Chicago Dramatists Welcomes Meghan Beals McCarthy as Artistic Director

Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., is proud to announce that Meghan Beals McCarthy has been hired as the theatre's new Associate Artistic Director. A director, dramaturg, arts administrator, and Associate Artist with Chicago Dramatists for several years, McCarthy was chosen after a nationwide search of over 80 applicants for the position. She will assume her position August 15.

McCarthy is both a promising and dynamic addition to Chicago's home to playwrights. Chicago Dramatists' Artistic Director Russ Tutterow, who worked with McCarthy earlier this year on the theatre's production of BORDELLO, said of McCarthy, "Our partnership with Meghan will make an important contribution to our ever-expanding programming. Meghan's background, accomplishments and energy will help us move into the future as we serve and nurture the next generation of American Playwrights."

In 2009, Chicago Dramatists was selected as a recipient of a highly competitive grant from the Theatre Communications Group, which providEd Salary support of Richard Perez as Associate Artistic Director, to be mentored by Russ Tutterow for a two-year period. The grant ends in August and now Chicago Dramatists is able to continue this important role by combining it with the part-time Director of Youth and Community Programming position, which has been held for the past six years by Ilesa Duncan. As the new Associate Artistic Director, McCarthy will provide leadership to 185 Chicago Dramatists Network Playwrights and the Chicago Dramatists Arts Education Program serving 500 students in the Chicago Public Schools. Both Perez and Duncan will continue working with Chicago Dramatists as Associate Artists and stage directors.

McCarthy previously served as both Resident Dramaturg and Literary Manager of Northlight Theatre. In her three-year tenure, McCarthy produced Interplay, a new-play reading series, and acted as dramaturg on all programmed plays. Prior to this position, McCarthy was the Project Assistant for the first three seasons of the First Look Repertory of New Work at Steppenwolf, where she coordinated and moderated "First Look 101," the audience-enrichment component of the program. Previously, she was also the Artistic Associate at the Pearl Theatre Company, a classical theatre company in New York City. She served as casting director, manager of the company's extensive artistic research and development endeavors, and co-produced the Arts in Education program for NYC high school students. As a director, McCarthy has worked with companies such as Goodman, Steppenwolf, Northlight, Chicago Dramatists, Collaboraction, Pavement Group and Theatre Seven and the Women's Project, Abingdon Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre and The Pearl, among others. She is also currently serving as Interim Artistic Director of Caffeine Theatre, for whom she directed Madeleine Olnek's WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY. McCarthy earned her B.A. in Theatre at the University of Southern California and her M.F.A. in Directing at The Theatre School at DePaul University.

About Chicago Dramatists
In the fall of 1979, four playwrights came together to hear their work read aloud and to hone their craft. Today, Chicago Dramatists' amazing record of achievement has landed it an invaluable place in the artistic community as a vital source of inspiration to 40 resident playwrights, 160 associate playwrights, 60 associate artists, and thousands of audience members. Over the past three decades, Chicago Dramatists has worked with over a thousand playwrights, produced and developed thousands of plays, and stayed true to its mission to nurture compelling, challenging and diverse plays that move on to productions, earn awards, and define the American theatre.

Each season, Chicago Dramatists presents three world premiere productions and the signature Saturday Series, weekly staged readings of plays in progress. The theatre also conducts educational outreach to 400 at-risk students at Chicago Public Schools, awakening the possibility of self-expression by writing for the theatre. Through passionate dedication, personal nurture and careful exposure, Chicago Dramatists carries on its mission of developing new plays and playwrights for the next generation of theatre.

Chicago Dramatists is located just minutes from the Loop at 1105 W. Chicago Avenue, at the 24-hour Chicago Avenue stop of the Blue Line subway, and is just off the Ogden and Augusta exits of the Kennedy Expressway. There is street parking available. For more information visit www.chicagodramatists.org.