Oracle Appoints New Managing, Associate Artistic Directors

Oracle Productions is delighted to announce that Company Member Lauren Yarbrough has been named their Managing Director, and Artistic Producer Tony Santiago has been promoted to the role of Associate Artistic Director.

Yarbrough began working with Oracle in 2014, and has served as Production Manager for both runs of This House Believes the American Dream is at the Expense of the American Negro, The America Play, No Beast So Fierce, and most recently for The Hairy Ape. She became a company member earlier this year, and has played an instrumental role in executing these past couple seasons. "In my position as Managing Director, one of my biggest goals is to continue to stretch our understanding of what we mean by Public Access, and what responsibilities that leaves us. What public are we truly serving? To whom are we really, actively accessible?"

Santiago has been a member of Oracle's staff and company since 2013, and states, "Oracle doesn't charge for tickets allowing me to produce art programming the community wants and needs - turning Oracle into a lighthouse for the community." His producing credits there include good friday, Ike Holter's Stay Lit, The Jungle, Romulus, R+J: The Vineyard, James Manno's The Pursuit of Happiness and Other Tragedies, and Peter & the Wolf. On Oracle's stage, he has appeared in The America Play, and most recently, The Hairy Ape. Santiago's efforts have led to many exciting artistic collaborations with major players in the Chicago theatre community.

Recently appointed Artistic Director Vanessa Stalling noted, "Tony has been an essential voice for Oracle both artistically and administratively. He has been a guiding force behind many of the company's successes and I'm honored to partner with him during this next phase of development. Lauren has been a champion of several of Oracle's recent endeavors, and it's exciting to have her taking on a larger leadership role at the company."

This summer has been full of exciting developments. Saturday, August 13 marks the opening of good friday by Kristiana Rae Colón, the inaugural production in Oracle's new space at 1802 W. Berenice. Be on the lookout for an announcement of Oracle's 2017 Season - its seventh season of Public Access Theatre!

Oracle's mission is to provide everyone everywhere access to the arts. This year, Oracle's acclaimed production of The Hairy Ape received three Jeff Awards for: Best Actor (Julian Parker), Best Sound Design (Jeffrey Levin), and Artistic Specialization (Breon Arzell). Also nominated were last season's productions of The America Play (Travis Delgado for Best Actor) and This House Believes the American Dream is at the Expense of the American Negro (Zachary Baker-Salmon for New Adaptation). In addition, members of the League of Chicago Theatres awarded Oracle with the 2014 Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Award. This advocacy makes a bold statement about Chicago's theatre community: they, too, believe everyone everywhere should have access to the arts.

Since Public Access Theatre launched in 2010, Oracle has provided free performances to over 30,000 people locally and internationally, worked with over 500 artists, and collaborated with over 60 different organizations. Oracle has seen exponential growth through Public Access Theatre.

In the past year, Oracle has partnered with organizations like the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Goldie's Place, and Rebuild Foundation's Black Cinema House to bring important cultural events to new audiences around Chicago for free. Oracle extends a hearty "Thank You!" to all organizations that help Oracle connect with new communities and expand their mission.

For more information visit publicaccesstheatre.org, facebook.com/OracleProductions, and twitter.com/OracleTheatre.