Markie Gray To Step Down as Raven Theatre Managing Director; Cole von Glahn Named Interim MD

Raven Theatre's Board of Directors announced that Markie Gray will step down as the theater's Managing Director at the end of April 2023 and Cole von Glahn will assume the Interim Managing Director position at the beginning of May 2023.

Gray has been the company's administrative leader since July 2020 and will be joining another major Chicago arts organization. During her tenure as the Managing Director, she helped guide Raven through the dark days of COVID-19 and its reopening of operations as an Equity theater, the remodeling of the theater's Johnson Stage, the development and implementation of its anti-racism plan and the expansion of its accessibility initiatives. Cole von Glahn returns to Raven, having previously served as the theater's Production Manager and Artistic Producer from January 2018 through June 2021.

Raven Board President Stephen Johnson remarked, "We are grateful for Markie's leadership over the past three years, especially given the challenges associated with assuming a new position in the very early days of COVID-19 and then of resuming operations in an environment even more uncertain than that normally faced by a performing arts organization. We wish her nothing but the best as she takes the next step in her career of nurturing Chicago's performing arts. We are very fortunate that Cole will rejoin the theater. He brings a wealth of knowledge about the theater and its operations as well as its donors and patrons. The theater will be in very good hands as it searches to fill the Managing Director position."

Markie Gray comments, "Thank you to everyone who gave me the extraordinary opportunity to lead this Chicago institution. I am extremely grateful for my time at Raven and know that I am leaving the theatre in the exceptional hands of the staff, board, and artists. I look forward to Raven's next chapter and will be in the audience cheering them on."

Cole von Glahn adds, "I first came to Raven at a moment of transition and found an artistic home dedicated to engaging our community with the breadth and depth of the theatrical voice. I'm ecstatic to return as Raven looks forward to its 41st season of creating cultural connection."

Biographies

Before joining Raven Theatre, Markie Gray served as the Associate Director of Marketing & Communications at Yale Repertory Theatre. Previous positions include Company Manager for Yale Repertory Theatre, Management Fellow under Susie Medak at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Production Manager at American Theater Company and Artistic Producer at First Floor Theater. Originally from Ann Arbor, MI, she spent six years post college working as a producer, production manager, sound designer, stage manager, educator and performer in Chicago. She is an artistic associate of First Floor Theater, and a graduate of the Theater Management MFA Program at Yale School of Drama, where she was a leader of the Womxn's Voices in Theater affinity group and a member of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group. She is a board member of the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce and was featured in Newcity Stage's "Players 50 2022: The Fifty Who Really Perform for Chicago." She holds a BA from the University of Chicago.

Cole von Glahn is thrilled to return to Raven after serving as the company's Artistic Producer from 2018-2021. In Chicago, he has produced and directed at First Floor Theater, where he was the Director of Production from 2016-2019, Neverbird, Griffin Theatre and American Theater Company. Since his departure from Raven, Cole has pursued an M.S. in Computational Analysis and Public Policy from the University of Chicago with a specialization in digital human rights and data privacy.

About Raven Theatre

Raven Theatre tells stories of today and the past that connect us to our cultural landscape. Through its plays, as well as its educational programming, Raven is committed to serving our communities' needs through the arts.

Raven Theatre Company is funded in part by The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at Prince, Polk Bros Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, S&C Electric Company Fund, Paul M. Angell Foundation, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

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