Cal Shakes Names SK Kerastas Artistic Producer

California Shakespeare Theater today announced the appointment of SK Kerastas (pronouns: they/them) as the company's new Artistic Producer. In addition to working closely with Artistic Director Eric Ting to plan and produce the Main Stage season, Kerastas will oversee Engagement programming, underscoring Ting's efforts to make artistic engagement an intrinsic element of the company's productions.

"Over the past few years, SK Kerastas has proven themselves not just an invaluable member of the Bay Area artistic community but a vital voice in the American theater," Ting says. "I'm thrilled to welcome SK to the Cal Shakes family as our new Artistic Producer-where they've already become a cornerstone of our work with artists and audiences at the Bruns and in our community collaborations."

Kerastas says, "I am deeply inspired by Cal Shakes' efforts to blend artistic engagement with artistic development and visioning. It's fascinating to see the how these efforts can transform and expand our ideas of what is classic in a theater context. Eric's dedication to long-term, shared building is a tenant of ethical community-centered work and a central reason I am so excited to be part of the mix."

Coming off of a Visiting Artistic Associate position at Berkeley Repertory Theatre through Theatre Communications Group's Leadership U program, SK Kerastas has received national recognition for their arts leadership and commitment to arts activism. As a trans-identified theater artist, educator, organizer, and producer, Kerastas has been at the center of a national thrust towards Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) work. Along with Lisa Evans, they co-founded #BreakingtheBinary, a series of arts programming and EDI Workshops for arts organizations with the goal of creating and supporting sustainable practices for trans inclusion and accessibility. In the past year they have produced events and led programming at American Repertory Theatre, ArtsEmerson, APASO (Associate of Performing Arts Service Organizations), and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Prior to moving out west, Kerastas served as the Education Director at About Face Theatre in Chicago where they directed and managed the queer youth theater program and all outreach programs with an intersectional focus. They are an Executive Co-Chair of the Pride Youth Theatre Alliance and a member of the inaugural artEquity cohort.

California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes), under the leadership of Artistic Director Eric Ting and Managing Director Susie Falk, is now in its 43rd season as a nationally-recognized leader in drawing on the power of authentic, inclusive storytelling to create more vibrant communities. Serving more than 43,000 people annually, Cal Shakes invites people from all walks of life to make deeply-felt connections with our shared humanity through its work onstage, in schools, and with people in non-traditional settings throughout the Bay Area who have little or no access to theater. In 2016 Cal Shakes celebrated the 25th anniversary of its artistic home, the magnificent Bruns Amphitheater, named "one of the most beautiful outdoor performing spaces in America" by the Wall Street Journal. For more information, visit www.calshakes.org.

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