Two titans of the Chicago performing arts scene recently announced their forthcoming retirements.
Victory Gardens Theater Artistic Director Dennis Zacek plans to step down at the end of the 2010-11 season, while Lyric Opera of Chicago General Director William Mason plans to retire at the end of the 2011-12 season.
The majority of both men's careers have been tied to their respective Windy City organizations, and both have contributed greatly to building Chicago's world-class reputation for theater and opera. Both Victory Gardens and the Lyric are commencing nationwide searches for successors, but Zacek and Mason probably have their own takes on why hiring from within is a good idea.
Victory Gardens in full bloom
While the Goodman Theatre is famed largely for its directing talent and the Steppenwolf Theatre's acting ensemble gets most of the attention, it's playwrights who get to shine at Victory Gardens. With 34 years at the artistic helm of Victory Gardens ( and directing more than 250 productions ) , Zacek was instrumental in building the theater's 14-member Playwright Ensemble, which includes such writers as James Sherman ( Beau Jest ) , Claudia Allen ( Hannah Free ) , Jeffrey Sweet ( Flyovers ) and Nilo Cruz ( the Pulitzer Prize-winning Anna in the Tropics ) .
Victory Gardens has received even more artistic and accolade-filled raves.
At this year's Tony Awards, Victory Gardens playwright John Logan won the Tony Award for Best Play for Red, a two-man drama looking at artist Mark Rothko and his dilemma over a commission for the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagram Building. The London import also won five other Tony Awards.
And recently, two Victory Gardens world premieres from its first IGNITION festival dedicated to minority playwrights graced off-Broadway. Michael Golamco's Year Zero was about a Cambodian-American family coping with the loss of their mother, while Kristoffer Diaz's The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity found a clever way to combine current U.S. race relations with professional wrestling. ( The latter was also a finalist for this year's Pulitzer Prize in Drama. )
Zacek was at Radio City Music Hall in New York to collect the theater's 2001 Tony Award for Excellence in Regional Theater. And Zacek also oversaw Victory Gardens' move in 2006 to the famed Biograph Theater following an $11.8-million renovation.
Zacek plans to stay on with Victory Gardens in the new role of artistic director emeritus and remain active as a director, actor and board member.
"After 34 years with Victory Gardens, I look forward to my continued involvement with the theater in a new capacity," Zacek said in a prepared statement. "Even John Wayne knew when to get off the horse and on to the buckboard."
Yet Zacek hasn't been silent about his choice for his successor: Associate Artistic Director Sandy Shinner. She has been with the company in a variety of roles since 1979, and Shinner would certainly know the ins and outs of Victory Gardens from years of firsthand experience.
If Victory Gardens does hire an outsider, hopefully the company will avoid the nasty artistic spat that developed between the new artistic director of American Theater Company and its longtime acting ensemble ( who then split to form its own company, American Blues Theater ) .
The Lyric goes on
William Mason is only the third general director in the 56-year history of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. And like his predecessor, Ardis Krainik, Mason was hired from within the company.
But Mason has connections with the Lyric stretching back to its founding by then-General Manager Carol Fox back in 1954. Mason sang with the Lyric's children's chorus in its first few seasons, and later was director of operations ( artistic and production ) for 16 years. Mason succeeded Krainik, the Lyric's general director since 1981, when Krainik died in 1997.
During Mason's time at the Lyric, he has overseen more than 120 productions ( more than 40 of them new ) , and helped maintain the Lyric's solid fiscal foundation. ( Twenty-two of the past 23 seasons have operated in the black. )
"I think two years from now will be the right time to turn the reins over to a new general director," said Mason in a prepared statement. "And I look forward to working with the Board on finding a successor to lead this great company."
Now there might not be any clear candidates for Lyric if they want to hire from within again, although I did see someone on an opera chat site suggest Gianna Rolandi. The retired soprano is not only the director of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center for young artists, but also wife to music director Sir Andrew Davis.
While I don't know if Rolandi would want the job, her selection would tie into the Lyric's long history of mostly women and insiders running the company.
Changes at Next
Next Theatre Company in Evanston has just named Chicago actress and arts administrator Jennifer Avery as the interim artistic director and Jim Davis as the producing director.
Former artistic director Jason Southerland was removed by the board of directors in May due to allegations of plagiarism and rights issues surrounding Next's production of Return to Haifa.
Managing Director Kevin Heckman also recently announced his departure.
"I have tons of faith that the board, Jenny and Jim will lead Next through these changes and I have offered to help in the transition in any way that I can," Heckman said in a prepared statement. "Next has been a fantastic place to call home. I look forward to joining them in the future as a patron and an artist."
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