TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Announces Debbie Chinn as Executive Director

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has announced the appointment of veteran arts administrator Debbie Chinn as its new Executive Director.

Said Chinn upon accepting the appointment, "My admiration for TheatreWorks is now in its 4th consecutive decade. Since moving to this region in the early 1990's, I have long been aware of TheatreWorks' consistent spirit of artistic innovation and commitment to providing a creative home for artists, artisans, and the greater community. This is an exhilarating moment for all of us in the arts industry as we come together to design a whole new model for what it means to be a regional theatre and a meaningful member of the communities that we serve. I am eager to return to my beloved theatre roots, to partner with Tim and this dynamic team, and to make history along the way."

Coming to TheatreWorks following a comprehensive national search led by Arts Consulting Group, Chinn will assume the post November 15, 2022, replacing the outgoing Phil Santora, who concluded his 15-year tenure at TheatreWorks at the end of July.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Artistic Director Tim Bond notes, "I have admired Debbie Chinn from afar for many years and am excited to begin our partnership. I am energized by her passion, uplifted by her life story, and inspired by her innovative perspectives. Debbie's leadership will be transformational for TheatreWorks as we embark on this next phase of our 52-year journey."

With a distinguished career of more than thirty years in the theatre and performing arts, Chinn has worked as an arts activist, and led as both managing director and executive director, as well as served on the Board of Directors for some of the nation's leading arts organizations. A skilled fundraiser who excels in developing diverse community partnerships, Chinn's multidisciplinary expertise spans strategic planning, fund development, community/civic engagement, artistic programming, board and staff development, social responsibility campaigns, and financial management.

Chinn comes to TheatreWorks directly upon completion of her current work as Managing Director for Anna Deavere Smith's Pipeline Projects, a sequel to Smith's film and play Notes from the Field.

A trusted voice within the non-profit arts world, Chinn is a leader in civic and arts activism in the Bay Area and beyond. She recently served as the Board President of Theatre Bay Area and has previously served on the boards of Theatre Communications Group and Association of California Symphony Orchestras. She is currently on the boards of the Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco, San Francisco Community Music Center, and Playwrights Foundation; serves on the Advisory Council of West Edge Opera; and is on the Leadership Council for National Small Business Association.

Chinn has led some of the country's most renowned cultural institutions and their programs. In the Bay Area she served as Executive Director of Opera Parallèle, where she established institutional vision, strategic planning, fund development campaigns, external relationships, arts and education advocacy, and community enrichment programming. During her tenure, Opera Parallèle presented its first commissioned opera, launching the world premiere in San Francisco, a production for which Chinn secured the lead supporting grant and helped fully underwrite the production costs.

In her previous post as Executive Director of Carmel Bach Festival, Chinn not only oversaw the administrative functions, but she also curated year-round artistic and educational programs. Among her achievements, she deepened the organization's connection to Carmel's surrounding communities, engaging in authentic partnerships across the "lettuce curtain" with Salinas County youth organizations, developing workshops and concerts, enabling shared ownership of the work presented, amplification of community stories, and increasing local attendance.

As the Managing Director of California Shakespeare Theater, she led the successful fundraising efforts to launch Cal Shakes' $8.5 million capital campaign, securing lead gifts and managing the strategic rebuild of annual fundraising campaigns to solidify major individual support.

Says TheatreWorks Board of Trustees Chair Holly Ward, "On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we welcome Debbie's infectious enthusiasm and energy as she returns to regional theatre at this crucial time in our history. We feel so lucky to have engaged Debbie at this juncture, fresh from her important work with Anna Deavere Smith, which inspired Debbie's deep reexamination of the role theatre can and should play in our modern lives. Her experience in community building, as evidenced by her extensive work with the Carmel Bach Festival in expanding its reach into the nearby Salinas Valley, gives us confidence that she will provide the outreach we are looking for to further engage our entire Bay Area Community. This partnership between Tim Bond and Debbie Chinn is exactly what we hoped for, to boldly lead TheatreWorks into its next era."

Chinn has also served as the Interim Director of Development Programs for Philadelphia Orchestra Association and the Managing Director of Baltimore Center Stage, and has worked with Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, San Francisco Symphony, Center Theatre Group, The Music Center of Los Angeles, and American Conservatory Theatre. She has collaborated with clients as an advisor and consultant, including acting as Philadelphia Orchestra Association's China Residency Consultant as they embarked upon an international tour to China, coordinating partnerships, corporate sponsorships, and events with Chinese musicians, government members, and cultural officials for this historic event. She is currently the creative consultant for writer William Kinsolving

on the development of his new musical That Week With The Bachs, which will be presented at

the Spacious Grace Festival in the nave of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco in February 2023.

Receiving a Bachelor of Arts from University of Southern California and completing the Stanford Graduate School of Business' Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders, Chinn is also an author; she recently published Dancing in Their Light, A Daughter's Unfinished Memoir, recounting her experience as the daughter of Chinese immigrants and how it shaped her passions for business, philanthropy, and inclusivity.

Chinn will join the company full time in November of 2022. Until Chinn comes aboard, the company will be managed by Interim Executive Director Karena Fiorenza, who comes to TheatreWorks following a search by Arts Consulting Group. Fiorenza brings two decades of experience as a leader, fundraiser and producer in the performing arts. Previous tenures include General Manager for Steppenwolf Theatre and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Associate Managing director at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Yale Repertory Theatre, and Executive Director of contemporary dance company Robert Moses' Kin. She is the CEO/Founder of Ánimo Consulting, a management consulting firm that supports organizations with strategy, culture building, coaching, change management and fractional CEO & COO services. She holds two bachelor's degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and an MFA in Theater Management from Yale University.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, led by Artistic Director Tim Bond, presents a wide variety of contemporary plays and musicals, revitalizes great works of the past, and serves more than 100,000 patrons per year. Founded in 1970 by Robert Kelley, TheatreWorks has grown from a truly original Silicon Valley start-up to become one of the nation's leading professional non-profit theatre companies. TheatreWorks was recently honored as the recipient of the 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award. TheatreWorks also champions new work, offering artists support and a creative home as they develop new stories for the American theatre. Offstage, TheatreWorks' arts education programs in local schools and arts engagement programs in Silicon Valley neighborhoods uplift its audiences and strengthen community bonds. Whether onstage or off, TheatreWorks welcomes the mosaic of people that embody the Bay Area and beyond, celebrating the transformative power of theatre to ignite imagination, inspire conversation, and interconnect our human spirits.

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