Raven Stubbs Named PlayMakers Laboratory's New Program Director

PlayMakers Laboratory has announced the appointment of Raven Stubbs as the company's new Program Director. Stubbs is responsible for overseeing all of PML's educational activities, including in-school programming, after-school programming, professional development and training new teaching artists. Stubbs succeeds Shá Norman, who has served in the position since 2017.

Comments PML Executive Director Colette Gregory, "Raven is a dynamic leader, who brings an impressive and extensive roster of experiences to the role of Program Director. Her expertise is second to none and will usher in a bold new vision for the way that PlayMakers Laboratory connects with Chicago Public Schools students, as well as the broader community" PML Artistic Director Brandon Cloyd adds, "PlayMakers Laboratory has always focused on both education and theatre, so I'm thrilled to collaborate and grow PML with Raven and the rest of the team."

Born and raised in Detroit, MI, Raven Stubbs is an artist, educator, writer and organizer who views each of those roles as overlapping and intersectional. She holds a BA in Theatre Studies with honors in Ethnodramatic Theatre Studies from Illinois Wesleyan University, an Applied Art certificate from SACI, Italy, and an Ed.M. in Education and Public Policy from Harvard University. Coming from a predominantly Black city, Raven uses ethnography and Theater of the Oppressed to address access to education and interrogate racism, gender and class. Her research and experiences led her to create performance-based Anti-Oppression workshops as a tool for community building, organizing and art-making. Raven's passion for advocating for education and social change led her to form many partnerships and spearhead projects with organizations including The Sculpture Center (NYC, NY), Studio Museum in Harlem (NYC, NY), Recess Art Org (Brooklyn, NY), A.R.T (Cambridge, MA), H.G.S.E., Western Avenue Community Center (Bloomington, IL), Delta Dental Health Theatre (St. Louis, MO), Illinois Shakespeare Festival (Bloomington, IL) and Mosaic Youth Theatre (Detroit, MI), CYI Detroit (Detroit, MI), Global Campaign for Education - US Chapter (D.C.), Lawndale Christian Legal Center (Chicago), Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (Chicago), Teachers for Social Justice (Chicago), Avodah (Chicago, New York, D.C., New Orleans), Repair the World (National, U.S.) The Goodman Theatre (Chicago) and Harvard Defenders (Cambridge, MA).