Sideshow Theatre Company Names New Executive Director
Weddell will succeed Megan A. Smith, who has helmed the company with artistic director Jonathan L. Green since its inception in 2007. Weddell also becomes Sideshow's first full-time, salaried employee, as the company prepares to launch its 10th Anniversary season later this year. Sideshow Theatre was recently named the recipient of the 2016 Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award.
"Sideshow Theatre's board of directors, staff and artists knew it would be a real challenge to find a successor for Megan - a candidate to match her mix of discipline, professionalism and energy," comments artistic director Jonathan L. Green. "With Megan's incredible talents and foresight, Sideshow's first nine seasons have allowed the company to grow from a tiny, itinerant storefront into a flourishing, sustainable home for theatre-making in Chicago. We are incredibly fortunate to welcome Stephanie into her new role - her talents and vision are formidable, and I can't wait to be a part of the further growth of Sideshow under her leadership."
"After ten wonderful years in Chicago, my husband and I have decided to relocate to pursue other arts career opportunities," comments Megan A. Smith. "It was a challenging decision, as Chicago has given us so much. However Sideshow will remain my artistic home where I will continue to serve as a dedicated ensemble member and director. I am thrilled to pass along the executive director duties into the very capable hands of Stephanie Weddell. Her skills and talents will take Sideshow into the next level of our growth."
Adds Weddell, "Sideshow Theatre Company is an outstanding organization and it is a privilege to be chosen as the first full-time executive director. I am looking forward to working closely with Jonathan, the staff and the board to continue the company's exciting momentum into the future."
Stephanie Weddell most recently served as the Drama & Dance School Director at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre. She is actively involved with The Night Ministry, a human services non-profit located in Chicago, and serves on the organization's Associate Board. A graduate of Drury University, Stephanie holds a Master of Arts in Communication and Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Arts Administration. Stephanie's stage management credits include La Traviata (SRO Lyric Theatre), Avenue Q (Springfield Contemporary Theatre) and Company (Drury University Theatre).
It is the mission of Sideshow Theatre Company to mine the collective unconscious of the world we live in with limitless curiosity, drawing inspiration from the familiar stories, memories and images we all share to spark new conversation and bring our audiences together as adventurers in a communal experience of exploration.
From its first production, 2008's Dante Dies!! (and then things get weird) to its Jeff Award-winning productions of Roland Schimmelpfennig's Idomeneus (named one of the best plays of 2012 by Time Out Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times) and Elizabeth Meriwether's runaway robotic hit Heddatron at Steppenwolf Theatre, to the recent re-mount of its smash hit Stupid F##king Bird, Sideshow has consistently produced engaging, transcendent works across Chicago. Sideshow continues its multi-year residency at Victory Gardens in the historic Biograph Theater in the 2015/16 season.
Sideshow also produces the Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers (CLLAW), a wildly popular interactive fundraising event that benefits Sideshow Theatre Company and other local charities. CLLAW has been featured in local and national press, including The Washington Post, Reuters, Penthouse Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times and on WGN Morning News, ABC 7's Windy City Live and CBS 2. The next CLLAW match is Saturday, July 30, 2016 at Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Ave. in Chicago. For more information about CLLAW, visit www.cllaw.org.
Pictured: Stephanie Weddell and Megan A. Smith
Videos
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The Three Little Pigs at Stahl Family Theatre Chicago Kids Company (5/06-7/31) |
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The Movement You Need: An Evening with Brendan Hunt Steppenwolf Theatre Company (4/19-5/20) |
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Two Out of Three Falls The Factory Theater (6/04-7/18) |
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