CTC's Tim Jennings Joins Shaw Festival as Executive Director

Andy Pringle, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Shaw Festival, is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Jennings as the next Executive Director of the Shaw Festival. Jennings will succeed Elaine Calder, who is retiring in September of this year.

Well respected in both Canada and the United States for his creativity, financial acumen, leadership skills and energy, Jennings has had a long and successful career in theatre management, starting in production supervision and management at The Canadian Opera Company and River Run Centre. He also taught Theatre Production at Ryerson and Humber Colleges. In 2000, he assumed the role of Managing Director of Toronto's Roseneath Theatre, working with Artistic Director David S. Craig. In 2008 Jennings moved to the United States to work with the Seattle Children's Theatre as Managing Director, and then in 2011 moved to the world renowned, Tony Award-winning Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, one of the USA's largest regional theatres, again as Managing Director. There he gained a reputation for increasing revenue, building the theatre's endowment, creating new business lines to enhance the reputation and scope of the company, and supporting Artistic Director Peter Brosius in his visionary work.

"I am thrilled to accept this position and to be coming back to Canada to work with a theatre I have long held as the model for excellence," said Mr. Jennings. I grew up in Georgetown with parents who saw the arts as hugely important and they took me to see a lot of work at Shaw. I credit it with a lifelong love of the art and starting my career in theatre. I am so excited to be working with Jackie as a partner, with the world class staff at the Shaw and to welcome Jackie's successor!"

"After an extensive global search process, we are very pleased that a person of Tim's calibre and experience is joining The Shaw and we look forward to working with him when he joins us in late September," said Mr. Pringle. "We are happy to repatriate another Canadian whose experience in the US will serve us and our American audiences well. He will build on the excellent achievements of Elaine Calder and work in collaboration with our Board of Governors, Artistic Director and senior management team. Tim will be here in time to be a part of Jackie Maxwell's final season in 2016 and to welcome our next Artistic Director, with whom he'll be working on the 2017 and subsequent seasons."

The Shaw Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of Bernard Shaw. The Festival produces plays from and about his era and contemporary plays that share Shaw's provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity.

Photo Credit: Dan Norman

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