Mad Horse Theatre Company Announces New Directors And Expands To Five-Show 2018-19 Season

After serving as Artistic Director of the company since 2008, Christine Louise Marshall is stepping down from the position before the 2018-19 season.

In a statement, Marshall said: "I am incredibly proud of my tenure as Artistic Director of Mad Horse. This company means so much to me, and I'm deeply proud of the shows I've helped to produce, the development of our performance space, and our reputation as a company."

Effective this summer, long-time company member Mark Rubin will serve as the new Artistic Director. Rubin has been an active company member since 2013 and theatergoers will recognize him from his many roles on the Mad Horse stage, including ONE FLEA SPARE by Naomi Wallace, BLOODY BLOODY Andrew Jackson by Alex Timbers, THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT by Stephen Adly Guirgis, THE TOTALITARIANS by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, LYSISTRATA by Ellen McLaughlin, TREVOR by Nick Jones, ALLIGATOR ROAD by Callie Kimball, VIGILS by Noah Haidle, TITUS ANDRONICUS by William Shakespeare, BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO by Rajiv Joseph, and NOVEMBER by David Mamet. He has also performed with Good Theater, AIRE Theater, Lorem Ipsum, Fenix Theatre, and Bare Portland in Maine and in the DC area with Arena Stage, Round House Theater, Project Y, Cherry Red Productions, and Olney Stage.

"As a member of the company, I cannot thank Christine enough for her fantastic leadership over these last 10 years to Mad Horse Theatre Company. I'm excited to help build off her efforts and work with the ensemble to provide challenging works to our audience. In our upcoming season, we hope to touch hearts, encourage deeper thinking about issues affecting our world, and embolden people to reach out and make new connections with each other."

Nick Schroeder will serve in the position of Executive Director. A company member since 2014, Schroeder has acted in several Mad Horse productions including THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer, THE NETHER by Jennifer Haley, DIGBY'S HOME by Brent Askari, TITUS ANDRONICUS by William Shakespeare, GREY GARDENS by Doug Wright, and ONE FLEA SPARE by Naomi Wallace. He directed OTHER DESERT CITIES by Jon Robin Baitz and will be directing LIFE SUCKS by Aaron Posner in March, 2019. Schroeder studied theater at Sarah Lawrence College (B.A. '06) and is a founding member of Portland theater collective Lorem Ipsum and a producer and board member with the Theater Ensemble of Color. Schroeder is the editor of the alt-weekly newspaper the Portland Phoenix and former editor of Dispatch magazine.

After handing off her duties as Artistic Director, Marshall will step into the role of steering the theater program at Cape Elizabeth High School, developing the new Dirigo Talent Agency with partner David Timm, and focusing on film work. Marshall will maintain an active role as both a company and board member of Mad Horse Theatre Company, and will direct the production THE WHALE, by Samuel D. Hunter, in November 2018, as well as the latest offering in Mad Horse's By Local series - DEPRESSION: THE MUSICAL, by Marianne Pillsbury, running September 24-26.

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to focus on work that has long been important to me, but has not always been possible due to my work as Mad Horse's Artistic Director," Marshall said. "I also hope to continue to contribute to Mad Horse's growth. I look forward to being a part of where we go next."

Mad Horse has also added the position of Company Manager, and Jake Cote will be filling this position for the upcoming season. A company member since 2016, Jake has appeared as an actor in many Mad Horse productions including BENGAL TIGER IN THE BAGHDAD ZOO by Rajiv Joseph, THE TOTALITARIANS by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, and REASONS TO BE PRETTY by Neil LaBute. His sound design has been featured in many recent productions. Jake received his bachelors degree in Theatre from the University of Southern Maine in 2012.

Mad Horse is thrilled to be expanding their 2018-2019 season to 5 productions, a goal toward which the company has been working for the past year, and the new leadership is excited to be at the helm for this exciting development.

Mad Horse Theatre Company
24 Mosher Street
South Portland, Maine 04106
207-747-4148
> www.madhorse.com

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