The TeenTix Board of Directors announced today that Monique Courcy has been hired to replace outgoing Executive Director Holly Arsenault. Courcy will join TeenTix at the beginning of October, in anticipation of Arsenault's departure at the end of that month.
Courcy grew up in the Yakima Valley before earning a BFA in Dance from the University of Washington and an MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University. She has spent the last six years working at TeenTix partner organization On the Boards, where she manages Digital Media and OntheBoards.tv, a pioneering project that makes high-definition recordings of contemporary performances accessible to an international audience through streaming and downloads. Monique has expanded the program's national reach, producing films and developing a video-on-demand platform that now reaches thousands of students at over 100 universities across the globe. OntheBoards.tv has been profiled in the New York Times, and is the winner of a 2015 Arts Entrepreneur Award from Fractured Atlas.
Monique first became involved with TeenTix when she served as a program assistant for the Contemporary Performance Cool Kids Club while earning her MFA. She was inspired by the depth of access, space for inquisition, and close community that the program nurtured with its teen participants, and she has remained a strong ally to TeenTix ever since.
"We are so excited to have Monique leading our team," said TeenTix Board Member John Bradshaw, Managing Director of Seattle Shakespeare Company. "She has a profound commitment to
Arts Access and to creating space for young people to lead the conversation. Coupled with her experience leading a local program through a national expansion, this makes Monique is a formidable leader who we know will do an exceptional job of stewarding TeenTix through our next phase of growth."
Outgoing TeenTix Executive Director Holly Arsenault will stay on through the end of October to help transition Courcy into her new role, which will include leading TeenTix through the pilot phase of a major capacity-building project called Teens Count: The Teen Audiences Knowledge Project. Funded by The Boeing Company and the Nesholm Family Foundation, Teens Count is a first-of-its-kind effort to dramatically enhance the arts sector's knowledge of existing and potential teen audiences through data collection.
"There could be no greater gift than getting to exit this organization that I have loved for so many years knowing that it is in amazing hands," said Arsenault. "I could not be happier with the board's decision to hire Monique. She brings skills, knowledge, and ideas that will beautifully round out our small team, and she has the guts and the passion to be a powerful advocate for our mission of ensuring equitable access to the arts for all youth. The future of TeenTix is incredibly bright." Arsenault will begin her new position as Director of External Relations for the University of Washington School of Drama in November.
Courcy said, "I am elated to be the new Executive Director of TeenTix, where I can focus on supporting its critical mission to empower young people to take an active role in the arts community. I want to lead TeenTix to its next phase by strategically expanding programs to reach new audiences, deepening relationships with TeenTix's incredible arts presenting partners and community partners, and creating more opportunities for critical thinking and teen leadership in the arts sector. I can't wait to meet all the teens, parents, supporters and advocates involved with this vital organization."
ABOUT TEENTIX
In partnership with 64 regional arts organizations, TeenTix ensures equitable Arts Access for all young people, and empowers young people to engage in civic life through the arts.
TeenTix was founded in 2004 by Seattle Center, in partnership with ten of the resident arts organizations on the Seattle Center campus. In 2006, ACT Theatre became the first TeenTix partner outside of Seattle Center. Currently, 64 arts organizations throughout the Puget Sound region participate in the TeenTix program, including Seattle Symphony, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle International Film Festival, EMP Museum, 5th Avenue Theatre, and Seattle Art Fair. To date, TeenTix has facilitated the sale of over 78,000 arts tickets to teens. TeenTix is the winner of the 2014 Seattle Mayor's Arts Award in the Future Focus category.
Any teenager (13-19 years old) can sign up for a free TeenTix pass. The pass entitles them to purchase $5.00, day-of-show tickets at any TeenTix partner organization. TeenTix also provides opportunities for teens from all backgrounds to engage deeply with the arts, such as arts leadership training in The New Guard: Teen Arts Leadership Society, and arts criticism training through the TeenTix Press Corps.
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