The Contemporary Theater Company Announces New Artistic Director and Upcoming Virtual Shows

2020 is not the year that any of us expected. The Contemporary Theater Company had big plans for their 15th season, but they have had to adapt, like all of us, to the new world we have been living in for the last nine months.

The Contemporary Theater Company is not letting this pandemic stop them from reaching their long-term goals. This includes expanding the leadership team and naming a new Artistic Director, Tammy Brown.

"After 15 years at the artistic helm of the CTC, I'm extraordinarily proud to be handing the reins to Tammy," says Simpson. "This transition means that we've built something truly enduring, and that this lifelong project of passion and love is now bigger than me."

Simpson, who founded the company in 2005, will be shifting into the new role of Executive Director while Brown, who has served as Associate Artistic Director since 2019, will become the new Artistic Director.

"I'm excited for my new Executive Director role," says Simpson, "and the chance to build the internal structure of the company, while expanding our education programs, our community impact, and of course our presence in downtown Wakefield."

Brown has been a member of the theater's ensemble since 2012. She is known for performances such as Hamlet in both Hamlet (2019) and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (2018), Anne in The Father (2018), Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (2016), Bob in Bob (2013), and as a director for The Clean House (2017), Romeo & Juliet (2018), and many others.

"The CTC has been a huge part of my artistic life since 2012," says Brown, "and I'm thrilled and honored to be taking the helm at such a critical time for the theatre and for our society as a whole."

In 2020, the theater produced socially distanced work on their outdoor patio including an improvised musical and wine & paint nights. They have many virtual events planned for this winter including their Christmas Cocktail Cabaret on December 23rd and The Gift of the Magi on December 24th. They will be streamed on both Facebook and their website, and will continue to be available after those dates.

"We had The Gift of the Magi on our schedule for this winter pre-COVID," says General Manager Maggie Cady. "It's nice that we'll be able to make something from our planned season come true even if it's different than how we imagined. Doing a virtual show is an exciting new experience for us, and it involved some fun rewrites of the script to have it take place on Christmas Eve 2020."

As the company looks to the new year and plans for life post-COVID, they see lots of opportunities.

"Theatre is an artform built on connection and immediacy," says Brown, "and I can't wait to explore those aspects anew as we emerge from this pandemic into a wholly changed world. My aim is to lead the CTC into a new era centered on community engagement, cultural relevance, and artistic excellence, and I can't wait to get started!'

More information about the company is available online at www.contemporarytheatercompany.com.

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