SecondStory Repertory Announces Corey McDaniel as new Artistic Director

SecondStory Repertory's Executive Director, Mark Chenovick announced today that he is appointing two new members to his creative team. Corey McDaniel will take the helm as Artistic Director while also overseeing marketing and public relations. Samantha Holsworth will step into the role of Director of Education. McDaniel has been working as Interim Education Director since August of 2011. Both McDaniel and Holsworth will work together towards the development of the education department and outreach programs, strengthening community and industry relationships, and continuing SSR's twelve year tradition of bringing quality live theater to Redmond.

"When I first accepted the position of SSR's Executive Director," Chenovick said, "I was excited about the possibilities. Facilitating the artistic efforts of the production teams, making modifications to the theater itself, and creating a theater in which directors, designers, and actors can pursue this collaborative craft in a supportive and artistically energized environment."

Chenovick continues, "Both McDaniel and Holsworth believe in the same things that SSR is striving for: to be a place where creative visionaries can come together in a supportive and collaborative environment. Instinctively, their personalities and similar work ethic encourage and fuel the creative and buoyant nature of the artists they work with."

Speaking of McDaniel, Chenovick expressed, "I felt very strongly that the theater needed an artistic compass - someone whose sole purpose was to speak on behalf of the art. Corey inspires people. He is not only an exceptional director but also an inspiration to those he works with. His passion for theater, exceptional work ethic, drive and personality, is strengthening our standing with those we are here to serve. He understands the business and administration of the performing arts, is a highly respected teaching artist, and an accomplished actor, dancer and director."

McDaniel is preparing to announce SSR's 14th season in the coming weeks. As part of his agreement with SSR, he will direct three of the six mainstage productions next season. Within the current season (Season 13) McDaniel is slated to direct the Tony Award winning drama, Amadeus scheduled to open April 6, 2012.

McDaniel states in regard to his new position, "I am humbled, honored and extremely thrilled. SecondStory and her team is the perfect home for me. My passion for theater and working with other artists motivates everything I do. That passion extends from watching artists learn, grow and accomplish, to sitting quietly in the back of the house and observing the audience take in the experience. I want SecondStory to feel like home to our patrons who want to escape into the magic of the theater. I want it to be THE place they go to be entertained and to find freedom from the burdens that weigh us down. I want SecondStory to be a haven to the creative individuals that make up the very talented, skilled and diverse theater and teaching artists' community of the region and help to continue creating a theater where artists know they are supported, encouraged and a place where they want to work. To know that I can contribute to SSR's vision of being that home is truly a gift."

In regards to Holsworth, Chenovick stated, "She is decisive, ambitious, direct and unique. Her background in theater and broad spectrum of theatrical vocations make her an ideal match for the team leading SSR into new, more stable horizons. She is a natural leader and exceptional teaching artist."

When asked to elaborate on Holsworth's contribution to SecondStory, she clarified, "Both of my parents are deeply involved in the arts. My father is a band director, so arts education was a natural path for me. My role in the classroom is not to stand in front and say 'This is the correct way to make art.' I'm not going to say I know it all because I don't. What I do is teach skills, provide tools, and create an environment where my students feel secure enough to be funny and brave, and contribute to a piece of theater in a meaningful way. Teaching is a way for me to expand and test my own boundaries by collaborating with young, fresh minds. Young artists have an incredible capacity for lateral thought, and I find myself constantly delighted and challenged by my students. I want SSR to be a new generation of the family that I found as a child in the theater. That kind of artistic home can only exist when a community of students and professionals come together and take ownership of the process of creating art. I want SSR to be that place, where kids and adults alike can walk in and think 'This is my theater, I make a difference here, my ideas mean something to the people here.' Redmond has a great energy that feeds on active community participation, and SSR is uniquely positioned to be a nexus of that energy. I'm excited to see what we can build here!"

Corey McDaniel is a local director, actor, and teaching artist. Originally from Texas, his career began as a dancer with the Lone Star Ballet. As an actor he has worked throughout the US and internationally with credits ranging from stage to television and film. His performance experiences have placed him in such reputable arenas as the Fox Theatres, the Hollywood Bowl, Theatro Sistina in Rome, and the Metropolitan Opera House of NYC. As a director, Corey has staged a wide variety of productions throughout Southern California, Japan and the Puget Sound Region. While working as a touring dancer for pre-Broadway Disney Theatricals and Buena Vista he doubled as an on-set acting coach for teens and young adults in Hollywood. He was a director and assistant choreographer for Children's Theatre Experience (CTE) for seven years working with performers throughout Southern California. Corey aided in the creation of the professional actor training programs at The Actors Spot and Warner Laughlin Studios where he continued on as a staff instructor. Corey has spent numerous years overseas performing and sharing American arts educational programs with foreign countries. He has directed, performed and taught in Chihuahua & Mexico City, Mexico, Toronto, Canada, Rome, Italy, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Nagoya, Japan, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Since moving to Seattle, Corey has also worked with several local companies, worked in education, public relations, development and marketing. Prior to SecondStory he spent two and half years as the education director for GreenStage before stepping into the role of interim education director at SSR in August of 2011. He is also a charter member and 2011 Chair of the TPS Gregory Awards.

Samantha Holsworth grew up in the Theater, and has been performing since she was 8. She graduated from Florida State University's School of Theater in 2009 with her BA in Theater. She is also a 2008 graduate of Theater Academy London, where she studied dialects, playwriting, and Shakespeare. From 2009 - 2010 she was the Education Director of Pensacola Little Theater in her hometown of Pensacola, FL. After spending the year teaching eight classes a week for all ages, developing new programs, and directing/managing the grant-funded Beyond Boundaries outreach program, as well as working with the Southeastern Teen Shakespeare Co. and the Lab Rats Junior Improv Troupe, she decided it would be fantastic to pack it all up and move to the West Coast just to see what the fuss was all about. Since arriving in Seattle in August 2010, she has worked at Village Theater KIDSTAGE, Broadway Bound Children's Theater, and Seattle Musical Theater. She has a special love for Shakespeare, Beckett, and improv comedy. She directed SecondStory's Youth Workshop production of Dear Edwina, Jr in the summer of 2011, and will be directing The Dancing Princess in spring 2012. Favorite past productions as a director or designer include Never The Sinner, Alexander and The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day; The Musical!, Comedy of Errors, and The Lion In Winter. Favorite onstage appearances include Chicago, Nunsense, The Goat: Or, Who Is Sylvia, Alice In Wonderland, and Victor/Victoria.

About SecondStory Repertory: Since its opening in October 1999, SecondStory Repertory has offered a year-round season of musicals, comedies, reviews, and dramas, along with its popular Theater for Young Audiences series. The theater also presents contemporary concerts, improvisational comedy, poetry readings, informal stagings of new works, and many other special events. In all, there are more than 150 performances every year.

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