more than 60,000 patrons each season, has garnered critical praise for the consistent high quality and intimacy of its artistry-providing the finest interpretations of both classic and Contemporary Theatre in its two intensely intimate venues.

In February 2016, Writers Theatre opened a new, state-of-the-art facility. This established the company's first permanent home-a new theatre center in downtown Glencoe, designed by the award-winning, internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects, led by Founder and Design Principal Jeanne Gang, FAIA, in collaboration with Theatre Consultant Auerbach Pollock Friedlander. The new facility has allowed the Theatre to continue to grow to accommodate its audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy. The new facility resonates with and complements the Theatre's neighboring Glencoe community, adding tremendous value to Chicagoland and helping to establish the North Shore as a premier cultural destination.

Find Writers Theatre on Facebook at Facebook.com/WritersTheatre or follow @WritersTheatre on Twitter. For more information, visitwww.writerstheatre.org.

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