Shruthi Mukund Tapped As Olney Theatre's First Director Of Community Engagement

Olney Theatre Center announced the addition of Shruthi Mukund to its senior staff as the theatre's first Director of Community Engagement.

The new position begins on June 1. Mukund will be responsible for envisioning, launching, and implementing a strategic array of activities that cultivate and share the creativity of communities around OTC, connect them to the makers and artistry on the OTC campus, and position the theatre as a leader of civic conversation at multiple levels.

The DCE will work to maximize the impact of OTC's programs for every community in the 10-mile radius surrounding the theatre. The position is the second major hire this year as part of OTC's strategic plan and follows the addition earlier this spring of Kevin McAllister as the Director of Curated Programs/BIPOC Artist Advocate. Both positions are commitments made by the theatre leadership in its anti-racism plan, published over the winter.

"This is a position I've long considered crucial to our mission, and I'm excited to begin working with Shruthi to make sure that Olney Theatre Center is in dialogue with all parts of our community," said Jason Loewith, Olney Theatre Center's Artistic Director. "It's one of the most important steps we can take to ensure OTC is essential and accessible to everyone around us."

Shruthi Mukund said of her position, "I am very excited to join the OTC team as the first Director of Community Engagement that grew out of an intentional strategic initiative to address the need of socially accountable programming and partnerships."

She brings more than 20 years of experience in arts programming, research, special events, and grassroots marketing, together with an equity lens to inform her work in socially accountable community engagement.

As a freelance curator, consultant, and speaker, she has created dynamic experiences through arts programming, reached new audiences through grassroots marketing and strategy, and shared knowledge in panels and presentations.

She recently successfully conceptualized and produced ResiliDANCE, the first virtual global Indian Dance Festival under the banner of IDEA, Indian Dance Educators Association.